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. Severe cases of fibromyalgia may require a referral to a pain clinic.Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal condition that results in joint pain and fatigue at several points in the body, plus can lead to chronic fatigue.
There are more than 12 million fibromyalgia cases in the United States. The majority of fibromyalgia cases are women, who are 10 times more likely to get the disease than men. It usually manifests anywhere from age 25 to 60 and there is no known cure. Scientists aren’t sure what causes fibromyalgia, but it has been linked to a combination of genetics and environmental stresses. The disease does run in families, hinting at a genetic component that may point to certain predisposed sensitivities. Certain illnesses and infections are also connected to fibromyalgia, as is certain kinds of physical or emotional stress. The risk factors in developing the disease include the sex of the patient, family history and a history of certain diseases like rheumatoid arthritis. Because the symptoms of fibromyalgia are similar to other conditions, it is often difficult to diagnose at first. Symptoms include deep muscle and joint pain, stiffness, anxiety, fatigue and insomnia. Common pain centers include the neck, shoulder, hips, back and knees.
People who suffer from fibromyalgia manage pain via medication and pressure relief to get the deep, healing sleep they need because they are so sensitive to any level of presssure, especially when lying down or sleeping. Those with fibromyalgia struggle with getting enough restful sleep due to the chronic pain they endure. Because sleep is such an important time for the body to relax and repair itself, it’s important for those with fibromyalgia to do everything they can to ensure the best sleeping conditions possible. The wrong mattress, for example, can contribute to sleepless nights and won’t offer much relief from pain. Because of the specific type of joint pain that fibromyalgia causes, it’s important for people to choose a mattress that is designed to relieve the pressure on muscles and joints in order to ease that pain. When a mattress is too soft or doesn’t support the body in all the right places, the body sinks down into the mattress and stresses the joints, amplifying the pain.
A mattress designed specifically for comfort and support eases the pressure and helps relieve the pain. Our Gel Matrix mattresses are uniquely designed to help sufferers of Fibromyalgia better than any other bed. The key is the Gel Matrix. You can see in this image how the Gel Matrix reduces pressure better than any of the other leading national mattress brands: In this image, the red spots are areas where pressure is building up – which is painful and causes tossing and turning at night – especially for sufferers of Fibromyalgia. However, the best bed for Fibromyalgia will also provide support needed to keep your spine aligned. Our bed is uniquely engineered to provide you this support better than any other mattress on the market today. Because our mattress is made with patented Gel Matrix formed in a unique honey-combed shape our beds have the ability to not only sense your pressure points and redistribute that pressure for comfort purposes, but the gel has the ability to ‘push back’ and support your entire body properly at the same time.