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Finding The Best Mattress For Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia is extremely painful. Coming from someone whose mother has it, I can understand how painful sleeping at night can be. She messages me on a daily basis to tell me how terribly she slept the night before and always asks me how I can help her. Honestly, other than the treatments she already gets, I told her she needed to find the best mattress for fibromyalgia. If you are a sufferer or know someone who is and is in need of a new remedy, a mattress may be it, which is why i’ve gathered some mattress reviews and information that may help you or them.
Table Of Contents
Best Mattress For Fibromyalgia Comparisons
Brand | Details | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
Resort Sleep 10” Cool Memory Foam |
| |
Mattress America Revive 12” |
| |
Snuggle-Pedic Mattress-Queen |
| |
Sure2Sleep 10” |
| |
Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12” |
|
Understanding Fibromyalgia
Imagine waking up every day in pain, in all areas of your body and having constant tenderness, headaches, morning stiffness, trouble sleeping, and more. In general, fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue in approximately 2.4 % out of 10 million Americans. The causes of this disorder are still unknown, but there are number of things that it can linked to such as:
- Illnesses
- Certain types of diseases
- Stressful or traumatic events such as car accidents
- Repetitive injuries
It can also just occur on its own without anything being linked to it. Some scientists also think that it could also be genetic. It;s also linked more to women than men. Women are 10 times more likely to get it than men are.
What Does it Feel Like
Fibromyalgia patients may always feel like they pulled a muscle and they ache all over. They may also not be able to be touched because specific points on their bodies are tender. Sometimes, their muscles can twitch, burn, or feel like they’re being stabbed.
Some patients have pain and aches around their necks, shoulders, hips, and backs, making it difficult for them to sleep. Patients could also have incontinence, IBS, stiffness, abdominal pain, hypersensitivity to heat or cold, and have the inability to concentrate (fibro fog), among other things.
So, as you could imagine, sleeping with this disease can be increasingly difficult with each passing day sleeping on an old, lumpy, uncomfortable mattress.
Is There Research Being Done?
You would think that after all of these years of this disease being around, that there would be some kind of cure-unfortunately, this is not the case. At the moment, NIAMS sponsors are working hard to figure out why people with fibromyalgia have an increased sensitivity to pain, whether or not there is a gene or genes that increases a person’s risk for the disease, medicines and behavioral treatments, and how inflammation in the body have a relationship with fibromyalgia.
How Is It Currently Being Treated
This disease is extremely difficult to treat and it’s vital to find a doctor that has experience with the disorder and the treatments that help the most. Treating it is usually a group effort including your doctor, physical therapist, and other possible providers who know about it.
Right now, treatments include certain medicines, getting enough sleep, exercising well, eating well, and making necessary work changes if needed. My question here, along with many of you i’m sure, is how can these patients sleep well if they are always in pain? Well, the right mattress can’t cure everything, but it can certainly help you sleep better.
How Can Mattresses Help?
Mattresses play an important role in our sleep health. If we are sleeping on a crummy mattress while suffering from chronic pain, that bad mattress is going to make the pain worse. So, we have to ask ourselves what the best bed for fibromyalgia sufferers is.
First, we need to figure out which type of mattress is best for pressure point relief and overall body pain relief.
Latex
Natural latex is very quick to adjust to your body and it doesn’t take much time for it to work its magic. The second you lay on it, it’s going to give you a nice, soft, cushiony feel. It’s also great for patients who have sleeping partners because latex mattresses usually prevent motion transfer. Since your body is already sensitive to touch and pain, the movement your partner makes could cause some discomfort. With latex, there’s no transfer of motion.
Latex is also really breathable. So if a fibromyalgia patient has a heat sensitivity, this type of material will allow breathability, avoiding overheating and making them more uncomfortable. They’re also naturally hypoallergenic for those who have the double whammy of both fibromyalgia and allergies.
Memory Foam
These are the most popular types of mattress right now. Memory foam is generally made from polyurethane memory foam, unless it’s all natural. These mattresses do help with pain, especially in the back. These types of bed offer a lot of conformability, firmness, and support for those who need it the most.
While we are asleep, our systems provide support to our bodies, better allowing our muscles and intervertebral discs to recover. This recovery is best when the spine is aligned naturally. Since these mattresses conform to the body, they allow this rest of the spine.
Memory foam does tend to sleep warm if it’s a closed cell type, which means there are no air holes for breathability. Since fibromyalgia patients can be hypersensitive to the heat, they may want to opt for a cooling gel-type foam with an open cell technology.
Innerspring
As long as your innerspring mattress has heavy duty coils that ensure great support, you aren’t going to find pain relief with innerspring. A lot of the newer innerspring mattresses come with a comfort layer of foam over the springs, making it more supportive and conforming while still having that traditional innerspring composition.
In the newer innerspring mattresses, you’ll have a support layer, comfort layer, and a fabric cover. The support layer is the spring core. This is what provides the support for your back, hips, shoulders, and neck. The higher the spring count and the lower the gauge number, the better the mattress will be.
The comfort layer is the top layer inside the mattress that can be made from various foams and fibers, each providing its own cushioning and level of comfort. Most commonly used as the comfort layer is polyurethane foam, gel memory foam, latex, or visco elastic. The cheaper versions may only be composed of cotton or polypropylene.
The fabric cover is what holds all of the innards together. These can come in a variety of fabrics and designs. They are usually made from polyester yarn in the cheaper ones, or rayon, cotton, silk, or wool for the more expensive ones. When it comes to the comfort of a fibromyalgia patient, cheaper isn’t always better.
What To Look For In The Perfect Pain Relieving Mattress
After you have decided what kind of material you want for a mattress. It’s time to figure out the supportiveness, firmness, density, and conformability. Once the perfect combination is found, you’ll be sleeping comfortably. A study once showed that out of 313 patients suffering from lower back pain, those with a medium-firm mattress reported having less pain than those who have a firm mattress.
Firmness
Firmness is one of the main factors when it comes to pain relief. You don’t want to be in even more pain sleeping on a mattress that’s too form or too soft. The ideal firmness for pain relief is a medium-firm feel.
Firmness is force measured in pounds which is indicated by indentation load deflection in memory foam. This then tells us how much weight is needed to compress a 4 inch thick piece of foam by 25%. The higher the ILD, the more firm the mattress is going to be. A good range is 30-40 for support on the bottom layer and 10-25 ILD for pressure relief coming from the comfort layer.
Medium-firm is the way to go for pain relief unless you are a side sleeper. In that case, you’re going to want something on the more plush side. These types of sleepers with pain need a little more give so their bodies can sink to promote that proper spinal health.
Conformability
This is the key to pain relief. Mattresses that are the most comfortable will support the body evenly, everywhere. This helps get rid of areas of pressure. If there are areas within a mattress that are lacking, the other areas have to hold up more weight, increasing pressure in your body.
For people who are already in pain, increased pressure never ends well and just creates more sleep struggles for those who are already having issues sleeping. Increased pressure can also cause increased inflammation in the joints and muscles. Conforming mattresses can help alleviate these issues.
Support
As i’ve already mentioned, proper support is ideal for reducing pain in fibromyalgia patients. A supportive mattress keeps your body on a level plane, meaning one part of your body won’t be higher than the others. Consistent support keeps the spine aligned. If the mattress is sagging, the spine then becomes misaligned.
If your mattress is properly supporting you, you should be able to see the “S” shape of your spine should be noticeable when lying on your stomach and it should be straight when lying on your side. You can test this by using a broomstick handle as a guide to see how your spine looks in comparison. To test the “S” shape, have your friend or partner squat down and look from the side as you are laying on your back or stomach.
Now that you’re up to speed on the mattress basics when it comes to pain relief, let’s check out some of the best mattresses for fibromyalgia patients.
Top 5 Mattresses for Fibromyalgia Reviews
Resort Sleep 10” Cool Memory Foam Mattress-Queen
The Resort Sleep is an ideal option for those who need that extra contouring for their pain. This visco mattress cradles you in its deluxe layer of premium air infused visco elastic foam. This foam is layered on top of an extra thick high density foam that allows for optimal support of the spine, hips, shoulders, and neck.
The durable core is there to help relieve painful pressure points that may add to your discomfort. They help to relax and cool your body while reducing stress after a long day. It also promotes less tossing and turning from you and your partner. So, instead of being woke up and possibly setting off one of your trigger points, the mattress keeps the motion transfer at bay.
As an added bonus, the mattress is CertiPUR-US Certified and the knit cover is washable and non toxic. It’s also naturally antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, and dust mite resistant. So if you’re unfortunate enough to also have allergies, you won’t be bothered by them as you sleep.
Pros
Cons
I would recommend this for those who have a heat sensitivity.
Mattress America Revive 12” Gel Memory Foam Mattress
The America Revive 12” gel infused memory foam mattress will keep those who have a heat sensitivity cool all night long. There’s 3 inches of gel memory foam, 2 inches of airflow sculpting foam, and 7 inches of base foam, all fit for your comfort needs.
The revive gel that’s inside of this mattress is 8 times more breathable than other foam mattresses on the market and it’s also more supportive. There are millions of gel beads inside of the bed that move to the areas that need the additional support and personalized pressure relief.
The mattress is made from a high density CertiPUR-US certified, which means that there are no harmful chemicals. If you’re worried about sinking from the memory foam, don’t. The foam is dense enough that it will not allow you to sink. It still offers enough support for your hips, shoulders, and back.
Pros
Cons
I would recommend this mattress for those who have a heat sensitivity.
Snuggle-Pedic Mattress-Queen
Th Snuggle-Pedic mattress has 100 times the breathability of traditional memory foam mattresses that only use ventilation holes. The flex support technology that’s inside of the mattress gives users the pressure relief of a memory foam mattress. It’s the ideal solution for side, back, and stomach sleepers. It offers a conforming cushion for the shoulders, and hips while the firmer channeled base layer gives the spinal support needed for back and stomach sleepers.
Their unique extra buoyant memory foam is easier to move around, making the reaction to you body much quicker in any temperature setting. It’ll give you immediate pressure relief while decreasing the motion transfer between you and whoever else is sleeping beside you. This is a nice feature and something my mother could appreciate. Her husband is constantly waking her up from his movement and then because of the pain, she can’t get back to sleep.
The top of the mattress is a Kool-Flow extra breathable and micro-vented Ivory bamboo cover that’s soft to the touch and it’s only made with the highest quality, eco-friendly materials and foams with a low V.O.C. With the mattress also comes a 4 month sleep trial and they’ll give you free customizations to alter the comfort or support at no extra cost to you.
Pros
Cons
I would recommend this mattress for those looking for a customizable medium plush mattress.
Sure2Sleep 10” Medium Firm Gel Memory Foam Mattress-Queen
The Sure2Sleep is a rarity in its category because it’s one of the only mattresses that have built in edge support. The entire mattress is useable, meaning you can sleep right on the edge and you won’t sink to the floor as you would with traditional memory foam mattresses. You can sit on it to put your shoes or socks on or sit on it just to change positions.
The Sure2Sleep is made from premium high density foams that are all CertiPUR-US certified, which means that it meets or exceeds the standards for content, emissions, and durability. The mattresses high density foams support you better and last longer than the less expensive alternatives.
The cover of the mattress is made with a premium stretch cover that’s made from a blend of high quality polyester, rayon and lycra. This cover will enhance your comfort with its unique quilted design. Under that you will have the solid base layer for stability and a comfort layer for support all being topped off by a gel infused memory foam top layer. All of these layers make for a comfortable, temperature neutral sleeping surface with comforting support for those painful pressure points.
Pros
Cons
I would recommend this mattress to those looking for temperature neutrality.
Sleep Innovations Shiloh 12” Memory Foam Mattress-Queen
The Sleep Innovations Shiloh offers its sleepers a lightly cradling comfort for the average to bigger body type. The creators of this mattress have been studying people, bodies, and sleep for over 20 years. They use these studies to create and recreate their products based on their customers input.
This mattress is ideal for those who need to keep their bodies properly aligned and fully supported. For those with fibromyalgia, the support and alignment can help dramatically with the pain. And since this mattress offers head to toe comfort, you shouldn’t have a problem getting a good night’s sleep.
Inside of the mattress you’ll find 2.5 inches of sure temp memory foam and 9.5 inches of the support plus foam for support. This support can reduce the tossing and turning you may have experienced before and you won’t be able to feel motion transfer from the other side of the bed.
Pros
Cons
I would recommend this mattress for heavier or average individuals who like a medium feel.
Conclusion
I completely understand the frustrations you may be going through if you or a loved one is suffering from fibromyalgia. Sleeping is ridiculously painful and frustrating, which is why having the proper mattress can help you. So, after considering each one of these top rated mattresses, I believe that the ideal mattress for fibromyalgia would have to be the Snuggle-Pedic Mattress.
My reasoning for this is because if for some reason it’s not working out for you or you just need a little firmness tweak, they will do it for you for free and you have 4 months to try it out. It’s also been reported that it doesn’t sleep too hot or too cool, so this is ideal for those with heat or cold sensitivities. Also, because this one lacks the hypoallergenic feature that one of the other ones had, you could opt for a hypoallergenic mattress pad to help alleviate some of those allergies as well.
As always, if you have any questions or a story to tell, feel free to leave us a comment and share this with all of your friends who may have this pesky disease or know someone who suffers from fibromyalgia.
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