memory foam/sleep number beds I was just diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I also have Lupus. I haven't slept through the night in a LONG time due to discomfort/pain. I was wondering if anyone has experience with either memory foam or sleep number beds and can make a recommendation (especially anyone who has tried both, but I will any and all opinions) - I am a side sleeper. I did find a memory foam bed made by a doctor who created the bed for his wife, who has Fibro, called the Fibro-Pedic. Has anyone tried this one? Also, what about memory foam pillows? I don't do well on memory foam at all. I have never tried a sleep number bed. I have a firm pillow top that works great for me and cheap Walmart pillows work best. I have bought really expensive pillows in the past, feather, memory foam, bean filled, this brand and that. The cheapie Walmart pillow is for me.I am a side sleeper also. I absolutely love my memory foam mattress topper which I've had for about 6-8 years. When I sleep on another bed I don't get as much rest and feel like the bed is way too hard.
Princess and the Pea Syndrome? I must have started on egg crate toppers and progressed, because these do seriously conform to your body shape no matter what side you sleep on.I've also been using a memory foam pillow for more than ten years, the kind that has a higher and lower edge. It helps support my neck while allowing my head to lay lower in the "valley" of it. The foam is covered in a washable terrycloth-type cover. At one point I tried to find another, but the other brand was just too high for my neck and cramped it up. This is one of those "can't leave hone without it" items for me.That being said, when you unfold the mattress topper it's a very strange substance like Turkish taffy that has to expand and grow in all directions to cover the bed so there is some out-gassing. If smells bother you, I would advise letting it do its thing in another room for a day or two. It seemed a little stinky to me at first, tho' it didn't make me sick, but I encase it in the whole mattress protector anyway.
However, a friend's husband had big problems with a memory foam bed in terms of allergic reaction, and they had to return it.The foam will get warm wherever your body is, so you have to move a bit to get away from the hot spot, but I got used to that after a while and just move in my sleep automatically.Laura, I hope you give it a try because it's helped my sleep tremendously. Serta or Sealy, idk which, and I wish I could 'not leave home without it' I dont notice feeling warmer than usual with it, but then my internal thermometer is screwy as all hell. It saved me from having to get a new mattress. Hope you find the comfort you need.hugsbarb I havent tried the mattress but have a memory foam contoured pillow.. it is ok but i use a bolster pillow still for my neck... if i don't i literally can't move my neck the next am... also use bolster on neck for sitting on couch etc.. helps a lot... be sure it's a very very firm one though.. the 'wimpy'ones just don't have enough support.. My husband and I have different firmness likes for our bed.
He likes a hard bed, and I've got Fibro and scoliosis, so like a soft bed. Anything that's supposed to "support your back" just kills me, as my back bends in places other's don't.When we were driving truck (yes, I'm an ex-truck-driver) we would often have hot loads that had to roll around the clock to get to it's destination on time. One of us would sleep and the other drive, then swap. We wound up with an air mattress. When you're driving a truck, there's bunk beds in the sleeper, but if the truck's moving, it's against the law to use the top bunk (too much chance of falling out if the breaks are hit). So we had to share the bottom bunk. With an air mattress, he could add a little more air when it was his turn to sleep and make it firmer, and I could let a little out when it was my turn to sleep to make it a little softer. This worked out very well for us, so when we settled down, we gave away our pillow top Serta bed and got a king-sized bed frame, put the box springs down, then got cheap, $20 twin-sized air mattresses from Wal-mart.
He adjusted his side, and I adjusted mine. Then we put a couple layers of finger foam mattress pads on top of that and covered it all with a king-sized mattress pad/protector to hold it all together. Looking at it, no one would know it's air mattresses, the finger foam keeps it from feeling like a camping air mattress, he can have his side like he wants and I can have mine, and we're both happy!Basically, it's a home-made rip-off of the sleep number bed. No, we don't have numbers, but you shouldn't have to add air to it anyway once you get it adjusted how you want it. We tend to go thru about 2 air mattresses a year on average. They are, after all, just cheap camping ones, not made for use every day, so they do wear out, pop a seam, or develop a leak every once in a while, but man, I can't sleep on anything else! Share this page with your friends:How Often Do You Need to Wash Your Mattress Pad?The ProblemIn recent months I’ve suffered from pain in my right hip and mid to lower back.
I attribute this to age, having a sedentary job (writing), having put on some pounds and lack of exercise to lubricate my joints. I sit on a high density cell foam donut as I write this. The donut relieves pressure from the coccyx, something I learned when I was pregnant many moons ago. I’ve learned to contort my body to the left when I rise from a sitting position in order for the pain in my hip to not bring me to my knees. Having this condition checked out by a doctor is out of the question. When I retired from the corporate world I also relinquished my rights to company paid health insurance. So I make do. However, sitting is not my only uncomfortable position. Although I bought a new mattress recently, I awaken with a sore back and my right hip screams with every movement. Do I need to tell you I’ve not been sleeping well? Oh, I guess I just did. The fact is I sleep in 3-hour shifts because my body wakes me up. Oh, what I would give for just one night of uninterrupted sleep!
Something had to be done. I can’t afford medical diagnosis or treatment. Going through Advil like candy is not good for my innards and doesn’t fix the problem anyway. Buying one of those high end mattresses that “have your number” is also out of the question. So, what does a not-so-young-but-not-so-old struggling writer do to alleviate the pain? Ingenuity is the answer, my friends; that and watching the paper for sales on mattress toppers. The SolutionSometimes commercialism comes in handy. It seems everything under the sun goes on sale just before holidays. Memorial day is one of those holidays. My local Big Lots had a flyer in Sunday’s paper. They advertised a ‘famous maker’ 3” gel memory foam mattress topper for queen beds at a doable $99.99. The next day I went to Big Lots in hopes I wasn’t too late. Sure enough, they had plenty in stock and the ‘famous maker’ turned out to be Serta. Well, shoot, if the sheep on TV fear Serta because the public no longer has need to count them (the sheep) in order to go to sleep, that’s enough reason for this little girl to give the brand a shot.
Not only did I make the purchase, but I treated myself to a new set of sheets (in my favorite color, although it doesn’t match my bedding!). I came home excited that, perhaps, I can now get a good night’s sleep. I rolled out the Serta Rest 3” gel memory foam topper and encapsulated it in the accompanying fitted cover (thank you Serta!). I spent the rest of the day washing bedding, including my comforter. I was really looking forward to bedtime! Although, by the looks of my freshly-made bed, I’d need a step stool to get my 5’2” body up on the bed and under the covers! FeaturesUpon reading the instructions (yes, I read the instructions. My name is Shauna, not Shaun!) I was a little disconcerted to discover it may take up to 72 hours for the mattress topper to conform to my bed. I was absolutely delighted when it rolled out flat and fit my bed perfectly! The comfort gods were definitely on my side. In addition to that, I was elated when I read that the gel in the foam is formulated to be cool and regulates itself to your body temperature.
As a post-menopausal woman, I still suffer from night sweats. Well, not really night sweats so much anymore as night heat. That’s another reason I don’t sleep comfortably. I need to have my bedding cold in order to sleep well. It’s a good damn thing I sleep alone; my queen size bed allows me to switch sides when I become too hot – which is another reason I don’t sleep well. By the way, when does that shit end?? Oh, I almost forgot to mention that this product is made in the USA. Way to go, Serta! My rating of this product Do you suffer from back pain? What do you do to alleviate back pain? I take drugs, man! I suffer with it. I exercise and never sit for too long. Nothing yet, but I'm going to try a gel memory foam mattress topper. I prefer to bitch about it. The ResultI’ve only spent two nights on my new set up, but I am tickled to death with the results. I have awakened just once each night - which is a blessing - and I’ve been able to go right back to sleep.
Unfortunately, my body puts out some heat when I’m trying to sleep. Nevertheless, the gel memory foam topper is living up to its promise. The verbiage on the box reads “adds support and comfort – eliminates pressure points”. I can attest to that. In a mere two nights, my pain is at a much lower level. I no longer have to contort my body when I get up from the couch in order to avoid pain in my right hip. Now, if the night heat I still experience would just go bother someone else, I’d be a completely satisfied customer. But that’s not Serta’s problem, is it? If any of you reading this experience discomfort while you sleep for any of the reasons I have mentioned, I highly recommend Serta Rest 3” Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper. It’s an inexpensive solution to what could turn into an expensive and debilitating problem. Try it and rest easy. I did and I now rest when I sleep. DisclaimerI am neither an employee of, nor have I been compensated by Serta to post this review.