What the research actually found about acupressure mats, why we still think one can earn a place in your evening, and how to use it without expecting magic.

By the TAVO Sleep Team · Updated October 2026 · 5 min read

It's 10:40. You meant to be in bed by now, but you're on the couch with your phone, thumb moving, brain humming. Somewhere in your feed, someone is lying on a mat covered in little spikes, looking strangely calm about it.

What an acupressure mat is

An acupressure mat is a mat covered in small plastic spikes, often sold with a matching pillow. You lie on it, usually on your back, and the spikes press into your skin across a wide area. The name comes from acupressure, the traditional practice of pressing on specific points of the body.

The feeling takes some getting used to. That's why the usual advice is to start with a thin shirt between you and the mat rather than bare skin.

What the research found

There isn't much rigorous research on acupressure mats. The most useful study we know of is a 2024 controlled study published in Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being by Kisker and Schöne.

• The setup. Healthy volunteers did a three-week relaxation routine. One group relaxed lying on an acupressure mat. The comparison group relaxed lying down without one.
• The results. Both groups reported feeling less stressed and sleeping better by the end. The mat group didn't do any better than the group without the mat.
• The physical side. On physiological measures of stress, the mat didn't show an effect. The paper's title sums it up: changes at the subjective level, not the psychophysiological one.

So the honest summary is this: in the best test we have, the mat added nothing over simply lying down to relax. Self-reported improvements like the ones both groups described can come from many things, including expecting to feel better, so even those should be read with care.

So why would anyone use one?

Because the value of a wind-down routine often isn't in the object. It's in what the object gets you to do. A mat is a cue. When it comes out, the evening changes gear:

• You put the phone down. A session on the mat works with the phone out of reach. Phone use in bed is linked with going to sleep later and sleeping less, and a small randomized pilot found that putting phones away 30 minutes before bed helped people fall asleep faster.
• You lie still for a set time. Ten to twenty minutes with nothing to do is rare in most evenings. Racing thoughts at night are associated with disturbed sleep, and a quiet, screen-free block gives your evening a clear stopping point.
• It's a repeatable signal. Doing the same few things in the same order each night is the core of a bedtime routine. Our guide to building a wind-down routine that sticks walks through how to set one up.

Could you get the same thing by lying on the floor with the lights low? Based on that study, quite possibly. Some people just find a dedicated object makes the habit easier to keep.

How to use an acupressure mat as part of your wind-down

• Pick a time. Put it near the end of your evening, once the dishes and emails are done.
• Dim the lights. Ordinary room light before bed has been shown to delay the release of melatonin, so lower the lights while you're on the mat.
• Leave the phone in another room. If you need a timer, use a kitchen timer or a quiet alarm.
• Keep it short. 10 to 20 minutes on the mat is a simple way to wind down. Start with a thin shirt.
• Then go to bed. The mat is a step before sleep, not a place to sleep.

Keep the rest of your routine simple and consistent, and keep your wake time steady. That last part matters more than any mat. For why, see The Science of Waking Up.

Who should skip it or check first

• Don't use it on broken, irritated or sensitive skin.
• If you're pregnant or have a health condition, check with your doctor before using one.
• If it hurts rather than just feeling prickly, stop. This should feel like a pause, not an endurance test.
• If you regularly struggle to fall asleep or stay asleep, talk to a doctor. A mat isn't a treatment for insomnia or any sleep problem.

Where TAVO fits

We make an acupressure mat and pillow set called the Somnia Mat. We're not going to tell you it helps you sleep, lowers stress or relieves anything. The best trial we know of found the mat added nothing over simply lying down to relax, and we'd rather you hear that from us.

What it can be is a reason to stop, lie still and put the phone away at the same time each night. 10 to 20 minutes on the mat is a simple way to wind down. Start with a thin shirt.