Many claims for easing health and sleep problems have been made by overly enthusiastic memory foam mattress advocates. Separating truth from hype is easy. The claim must rest on memory foam mattresses' ability to prevent pressure points when warmed by body heat while you're sleeping or resting. So which of these conditions effecting your health and sleep can be helped with memory foam? Bed Sores - TRUE. Prolonged bed rest or sitting can cause pressure points and sores that do not heal well. Memory foam mattresses are highly recommended for bedridden patients. Wheelchair memory foam cushions and pads also prevent these sores. Lower back pain - TRUE. Back problems are a major health and sleep issue. Many people, including my sister (a doctor), consider sleeping on memory foam an important part of lower back pain treatment. Memory foam supports your spine and back without any muscle involvement. Back muscles are able to truly relax during sleep on a memory foam mattress.Fibromyalgia patients can have health and sleep problems because their skin is painfully sensitive.
Another symptom can be costochondritis, or painful inflammation of the chest cartilage. A good memory foam mattress will prevent painful pressure points that can wake fibro patients up. And better, longer sleep may help reduce pain throughout the day. Many doctors recommend a memory foam mattress as part of fibromyalgia treatment. Costochondritis - TRUE This rib pain can be helped by the evenly supportive effects of a quality memory foam mattress. Click the link to find more natural ways to treat this condition.Lupus patients often have trouble sleeping due to pain throughout their body. Some have noticed some improvements in their health and sleep using memory foam mattresses and toppers because they relieve pressure points. Environmental triggers may be implicated in lupus. If you suffer from lupus, make sure that the visco foam that you're sleeping on is newer than 2005. Before that time, memory foam products were fireproofed with brominated flame retardant chemicals, which are known neurotoxins.
For more information on lupus check out Life Despite Lupus. Sleep disorders - Maybe. The most common sleep complaints are snoring and insomnia. Memory foam's only effect on insomnia is that it allows you to relax your muscles as the foam supports your body. There are many other ways to get sleep help in addition to sleeping on memory foam. Snoring is a condition in the "definitely maybe" category. Snoring can be reduced or eliminated by sleeping on your side or stomach. A memory foam mattress or topper can reduce pressure points on arms and legs when you're lying on your side. This makes it less likely that you'll roll onto your back. You can also buy memory foam pillows that claim to reduce snoring by keeping your head in one position. Some people find these anti-snoring pillows effective and some don't. The best way to find out is to try it for yourself. Heck, it's safer and cheaper than surgery. Arthritis pain relief - Maybe. Whether a memory foam mattress will relieve your arthritis pain depends on which joints are hurting you.
People with neck arthritis or pain in other major joints like hips and knees will be helped more by memory foam's contoured support than those whose arthritis is in their hands or feet. A good night's sleep does help the body manage pain better by 'resetting' certain neurochemical processes that make you sensitive to pain.Sleeping on memory foam mattresses can be a significant part of bursitis treatment of hips and shoulders. If you've got bursitis caused by sleeping on your side on a conventional mattress, you probably want to get a full memory foam mattress rather than a simple topper or pad. You'll need the even contoured support that a good memory foam mattress can provide. If you simply cannot afford the full mattress, get the topper. But don't buy one that is any thinner than 3 inches.Sleeping on memory foam as a part of tendonitis treatment will work if the sore tendon is located in one of the major joints that will be supported by sleeping on a memory foam mattress. Otherwise the only benefit is the greater resistance to pain and slightly less inflammation that you get with a good night's sleep.
Aging skin - uh...sorta. As we age the quality and quantity of uninterruped sleep deminishes. Lack of sleep will prematurely age you and your skin. But sleeping on a memory foam mattress is not a cure for your wrinkles. Hangnails, excess body odor and cancer - NO. Get yourself to a real doctor for your health and sleep problems and stop worrying the Maniac. 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