How a Mattress Brand Founder Overcome Back Pain in Singapore

Discover how Owllight’s founder was looking for lumbar support until she realized it was the kind of pain that came every morning she woke up.

Her product recommendations were full of lumbar support products, from lumbar back pillows, a new ergonomic office chair to lumbar belts. She wondered if these would solve. Nonetheless, she tried.

Back pain is one of the most prevalent health complaints in Singapore. According to the Singapore Ministry of Health, over 50% of adults experience some form of back pain during their lives[^1]. The stressful and sedentary urban lifestyle, characterized by hours hunched over screens, poor posture, and insufficient physical activity, only exacerbates the issue.

Few know the story of Owllight's founder, Tina, whose personal journey to beat back pain in Singapore laid the foundation for the brand’s unique mission.

When Lumbar Support Was Not Making the Back Pain Better

When she relocated to Singapore for a new chapter in her life, she faced an unexpected challenge: a persistent back pain. She thought she needed lumbar support, adding ergonomic, back care products to cart for her day life, not thinking much about the nights of discomfort.

The products arrived, she incorporated a better back care in her everyday life but the pain stayed. Her nights were filled with tossing and turning. She woke up to stiffness and pain every morning and finally realised it was the landlord's mattress, causing back pain.

Owllight’s Origin Story

Tina wasn’t new to the mattress industry. Back in Shang Hai, she found a successful sleep brand and owns a factory. She is familiar with different foams, sleep materials, manufacturing, and already had a reputation for high-quality sleep products. 

So she went back to her own factory for further research, and re-engineered Owllight's mattress, this time with a personal story of back pain. What she discovered was that even high-end mattresses often lacked critical features for proper back support, especially for Asian body types and tropical climates.

She envisioned Owllight to be more than just another mattress, it would be engineered to beat back pain and empower healthier living in Singapore.

Discovering the Research of Better Mattresses

Tina’s journey took her into the heart of mattress science again. 

1. Revisiting the science of back care 

She knew the basics and Owllight mattresses already had some of these but now it was about re-engineering better layers with back care as the main focus. If you want to learn the science of back care, you can find out more about

• Pressure distribution
• How the spine behaves in different sleep positions
• Firmness recommendations by orthopedic doctors and chiropractors
• Materials that can maintain the spine's natural "S" curve through the night and reduce stress on the lumbar

2. Mismatch in most off-the-shelf mattresses and body types for Asian 

She spoke about sleep, mattress, firmness, foams and back problems to anyone she met and some of the key findings were a surprise. Every conversation mattered and she learnt

• Common back pain patterns of Singaporean and Asian elderly
• A preference for firmer mattresses by Singaporean men, especially those who just completed the National Service as they are used to extra firmness
• Most off-the-shelf mattresses are made for Western physique

3. A cooling sleep for humid and tropical climate

Owllight's original production line was already focused on cooling sleep experience but these are the key points especially for tropical climate

Singapore's tropical heat makes traditional memory foam stuffy

Hygiene issues surface with moisture from sweat

4. A specialised, new generation material (Advanced Japan Technology)

Owllight had a vision, to provide the best material only, and one of a kind solution so the factory did all the necessary work

• Sourcing for a high-performance layer that solves all these problems
• Testing layers of configurations for the best hybrid engineering
• Testing durability and toxin free certification with environmental safety

Designing Owllight: The Mattress for Back Care

Because Tina owns a factory, she didn’t need to source or wait for an external research and development team. She directed changes on the production line herself with complete control over quality and material sourcing. Feedback was gathered and prototypes were tested with many individuals. 

And, for Tina, the change was immediate. She finally slept through the night. The stiffness was gone and her energy returned. Tina’s journey reshaped Owllight's brand and its purpose. Her experience reflects the struggles of many in Singapore battling back pain due to poor sleep support. But with the right knowledge and a mattress engineered for back care, wellness is within reach.

Ready for better sleep with back care?

Discover Owllight's exclusive mattress collection, or get expert consultation tailored to your back care needs in Singapore. Owllight will keep the research and development as an on-going effort to improve designs based on real customer feedback and the latest research.

Are you struggling with back pain?

Don’t settle for restless nights. Explore the science behind healthy sleep and discover how the Owllight's back care mattresses could be the key to your recovery.

 

[^1]: *Singapore Ministry of Health, “Musculoskeletal Disorders Statistics,” 2023.