| My husband and I are in our late 50's. He is 5'9", 165lb and I am 5'4", 144lb. He is a side and stomach sleeper who can sleep on any mattress. I am mostly a side-sleeper, and I have what's known as ilio-tibial band syndrome in my left leg (pain in outer thigh), plus maybe a bit of arthritis in my right shoulder. So, left leg and right shoulder pain, and I toss from side to side all night long. I think I need a mattress which will not affect the tender areas, but one with good support. Anybody have any ideas, thoughts or theories about what might be the best mattress? I have looked and tried out mattresses high and low. |
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Absolutely! The alignment of the back is very intricate. The lower back is not just supported by the space directly underneath it, it is in conjunction with the position of the legs to the pelvis. Try this: Lay down on the floor on your side without a pillow or anything... try to have a mirror somewhere that you could see while laying down. Notice that your waist area sinks down to the floor so that there are no gaps. Your top leg also drops down to the bottom leg which is flat on the floor. Your head drops to the floor as well. Your spine can almost assuredly be bent in more ways than is healthy at this moment. We want your spine to be in a straight line from the base of your skull through your knees (if we could pull a string from end to end). On a hard floor your spine would be all over the place. Now let's move you to a bed that should allow your hips and shoulders to sink (only far enough to allow a straighter spine) without sagging in the middle. Using a pillow to keep your neck (18% of the spine) in a straight line helps that almost 1/5 of your back and spine find its proper alignment. A proper mattress should be relieving the pressure points (and some of the stress points) throughout your body helping you to relax. the problem is, we really aren't designed to lay on flat surfaces. The adjustable option goes the next step further. If the mattress doesn't help you increase breathing flow (amount of air moving while you breathe naturally) and it doesn't allow your lower spine to completely release (because your top leg is still dropping a little) you will still have some stress in you your sleeping position. We chalk this little bit of discomfort in the morning, up to age, a rough day the day before, etc. If you were to elevate your head (as described in the prior response) and your feet as well (yes, even while on your side) you can add more stress point relief to your overall sleeping position. The less stress you experience, the longer it takes for you to "feel" your age. I will restate that I am not a doctor, but I have been helping people find better sleep systems through various companies and brands and find that pressure point relief and stress point relief are independent of brand and totally dependent upon your personal response to the system.
I hope this helps! Sleep Well "RustyShackleford"! |
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RustyShackleford wrote: .....As a side sleeper with lower-back pain, I'm VERY interested. Rusty, you might want to check out the posture & alignment work of Esther Gokhale: I have her book, and it's excellent. (And not just for people with back pain.) |
| Using a knee pillow is definitely a good thing, as I have been using one for over 10 years. I have not considered an adjustable base, but you may have something there. When I was in the hospital a year ago, I slept the best I have in years. |
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@Catrherine: I went to the website and thoroughly enjoyed the info... I will have to check out more details, but a definite thumbs up! @dandlbee: I haveslept on an adjustable base for just over two years and the last 6 months I have used a Tempurpedic Cloud Luxe (before that it was a World Class Simmons plush mattress) I have slept better those last 2 years (I am 42) than ever before and even more so the last 6 months... I actually wake up about 5-7 minutes before my alarm clock almost daily! I actually am only supporting Tempur as the right one for me after being around them for almost 5 years... but I sleep on my back about 80% of the time now, but when I sleep on my side, I lower the head and feet just a little (but not much!) and still sleep like a happy baby! |
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Maybe the Tempur -Pedic is a good one. They are associated with the visco foam bed mattresses. These mattress are composed of 100% visco-elastic memory foam. This foam has a distinctive ability of responding not merely to the form of the body relaxing on it, even though the temperature also. This particular blend provides a heavenly night of sleep. This organization provides the Tempur-Pedic mattresses, beds, pillows, and mattress pad toppers to a lot more than 60 countries around the globe. These items are purchased in store locations and also online. Maybe an adjustable bed could help you with backpain's problem. |
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GuyMakesSense wrote: I am sorry to hear about the various pains you are suffering and would make the following suggestions, although I am not a doctor  : 1. Obviously finding a bed that will keep your spine in alignment while you sleep is very important (imagine drawing a line from the base of your skull through your knees while laying on your side... is it it straight? Or does it bend in various locations?) This alignment is maintained primarily in the support layer of your bed (coils, air, foam: like latex or visco-elastic, etc.) If your back muscles do not sense the proper support they will continue to work throughout the night adding to the number of pains you feel in the morning. 2. The second part is finding the mattress that feels the best on your shoulders and hips while you are on your side. (What? Sounds like what you just said, right?) The comfort layer of a mattress is actually the top layers of foams, fibers and padding. If the top of the mattress does not "cradle" your hips and shoulders while on your side, it cn definitely aggravate your existing pains 3. Probably the most often forgotten (or unknown) element of great pressure-relieving sleep is complete body alignment. May side-sleepers actually require a pillow between their knees to reduce or eliminate a multitude of pains, stress points and uncomfortable positions... my suggestion here is referred to as a motion-base, active-base, adjustable base, etc. These bases are not just an "expensive" add-on, but are a requirement in hospitals. Do you know why? Let's take a look: While on your back...
While on your side...
So... a lot of information to get back to your question: If you can create a true cradling of your hips and shoulders, while creating a more oxygen rich blood stream all while allowing more blood flow WITHOUT anymore effort on your part then you can create a higher amount of internal natural healing, less stress points in your joints and reduced pressure points on the corners of your body....RESULT? Better, Deeper, Longer Night's Sleep with less pain and improved healing, naturally and without surgery or medication (unless your doctor says otherwise!) Sleep well "dandlbee" Thank you for this very informative post! |