Our CEO James has spent several years helping the postural care of critically injured, chronically ill or infirm patients working with physios and occupational therapists in the NHS and around the world. What he has learnt on this journey is that the rehab needs of the complex neurological clients he serves are much the same as the rehab needs of the elite athletes he is now working with to improve athletic performance – nutrition & hydration, mental & physical conditioning and of course sleep! Therefore, everyone in between has the same needs for wellbeing and an improved quality of life too! Using the science that he learnt in healthcare, he set about creating a lying surface that considered not just comfort and pressure relief but also support and posture. James teamed up with experts in specialty chemical engineering, medical devices and a leading consultant of Chronic pain with specific focus on lower back pain, a variety of neck pain and more complex conditions such as fibromyalgia.
The result is a product we called Levitex® – the Optimum Surface for Sleep.
Soft like a traditional memory foam but firm like a sprung mattress all in one material composition. At 25% compression (light squeeze) the softness takes all the pressure off your body whilst at 65% compression (firm squeeze) the resistance supports your body and maintains your posture.
So how are we defying the laws of gravity?
Good posture is the continual fight against gravity. This applies to sleeping as much as when sitting and standing. Do you wake up with aches and pains? This could be due to your poor sleep posture and the alignment of your head and spine. We know that Levitex® has a special property that reduces the amount of pressure on your body when you lay on it. We wanted to prove it to you, so we sent our products to Salford University where Senior Lecturer Jo-Anne Webb conducted the first independent clinical research study for us. Not only did Levitex® provide the best pressure relief, with some participants the data evidenced a reduction in peak pressure, but also a reduction in contact surface area.
Be still at night.
Providing that sweet spot between comfort and support, Levitex® allows your body to remain still throughout the night unlike traditional feather or fibre pillows which move all night and in turn so do your muscles. This stillness allows your body to know where it is – something called ‘proprioception’. If what you lie on moves, even micro-movements, then your neck, shoulder and trapezium muscles work all night; Potentially giving you a stiff neck and shoulders. Imagine trying to sleep on the top branch of a tree and have a restful night’s sleep. Without a stable sleeping surface that is what you put your body through.
The best night’s sleep?
We cannot promise you a “best night’s sleep.” If you have a bad day at work, an argument with your partner or stay up late to binge on Netflix, we can’t help! What we can do is investigate and understand what it is that you are lying on and how that relates to your pressure, posture and proprioception. Just in case you have been sold down the river with other similar products we decided to have ours independently clinically trialled at Salford University. The participants were asked to try 11 different mattresses and toppers and not knowing which was which, they all chose ours as the most comfortable. The study didn’t stop there! The participants were put on gold standard pressure mapping equipment – not the mats you see in the shops but the medical equipment prescribed by doctors around the world! – Guess what, we came top for pressure relief too… Throughout this journey we have been amazed at how little evidence there is for consumers to make an educated decision when choosing their lying surface.
No more fancy marketing terms like “orthopaedic” or “therapeutic” – what do they even mean? It’s time for you to make that informed choice…
So where are we up to?
To date, we have produced a small amount of products that we have been able to give to a variety of people to test. Industry professionals such physios, occupational therapists, chiropractors and muscular skeletal experts are all using Levitex products in order to give us constructive feedback so we can continue to test and improve our offer.
We have been working closely with Professional Rugby Union team, Sale Sharks, in order to get their feedback. Their senior academy players are all using Levitex Pillows and shortly the rest of the 1st team squad will receive theirs, alongside a limited edition, neoprene, travel bag, that they can use to take their pillow to away games. A select group including ex England internationals Mark Cueto MBE and Dorian West MBE, internationals Faf de Klerk and Tom Curry and up and coming star Cam Redpath will be testing the Levitex Mattress and giving us feedback on how it helps their rest, recovery, rehabilitation and relaxation.
We have also placed our products on the beds of elite sportspeople, namely, Paralympic Swimmer Tom Hamer, 2017 Invictus games captain Major Bernie Broad, professional footballers, GB Olympic cyclists, presenters and ex-pros. Read more about their experiences on our website.
Why are we kickstarter-ing? Two reasons really. We live in an age when all manner of scientific knowledge — from the safety of fluoride and vaccines to the reality of climate change — faces organised and often furious opposition. We have spoken to leaders of major UK retailers over the last year and because our products and approach are both new to the market they are nervous to be the pioneers. We believe there is a gap for a clinically trialled and evidenced sleep product and believe a kickstarter audience are just the early adopters we need to prove this. Rest assured, if we are successful we will be making sure Levitex® is available to the mass market, whether thats through retailers or direct to consumers.
The second reason is we want to carry out a continuous and evolving body of research. There is practically no robust data into how posture affects recovery in both sport and in healthcare. Considering we all suffer from poor sleep at some point in our lives this body of evidence is key to making informed decisions about what we choose to sleep on. As there is no evidence the decision makers in healthcare and consumer retail have missed the prevalence on the issue. We believe posture’s role in helping rehabilitation of both athletes and stroke survivors alike is colossal and so do the pioneering clinicians we work with. We want to do more work in proving it and changing the way people recover in hospitals and at home.
Our products
The Gravity Defying Levitex Pillow
No fancy shape, no fancy piping, no fancy fillings. Just an ergonomically shaped pillow using revolutionary Levitex® Foam designed to fit into a regular pillow case. Tackling the three main problems with sleep – posture, pressure and proprioception we’ve created the optimum surface for sleep, and that starts at the head of the bed.
Due to the way our Levitex® Foam supports your head whilst you sleep, it enables perfect spine alignment targeting your posture, allowing you to wake every morning feeling refreshed, rested and renewed.
Your first step to reducing back and neck pain.
Our pillows come in 4 depths from 8-14cm deep, designed for back or side sleepers. Once we’re fully funded we’ll be in touch to advise on the size you need.
To take part in the LevitexSleep Kickstarter please kick here
The Gravity Defying Levitex Mattress
No springs, no pockets, no 640 quadrants, no layers of outdated technology. Just a clinically-proven, pressure reducing, posture improving, Levitex foam mattress. Experience a still and restful night’s sleep, you won’t feel your partner move and turn over during the night. Levitex is not temperature sensitive so whether its 100ºF or -10℃ the performance of the foam will not be affected.
Available in the 4 standard sizes of mattress, single, double, king and Super King size, we have a limited number of the available so we have paired them with our Levitex Pillows to create the ultimate sleep system and the optimum surface for sleep.
Any backers of our mattresses will receive them early next year.
To take part in the LevitexSleep Kickstarter please kick here
The Gravity Defying Levitex Mattress Topper
Extend the life of your current tired mattress with a Levitex Mattress Topper. 5cm of Gravity Defying Levitex Foam gives you all the benefits of a Levitex Mattress before you are ready to go for the full experience.
Available in the 4 standard sizes of mattress, single, double, king and Super King size, we have a limited number of the available so we have paired them with our Levitex Pillows to create the ultimate sleep system and the optimum surface for sleep.
Any backers of our mattress toppers will receive them early next year.
Limited edition Sale Sharks branded neoprene pillow carry bag
Whilst working with Professional Rugby Union team, Sale Sharks we have created a simple solution to enable the players to carry pillows easily to away games. Keeping your pillow with you when you go away is a really easy win in keeping a consistent lying surface. Our bag is made by London designers NQ London from neoprene, just like wetsuits, so it’s robust, easy to clean, vegan & animal friendly. We’re aiming for it to become the travel accessory of elite athletes and frequent travellers alike.
To take part in the LevitexSleep Kickstarter please kick here
