A Social Network for Men with Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue or Pain
Sleeping Aids....
Greetings,
Wanted to add a bit more information concerning sleeping arrangements when you have FMS. Again, these are my personal observations over years of trial & error.
Foam Mattress: We swapped a top-of-the-line premium mattress for a new "memory foam" mattress. Since we couldn't afford the major brand; we settled on an internet company with a proven record: http://www.overnightmattress.com/memory_foam_mattresses/index.asp . These mattresses have separate zippered compartments for the foam layers -- which means you can replace the foam sections without buying a new bed. They also sell a mattress cover, which is essential to keep the foam breathing, clean, & dry. The foam mattress seems to be warmer by about "1 blankets" worth -- so take that into account. The foam mattress has greatly relieved the pain caused by "pressure points" where your body touches the mattress.
Body Pillow: I use a "U" shaped body pillow. For one thing, it's one of the few that is large & long enough for a man. Many "body pillows" are designed for women, and are too short, or too thin. The body pillow allows you to keep your limbs separated, and at proper heights to reduce pain. The U-shape means you can roll over without any fuss. I ended up stuffing some extra pillow filling into mine so it was firmer & tall enough for my shoulders. Make sure you get extra pillow cases... http://www.mycomfortu.com/comfort-u.html
Heated Mattress pad: The ability to warm up the mattress before you climb in, or to have soft heat relaxing your muscles is wonderful. We use a 3-zone pad, so you can warm just your feet, your hips, or your upper body, or any combination. http://www.comforthouse.com/sunbeam.html
Sleepware: Again, personal choice. But if you sweat at night, or need the softest material possible, try the "Bamboo Viscose" type of clothing. Make sure you buy oversize, since it tends to be made with a bit of spandex to hold it's shape. http://www.nznature.co.nz/product/men-s-bamboo-pj-pants-long . You'll find that most of the "dry nights" sleepware tends to be made from variations of bamboo these days...
Sound Machine: It's important to create a proper sleeping environment. A sound machine will give you a consistant noise source to block out distractions. After using one for a while, you may find the noise triggers a drowsy feeling. No one sound works for everyone. http://www.soundmachinesdirect.com/
ZEO: For those who want to track their sleep patterns in order to see what improves your sleep, you can get one of these units: http://www.myzeo.com/index.cfm . I'm using one of these, and not only is it informative, but it's provided useful data for my doctor to adjust my sleep medications.
Light & Sound Machines: For those who want to relax before bed, and like to experiment with cutting edge ideas, you might want to look into these devices. They are basically for "training your brain" to produce the proper brain-waves for various activities, especially relaxing & sleep. I've had some real sucess with these devices, but I find it difficult to set aside the time on a regular basis -- which is why I most likely suffer from FMS to begin with... http://www.toolsforwellness.com/light-sound-machines.html
Again, folks, just some information that may be helpful for you.
Yours from Whidbey Island
Tags: FMS, Sleep, mattress, pillow, zeo
Views: 88
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rick on -
Thanks!!! I have a memory foam mattress, but to be honest, I'm not sure it's right for me. I've had it for a few years and I guess I sleep on it fine enough, but when I sleep on friend's mattresses- usually cheaper, conventional ones - I sleep like a baby.
As far as "sound machines" go, I have been cheating by using a small black Honeywell fan that makes a nice, peaceful noise. I have been doing this for over 10 years, and am completely dependent on it for sleep. When I travel, I cannot sleep without it. It's the worst!
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Permalink Reply by Christopher Haskins on -
Mattresses: I think it depends on how Fibro affects you. I feel intense pain if there's any "pressure" pushing against a particular point on my body -- it's not instant, it slowly builds up until you are awake and forced to "shift" again... With our "premium", "no-turn", mattress, staying asleep was a joke. The Memory Foam mattress solved the problem for me; but I sincerely agree, there is no one answer that will suit everyone.
Sound: Yep, agree with you there. I have an Austin Air Cleaner in the bedroom that provides the best "white noise" for screening out the rest of the world. Just not portable, not cheap, and certainly won't provide the variety that some folks need to experiment with.
Fibro, for me, has been an exercise in finding solutions to all the problems it creates. The solutions I've found, however, are ones that work for me, and are no way intended to be a "Fibro Template" for everyone. My goal is to get folks to think about alternatives...
Sincerely,
From Whidbey Island
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Permalink Reply by Bob Leit on
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Wanted to put this out there. Over the years I have fought long and hard not to start taking pain medications. When I did my doctor started me on a sleep aid Elavil. I have run out of medications or got sick and tired of them and dumped them down the drain many times. But when I got the flu and stopped taking Elavil I was on the couch for 6 months before I realized my new doctor had changed this. It was worse than 100 times detoxing off of paid medications. No one has ever heard of this before but I get a trickle of information about this here and there. Just a warning. Also my faithful and loved Dr. Harvey Rose of Sacramento California died 3 years ago. He sold his practice to a young doctor for no money and just a promise to take care of his pain patients. On Friday I walked in for my prescriptions and was handed a note that the doctor will no longer be prescribing pain management medications for any of his patients. I was shocked and still am. I'm trying to keep the rage down but it is hard. This was one of my worst fears. My doctor , Dr. Rose, would die and there would be over 100 pain patients panicking and phone every pain management doctor in my area. I know that this is illegal but I did not need another battle in my life right now. So here we go. Pain levels shoot through the roof, no sleeping, etc. Sick to death with doctors playing my puppet strings.
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Permalink Reply by HDC on
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can you describe the pain? in legs or arms or both? torso? shooting, burning or other form of pain?
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Permalink Reply by Rick J on -
I have a memory foam topper 3 inches think which helps me sleep, but also have to lay on a heating pad, my pain is exactly like what Christopher mention.. when i first lay down it feels good, but as i lay there, it slowly starts to feel different, like my memory foam is getting harder.. then the pain gets to the point you need to change sides, then it starts all over again, with the heating pad the heat defers the pain enough for me to fall asleep.. i have not found any pain pills to help, actually pain pills will keep me awake all night.
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Permalink Reply by Randall on -
Wow, great sleep ideas. Thanks Christopher.
I find that light-moderate exercise also helps me sleep deeper. Since I was dx'ed w/ sleep apnea in '07, my cpap also helps. Slowing down & doing relaxing things for an hour or 2 b/4 bed also helps.
In a conversation w/ a group of fibromytes, we discovered some of us prefer a soft mattress (incl me), & some sleep better on a firmer mattress. Trial & error.
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Permalink Reply by David Amerson on
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I had the memory foam, and it felt like a rock. I mean it can only compress so far before it becomes hard and cannot be compressed further. In addition, they tend to cause hot spots which cause you to toss and turn more. Something they don't tell you in the ads.
I tried a number of beds. Currently we have a heated waterbed (98% waveless) and I have to say the heat helps a great deal. It's one of those kind that looks just like a normal bed and has a foam edge wrapped around the water mattress. It's a dual mattress so my wife can keep her side cooler. If I had it to do again, I'd probably have gone with a 70% waveless. The 98% seems a bit more stiff. But the heat is key.
I have also found sitting in a recliner sometimes helps so a hospital type bed would probably also be helpful.
I use a simple fan for white noise and carry a portable one in the car. Can't sleep without it.
As far as night wear, I typically sleep in just sweat-shorts. Similar to sweatpants but much lighter. I can't stand anything of pressure on my body. Occasionally I will wear a light shirt and on cold nights full on sweatpants but that is less often now that we have the heated waterbed.
Ambien and Klonopin seem to get me to sleep most nights. But only for about 4 hours.
DA
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