Home › Expert Blogs › Defeating Chronic Pain Without Drugs Submitted by Dr. Michael J. Cooney, D.C. on January 27th, 2014 , you already know how back or neck pain hampers the quality of your sleep. I always make a point to talk with every patient about their mattress and their pillow. Medium-firm replaces extra-firm as the most recommended mattress New innovations in mattress construction offer added comfort Your pillow matters too! Johns Hopkins pain management specialist recommends Calmare Therapy for RSD painYour First Doctor Visit for Back Pain Log in to Discuss this Post Sign Up for FREE to spineadvisor, SpineUniverse's monthly eNewsletterTips For Buying A New Mattress 05/28/2015 3:29 pm EDT 06/23/2015 1:59 pm EDT In the market for a new mattress? In a sea of quilted beige cushion tops, it can be difficult to find the perfect mattress for your needs. Sure, we all know the basics: if you have a bad back, firmer is better, but if you want something that's cozy, foam is perfect for you.
But even with the basics covered, a new poll by online mattress retailer Casper suggests Canadians just can't stand shopping for new mattresses, with more than 30 per cent saying they'd rather be nursing a hangover. We can only assume they based the study on "The Hangover."Testing out mattresses doesn't seem like it would cause nightmares, but in a press release, Casper claimed only 22 per cent of Canadians actually found buying a mattress in store helpful. On the flip side, more than 40 per cent admit that having an extended period to try out the mattress at home would make buying a mattress much more enjoyable.Regardless of how you're doing it, buying a new mattress doesn't have to be complicated. In the slideshow below, we provide seven tips to help you find the perfect mattress. And if you're still struggling to find the right fit, we've also included our five favourite mattresses that will make you want to spend the whole day in bed.Pillow Top Mattresses Review Why Get a Pillow Top Mattress?
If you find yourself dreading sleep each night, you might need a pillow top mattress. If lying in bed feels like you’re on a piece of wood, you might need a pillow top mattress. If you spend the night tossing and turning only to wake up with countless aches and pains, you probably need a pillow top mattress. Pillow top mattresses are the solution to solving the pains of a regular spring mattress, utilizing multiple layers of foam and pillow cushioning to give you that unmatched level of comfort needed to fall asleep and stay asleep. Three pillow top mattresses available are the Serta iSeries Ceremony, Sleeping Beauty and the Birchmere Plush Euro. Pillow Top Mattresses: What to Look For The best mattress is one suited to your body’s needs, and only you can determine that. Even the best mattress reviews and clinical studies will tell you how personalized mattress comfort is. If you have back or neck pain, you might prefer a healthy medium between firm and soft. However, do your own primary research to find your optimal firmness level.
Ask a doctor if necessary. And by all means, go to a mattress store to try out many mattress types. Pillow top mattresses offer many sleepers the perfect amount of firm support and soft body contouring, so be sure to try them out. As you examine these mattresses, keep in mind the following attributes. A pillow top bed contains an added layer of cushioning foam atop a traditional spring mattress. The density of the foam contributes to the mattress’s level of firmness, allowing even a pillow top to become quite firm. At the same time, the key selling point of a pillow top is how soft it can become. A soft top layer effectively alleviates pressure points and relieves the causes of pain that most often awake you from sleep. There's more to a mattress than springs. A quality pillow top mattress has high-grade memory foam that's odorless, layered for comfort and durable enough to go decades without losing its shape. The best mattresses also have springs – or spring alternatives – that isolate movement and hold their form long after the warranty expires.
The mattress frame and surrounding tacking should also be high quality as well as pleasing to the eye. Most people change positions while in bed at night, and a bed that proves too small will keep you from moving freely in your sleep. The standard dimensions of a mattress range from the king at 76 x 80 inches and the queen at 60 x 80 inches to the full at 53 x 75 inches and the twin at 38 x 75 inches. A king size pillow top mattress obviously offers the most room to stretch out, but since it also costs the most, other sizes are also smart considerations. A common issue faced by owners of pillow top mattresses is a gradual indentation or the loss of foam integrity. The presence of a dip in the mattress can become quite apparent and detract from a pleasant night’s rest, which means you need a warranty that will protect against common and uncommon problems alike. And not just any warranty, a warranty that will protect it for years to come. Beds are significant investments, and as such they should be guaranteed to last.
The pillow top mattress continues to prove popular due to the soft yet supportive surface it presents sleepers. After spending the night on one big pillow, you’ll never want to go back to spring top mattresses.Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue. People with the disorder may have tender parts of their body, stiffness in the morning and often have trouble sleeping. It’s estimated that 5.8 million Americans suffer from this chronic condition. Many mattresses only exacerbate painful pressure points, making it all but impossible to fully recharge with an uninterrupted, restful night of sleep. Fibromyalgia sufferers may be most comfortable on a memory foam mattress. Instead of irritating the pressure points, memory foam molds itself to the contours of the body, providing additional support. There are a few other options when it comes to memory foam, too. Gerry Borreggine, chairman of the International Sleep Products Association, says gel foam is the newest technology all major mattress companies are utilizing for fibromyalgia sufferers.
“It is a viscoelastic mattress that has actual gel liquid or beads swiveled into the foam. One of the few negatives about memory foam mattresses is they sleep hot on the surface,” he explains. “Gel foam is something that actually sinks into the foam and absorbs the heat. It gives the mattress about a 5-degree cooler sleeping surface.” Borreggine says the support factor is still there with these gel foam mattresses, and for someone who has upper back pain, this is the best choice on the market. When shopping for a mattress for fibromyalgia, the key is finding a mattress that provides an optimal balance of cushiony softness and firm support. Innerspring mattresses typically are an awful idea for fibromyalgia sufferers, as every bump and hard edge makes you feel like the Princess and the Pea. But don’t let the pendulum swing too far toward softness. Support is equally critical.“I think I was going with the theory that I should ‘cushion’ my achy joints.
I need to support them.” PacBed Original Memory Foam Mattress. Reviews for Restava Astoria Memory Foam Mattress Reviewers are delighted with the comfort, and the high ratings are mostly a factor that these mattresses offer the benefits of memory foam at a lower price point. Tommy09716 posted a review on Viewpoints that is similar to the others regarding the Restava Astoria Memory Foam mattress: “Their price is about 50% less, and I could return it if it didn’t feel like I wanted. That was almost two years ago and I’ve never looked back. I never have trouble falling asleep anymore and cannot thank Restava enough.” –Tommy0916, Reviewer since 2011 PacBed Original Memory Foam Mattress PacBed Original Memory Foam Mattress is considered best mattress on the Viewpoints site for back pain. There are hundreds of reviews; most echo this strong endorsement: “ PacBed Original Foam Mattress is the best one I have ever owned, hands down. Sleeping on this mattress, I wonder how I ever got to sleep on anything else.
This mattress is so comfortable, I feel like I am sleeping on a cake made out of cumulus clouds and whipped cream.” –SpencerCG, Reviewer since 2011 As another option to consider, the Fibro-Pedic Memory Foam and Latex Foam Mattress is one of the few mattresses specifically marketed to fibromyalgia patients. It was created by Dr. Rick Swartzburg, D.C., to help his wife and his patients who suffer from fibromyalgia. It’s advertised online as containing a “unique combination of hypo-allergenic foam layers designed specifically to take pressure off of the many individual muscle pressure points that Fibromyalgia sufferers experience….We accomplished this by adding a mix of memory foam and latex foam layers which gradually increase in density. The memory foam and latex foam layers are arranged over a firm HR polyurethane foam layer. This allows the mattress to be soft enough to contour to the unique shape of your body, but firm enough to provide proper support and never bottom out.”
Heated mattress pads can provide relief for some fibromyalgia sufferers, especially after a new mattress has already been purchased. There are even memory foam mattress toppers on the market that minimize pressure points and provide additional support. They aren’t cheap, but they will definitely save you money on buying an entirely new mattress. For memory foam mattress owners whose mattresses are overheating, there is also the option of gel cooling pads or toppers to absorb the heat. Experts say that while these are all good aids in making your mattress more comfortable, they can’t fix more fundamental problems with a mattress if you do need a new one. Reviews for Sunbeam Slumber Rest Premium Heated Mattress Pad Heated mattress pads can provide relief for some fibromyalgia sufferers, and the Sunbeam Slumber Rest Premium Heated Mattress Pad is a good option. With a 10-hour auto-off control, this pad fits mattresses up to 19 inches deep. Ten heating zones let you control the temperature according to season or pain level, and the pad is also machine washable for easy cleaning.
Reviews for Serta Deluxe 2-inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper If you can’t buy a full memory foam mattress but would like its fibromyalgia benefits — minimizing pressure points and providing additional support — the Serta Deluxe 2-inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper might be the best bang for your buck. Both hypoallergenic and anti-microbial, the memory foam allows a comfortable night’s sleep, especially when there are two people in the same bed. “It was very easy to put on, just open the box, unfold and poof, it enlarges. My very first night I slept like a baby. I thought maybe that was because it was a change, but the next nights I slept just as well. In fact I have been oversleeping, because I am not waking up in pain. I reccommend this for anyone, it feels like your sleeping on a cloud.” –my410s, Reviewer since 2009 There is no known prevention or cure for fibromyalgia. Support groups may be helpful in alleviating the symptoms. Besides finding a comfortable mattress, other recommendations include practicing a sleep routine, eating a well-balanced diet, avoiding caffeine, and acupressure and acupuncture.