A method for selecting a sleep system comprises positioning a person on a mattress in a lying position. One of the person's arms extends generally perpendicular to the person's torso. A first pillow is positioned underneath the person's head, and a force is applied to the person's arm in a direction generally toward the person's feet. An amount of resistive force supplied by the person's arm is estimated and used to determine whether the proper combination of mattress and pillow is achieved.

According to a first embodiment of our invention, a monitoring device is placed above, within, or on the bottom of a cast, boot, shoe, or other lower extremity immobilization or protective device, and has one or more single or cluster of pressure sensitive chambers designed to burst at a predetermined force or weight. The pressure sensitive chambers may be filled with air, liquid, semi-liquid, or particulate material. Once properly positioned, the device serves to detect and alert one or more individuals to the fact that weight-bearing has occurred and/or that a certain amount of force has been transmitted across the bottom or other portion of the cast, boot, shoe, mat, sock, insole, or lower extremity immobilization or protective device in a setting where such pressure could be deleterious or harmful (including situations where patients are recovering from a bony fracture, tendon injury, and recent lower extremity surgery).

The present invention is directed to a cushioning device. The present cushioning device has many attributes that are common with many cushions. Some of these common attributes are at least one bladder having a top surface, a bottom surface and at least one side surface positioned between the top and the bottom surfaces. Another common attribute is a bladder cavity being defined by the top surface, the bottom surface and the at least one side surface. The present invention differs from other bladders in that there is a first conductive material and a second conductive material are positioned within the bladder cavity, positioned away from the bottom surface of the bladder, and capable of acting like a switch for a reactive device. The reactive device is electrically interconnected with the first and second conductive materials. When the first and second conductive materials contact each other the reactive device is capable of responding by sounding an alarm and/or re-inflating the bladder cavity with a fluid.

A method for selecting a sleep system comprises positioning a person on a mattress in a lying position. One of the person's arms extends generally perpendicular to the person's torso. A first pillow is positioned underneath the person's head, and a force is applied to the person's arm in a direction generally toward the person's feet. An amount of resistive force supplied by the person's arm is estimated and used to determine whether the proper combination of mattress and pillow is achieved.

The invention provides a novel adjustable mattress and pillow system and related methods in which a sensing mat positioned on the top face of a mattress affects microprocessor-controlled optimization of the contour of the mattress and a pillow based on a user's position. In one embodiment, the novel adjustable mattress and pillow system of the invention provides real time contour optimization through use of a variety of sensing techniques that make the system particularly useful in environments such as hospital critical care facilities where proper positioning of a user on a mattress and a pillow may prove important to user's health.