zPods Health Benefits for Children

SLEEP IN THE SPECIAL NEEDS COMMUNITY: Sleep is a complex phenomenon that involves various physiological and psychological processes. Research has shown that sleep is essential for physical health, with poor sleep linked to increased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.1 Sleep is also crucial for mental health, with poor sleep linked to increased risk of depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.2

Despite the importance of sleep, many neurodiverse children experience sleep disturbances, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early. For examples, studies have shown that up to 80% of children with ASD,3 80% of children with schizophrenia,4 92% of children with OCD,5 and 70% of children with ADHD6 experience some form of sleep disturbance, including difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up earlier than desired. Sleep disturbances can have a range of negative consequences, including fatigue, irritability, difficulty concentrating, and poor academic performance.7

In addition to its role in physical and mental health, sleep is also important for cognitive function. Sleep plays a crucial role in memory consolidation, with research showing that sleep helps to consolidate new memories and improve learning.8 Sleep also plays a role in creativity, problem-solving, and decision-making.9 As such improving sleep quality should be a primary goal in the management of disorders.

CHAMBER R.E.S.T.: To improve sleep in neurodiverse children, a holistic approach is needed that takes into account the individual needs and preferences of each child. One promising

1 Taheri, S. (2006). The Link Between Short Sleep Duration and Obesity: We Should Recommend More Sleep to Prevent Obesity. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 91(11), 881–4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2082964/; Knutson, K.L., et al. (2007). The Metabolic Consequences of Sleep Deprivation. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 11(3), 163–78. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17442599/

2 Baglioni, C., et al. (2011). Insomnia as a Predictor of Depression: A Meta-Analytic Evaluation of Longitudinal Epidemiological Studies. Journal of Affective Disorders, 135(1–3), 10–19. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21300408/; Alvaro, P.K., Roberts, R.M., & Harris, J.K. (2013). A Systematic Review Assessing Bidirectionality Between Sleep Disturbances, Anxiety, and Depression. Sleep, 36(7), 1059–68. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23814343/

3 Autism Speaks (2023, May 13). Sleep. https://www.autismspeaks.org/sleep#:~:text=Sleep%20problems%20are%20very%20common,as%20hyperactivity

%2C%20inattentiveness%20and%20aggression

4 Dule, A., et al. (2020). Sleep Quality in Schizophrenia. Journal of Mental Health and Clinical Psychology, 4(4), 57–64. https://www.mentalhealthjournal.org/articles/sleep-quality-in-schizophrenia.html

5 Segal, S.C. & Carmona, N.E. (2022). A Systematic Review of Sleep Problems in Children and Adolescents With Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 90. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887618522000640

6 Sleep Health Foundation (2023, May 13). ADHD and Sleep in Children. https://www.sleephealthfoundation.org.au/pdfs/ADHD.pdf

7 Beebe, D. (2011). Cognitive, Behavioral, and Functional Consequences of Inadequate Sleep in Children and Adolescents. Pediatric Clinics of North America, 58(3), 649–65. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21600347/ 8 Stickgold, R. (2005). Sleep-Dependendt Memory Consolidation. Nature, 437, 1272–8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16251952

9 Cai, D.J., et al. (2009). REM, Not Incubation, Improves Creativity by Priming Associative Networks. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(25) 10130–4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19506253/

approach is the use of sleep chambers, which provide a sensory-rich and safe environment for children to sleep.

Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST)—using an enclosed space to avoid excessive external stimuli—has been studied in various contexts, including the effects of sensory deprivation on the brain (improved learning) and the use of restorative environments for healing and recovery.10 REST has been successfully used in treatment of “difficulty relaxing, sleeping, or dealing with anxiety, or… chronic pain, hypertension, or other conditions that may be exacerbated by stress.”11

In recognition of the sensitivity that many in the autism and other special needs communities have to their environments, scholars have been developing indexes to evaluate how spaces can be better designed to soothe occupants.12 Dr. Magda Mostafa explains that “[s]uch spaces may include a small partitioned area or crawl space in a quiet section of a room…. These spaces should provide a neutral sensory environment with minimal stimulation that can be customized by the user to provide the necessary sensory input.”13

GROUNDING MATS: Grounding mats work by drawing residual electromagnetic fields (EMFs) from a person’s body to the ground outlet and into the earth. One study of 12 subjects with sleep disturbances found that grounding for four weeks resulted in significant improvements in subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, and waking after sleep onset.14 Use of a grounding mat during sleep can lower nightly levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with wakefulness, while normalizing cortisol levels over the course of a 24-hour cycle. Users also report decrease in sleep dysfunction, pain, and stress.15 Grounding is associated with decreases in inflammation and is more effective the longer it is done.16 Physiological changes caused by grounding at night include decreases in free tri-iodothyronine and increases in free thyroxine and thyroid- stimulating hormone,17 a combination that improves overall heart health.

10 Suedfeld, P., et al. (1994). Explaining the Effects of Stimulus Restriction: Testing the Dynamic Hemispheric Asymmetry Hypothesis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 14(2), 87–100. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/222488433_Explaining_the_effects_of_stimulus_restriction_Testing_the_ dynamic_hemispheric_asymmetry_hypothesis

11 Suedfeld, P. International Journal of Psychosomatics.

12 Mostafa, M. (2014). Architecture for Autism: Autism ASPECTSs™ in School Design. International Journal of Architectureal Research, 8(1), 143–58. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/285345281_Architecture_for_autism_Autism_aspectss_in_school_design

13 Id. at 147.

14 Ghaly, M. & Teplitz, D. (2004). The Biologic Effects of Grounding the Human Body During Sleep as Measured by Cortisol Levels and Subjective Reporting of Sleep, Pain, and Stress. The Journal of Alternative and

Complementary Medicine, 10(5), 767–76. https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/acm.2004.10.767?url_ver=Z39.88- 2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed

15 Id.

16 Oschman, J.L., Chevalier, G., & Brown, R. (2015). The Effects of Grounding (Earthing) on Inflammation, the Immune Response, Wound Healing, and Prevention and Treatment of Chronic Inflammatory and Autoimmune Diseases. Journal of Inflammation Research, 8, 83–96. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378297/; See also Oschmann, J.L. (2007). Can Electrons Act as Antioxidants? A Review and Commentary. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 9(13), 955–67. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18047442/

17 Sokal, K. & Sokal, P. (2011). Earthing the Human Body Influences Physiologic Processes. The Journal of

Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 17(4), 301–8. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3154031/

THE ZPODS SOLUTION: The zPods enclosed sensory system is a sleep solution designed to address the unique needs of children with special needs, particularly those who are sensitive to their sleep environments. By leveraging the principles of R.E.S.T. and grounding, zPods aims to help children fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and wake up feeling refreshed. When children experience improved sleep, there are positive implications for their daytime health and behavior.

As stated by Wickham et al.,18 “The findings from our study add to [other studies about sleep] by showing that when tested side-by-side quality significantly outranked other health behaviors in the prediction of mental health and well-being.”19

18 Wickman, S., Amarasekara, N.A., Bartoniceck, A., & Conner, T.S. (2020). The Big Three Health Behaviors and Mental Health and Well-Being Among Young Adults: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of Sleep, Exercise, and Diet. Frontiers in Psychology, 10(11). https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33362643/

19 Id. at 5.