A Mattress to Relieve Back Pain
As a follow up to my discussion about pillow placement (see the “Pillow Talk” link in the previous post) that helps you maintain proper positioning while sleeping, you might be wondering about the biggest “pillow” of them all… your mattress. A mattress can make or break a good night’s sleep. You may have experienced a rock hard mattress that makes your body feel like one big bruise in the morning. Or maybe you have slept on a mattress with more bumps than a New York City street. Lumpy, bumpy, and hard… makes sleeping beauty very grumpy.
You need a mattress that feels just right. Don’t panic if you don’t have the money for a new mattress. You can work with what you got with a few additions. Many of my patients have successfully used “toppers”. A topper goes on top of your mattress. Foam toppers are great as long as it is thick enough, look for one 2 inches thick. Some of the best and least expensive mattress toppers are found in the camping department. That’s right, camping. For example, Thermarest is a combination foam and air sleeping pad. Look at the options and imagine a better night’s sleep.
Don’t leave the camping department yet… What about the air beds? Aerobeds can be very comfortable and they are adjustable for firmness. The whole idea is for a bed to adjust to your curves, not your curves misaligning to fit the bed. But, a mattress should also be supportive because a hammock just doesn’t keep your spine aligned. Hey, the old trick of placing plywood under the mattress works. Some of my patients have even placed their mattress on the floor. Overall, the ideal mattress is soft enough in the first layer to conform to your curves and supportive enough in the deeper layers to hold things in place.
With that formula in mind and you have the money, go mattress shopping if you are waking up with back pain. Tempur-pedic is a very good mattress. Select Comfort is also worth a look. Trying a mattress out and seeing what works for you is important. On Tempur-pedic’s website (www.tempurpedic.com) , you can find a hotel that uses this brand of mattress. Select Comfort offers 30 day trials. Investigate, invest, and sleep well; sleep is your best weapon against back pain.
Ultimately, you need innovative tips and strategies like this to control back pain. In High Heels to Hormones, you will come across chapter after chapter of good, sound advice like this that will help you feel better for the first time.
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