Better Sleep, Better Readiness: Naval Health Research Center Leads Charge for Evaluating New Shipboard Mattresses
This latest milestone, building on years of fleet surveys, laboratory testing and smaller-scale shipboard evaluations of different mattress types, moves the research from prototype testing to an operational evaluation supporting mattress modernization across U.S. Naval Surface Forces.
This research is a direct response to feedback from Sailors and recommendations from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO). Additionally, NHRC took into account recommendations from the U.S. Naval Surface Forces’ Afloat Surface Climate Assessment Survey, which identified sleep and fatigue as critical factors impacting Navy readiness.
NHRC researchers diagnosed root causes of poor rest and fatigue, including identifying uncomfortable shipboard mattresses as a primary barrier to restorative rest while Sailors are underway.
In the most recent stage of this study, sleep physiology researchers outfitted each berthing rack aboard the Paul Hamilton with newly engineered foam mattresses. NHRC had previously led evaluation of these mattresses for use by Sailors.
NHRC's sleep researchers have conducted multiple phases of testing and surveys with support from the Office of Naval Research (ONR). The work began with upgrading NHRC’s sleep laboratory in 2024 to include a high-fidelity simulated shipboard berthing compartment. An initial laboratory pilot study showed that a commercial soft foam mattress was subjectively superior to the standard-issue Navy innerspring mattress.
A larger, more comprehensive study aboard Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) was conducted in April 2025. This study found that a softer foam mattress performed better across nearly all subjective measures, including comfort, sleep quality and feeling rested upon awakening.
In parallel, a novel mattress-focused survey conducted by NHRC, which has gathered responses from almost 900 sailors, showed most sailors rating their sleep quality as poor, and stating that the mattresses increase their fatigue levels.
"These Sailor-informed ratings and design preferences are intended to guide ongoing efforts to develop and test next-generation shipboard mattresses," said Evan Chinoy, NHRC’s principal investigator for the mattress study. "Sailors gave us clear, unambiguous guidance on what they need: sleeping surfaces that are softer, provide ergonomic support, and better regulate body temperature within compact berthing spaces."
The data gathered by NHRC informed ONR Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) research efforts to develop new shipboard mattress designs with small business partners. Through their contracts with ONR, the small businesses and their university partners are researching and engineering custom prototype mattresses designed to meet stringent shipboard material and safety specifications, while aiming to improve mattresses to better deliver rest and fatigue recovery.
In late 2025, the NHRC sleep research team tested the first batch of prototype mattresses with over 100 sailors aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2), yielding positive evaluations. Following the initial Essex study, the Navy began a limited rollout of the new mattresses to several Surface Forces ships, with NHRC leading the study to assess the performance of these mattresses over time.
The mattress installation and study launch on the Paul Hamilton will mark NHRC’s most comprehensive mattress evaluation to date. With the replacement of berthing mattresses across the entire ship, NHRC researchers can assess the real-world impacts on rest, recovery and readiness.
NHRC, part of Navy Medicine Research & Development, supports Navy, Marine Corps and joint U.S. warfighter health readiness and lethality with research and development that delivers high-value, high-impact solutions to the health and readiness challenges that the U.S. military population faces on the battlefield, at-sea, home and abroad.
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