For those familiar with fibromyalgia: What kind of mattress?

[J-rap]

My dd has been unofficially diagnosed (by her GP) with fibromyalgia.  Either way, I want to help her find a better mattress.  She's been achey and tired (and other symptoms) for years -- she's 26.  She's most sore at night when she's sleeping and when she wakes up in the morning, and she sleeps poorly.  She doesn't have a lot of money to spend on a very expensive mattress, although we'll help her with the cost.  From research we've done, it seems like maybe an affordable but quite firm mattress would be fine... but with a high quality memory foam topper, 2-4 inches?  She's small and petite, under 100 pounds.  Anyway, any other advice would be appreciated!  She does have an appointment with a specialist, but not for awhile.

[Arctic Bunny]

Would an adjustable bed frame make more of an impact? I know nothing about fibromyalgia pain, but nothing has made a bigger difference for regular baby-destroyed hips and definitely-not-getting-old pain.

[J-rap]

Interesting!  I don't even know what an adjustable bed frame is?  I'll have to google it.

[Miss Tick]

I, too, am not familiar with my fibromyalgia, but I have been really happy with the memory foam mattress I bought at IKEA a few years ago, of you are looking for straight-up memory foam.

[J-rap]

4 minutes ago, SusanC said:

I, too, am not familiar with my fibromyalgia, but I have been really happy with the memory foam mattress I bought at IKEA a few years ago, of you are looking for straight-up memory foam.

Thanks!  Memory foam, in some form, does seem to be recommended for fibromyalgia.  I don't think to look at IKEA for mattresses so appreciate the rec!

[Miss Tick]

4 minutes ago, J-rap said:

Thanks!  Memory foam, in some form, does seem to be recommended for fibromyalgia.  I don't think to look at IKEA for mattresses so appreciate the rec!

It is really firm, so I to secretly giggle whenever one of my kids flops on the bed with a "Thunk!" It seems to have fixed dh's back complaints for us.

 

ETA: not at all trying to equate fibromyalgia to dh's back pain - likely caused by advancing age, or perhaps me kicking at night.

Edited April 9, 2022 by SusanC
tricky to communicate without body language!

[itsheresomewhere]

I love my memory foam mattress.  It made a difference for me with fibro.  You could try the topper.  I started with a 4 inch one to test it out and then purchased a mattress. 

[HSmomof2]

It’s probably going to be different for different people, kind of a Goldilocks situation. I have fibromyalgia and hate my mattress—it’s too firm. I’ve slept in my dd’s bed, which is very soft, and that’s uncomfortable too. I’m hoping we can get a medium memory foam mattress in the near future. 

[Meriwether]

My aunt got a sleep number bed so that she could put it on a really soft setting and her husband could do something firmer. That was over 20 years ago, though, and I don't know anyone who is currently struggling with it.

[KidsHappen]

I have fibromyalgia and all sorts of problems with my back. I am a side sleeper and did tons of research before buying my current bed and ended up with a Layla. We have had it for a few years now and it has made a world of difference. I think it was around $1000 for the king. You can find tons of reviews of mattresses on youtube which I found really helpful. Almost all bed in a box mattress have a 100 night trial period. And currently you can get a Casper at either Costco or Sam's for around $600-$700.

ETA: I just remembered that two of my dd ordered memory foam mattresses off of Amazon for around $400 for a queen and they were both very happy with those. I have slept on them and they are a little softer than the Layla but still comfy.

Edited April 9, 2022 by KidsHappen

[Jean in Newcastle]

I have had fibromyalgia for over 30 years. I have had all sorts of mattresses. None fix fibromyalgia. I personally had the hardest trouble with memory foam. I couldn’t turn in bed easily. 

[Grace Hopper]

Not fibromyalgia, but shoulder pain here. The right amount of foam for my shoulders seems to be too squishy for my midsection and results in back pain. I have contrived a system of pillows stuffed in all the right places for the most comfortable sleep. 
 

But I’ll listen carefully to all that’s shared here, thank you all. I’m coming to value quality sleep much more than I did years ago. I don’t need a lot of sleep, I just need it to be good, solid sleep. 

[BlsdMama]

Like Jean, I’ve been told to avoid memory foam because the difficulty changing positions increases pressure and pain. We were told to look into air toppers. 
Topper

Roho- most recommended

[Indigo Blue]

No fibromyalgia, but pain for other reasons. I do best with a firm mattress with a quality latex topper. 2-3 inches. I’m also very light, but have lots of problems with pressure points. 

[Splash1]

For my daughter similar size diagnosed with hypermobility Ehlers Danlos Syndrome and Fibromyalgia we got her a tuft and needle mattress.  I got the one from Sams but they sell them other places as well.  What also really helped her was a pregnancy pillow that is a big U shape that she can tuck around her.  She says this combination really helped.  We are not sure how many years this mattress will last but we didn't want to spend a lot on a mattress until she was settled, she is currently in grad school and has at least two moves before she's working. 

I'm sorry your daughter is going through this.

Kimberly

[J-rap]

12 hours ago, KidsHappen said:

I have fibromyalgia and all sorts of problems with my back. I am a side sleeper and did tons of research before buying my current bed and ended up with a Layla. We have had it for a few years now and it has made a world of difference. I think it was around $1000 for the king. You can find tons of reviews of mattresses on youtube which I found really helpful. Almost all bed in a box mattress have a 100 night trial period. And currently you can get a Casper at either Costco or Sam's for around $600-$700.

ETA: I just remembered that two of my dd ordered memory foam mattresses off of Amazon for around $400 for a queen and they were both very happy with those. I have slept on them and they are a little softer than the Layla but still comfy.

Interesting -- Does this one require some kind of a boxspring underneath?  Or is it all-in-one?

[J-rap]

11 hours ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I have had fibromyalgia for over 30 years. I have had all sorts of mattresses. None fix fibromyalgia. I personally had the hardest trouble with memory foam. I couldn’t turn in bed easily. 

This isn't very encouraging -- I'm sorry.  Do you find a firm mattress at least easier to turn on?

[J-rap]

8 hours ago, BlsdMama said:

Like Jean, I’ve been told to avoid memory foam because the difficulty changing positions increases pressure and pain. We were told to look into air toppers. 
Topper

Roho- most recommended

I haven't heard of these!  Have you tried them?

[Jean in Newcastle]

12 minutes ago, J-rap said:

This isn't very encouraging -- I'm sorry.  Do you find a firm mattress at least easier to turn on?

I like air mattresses. (Not the camping kind). 
 

I also like a firm futon. 
 

Anything that improves sleep with fibro is of course, welcome. But fibromyalgia is primarily a central nervous system disorder and a mattress or good sleep just can’t fix that. It helps though so you are a good friend to want to help with that. 
 

(I take a multipronged approach of good sleep habits, supplements, exercise, stretching and diet.  Exercise  and stretching are the most helpful while also being the most painful. But I literally can’t figure out a way to gain the muscles and new neural pathways I need without the pain in getting there. I just try to minimize the pain if I can to avoid injury and to maximize healing.). 

[J-rap]

24 minutes ago, Jean in Newcastle said:

I like air mattresses. (Not the camping kind). 
 

I also like a firm futon. 
 

Anything that improves sleep with fibro is of course, welcome. But fibromyalgia is primarily a central nervous system disorder and a mattress or good sleep just can’t fix that. It helps though so you are a good friend to want to help with that. 
 

(I take a multipronged approach of good sleep habits, supplements, exercise, stretching and diet.  Exercise  and stretching are the most helpful while also being the most painful. But I literally can’t figure out a way to gain the muscles and new neural pathways I need without the pain in getting there. I just try to minimize the pain if I can to avoid injury and to maximize healing.). 

Thanks for the info.  Well I guess we'll be learning a lot more about this (at this point we know very little).  It sounds a little like my other dd's autoimmune as far as what helps...  Which is, nothing really helps but some things take the edge off it, like good sleep, gentle exercise, careful diet, etc.  I'm sorry you've had to deal with this for so many years.

[KidsHappen]

4 hours ago, J-rap said:

Interesting -- Does this one require some kind of a boxspring underneath?  Or is it all-in-one?

Well, we have a box springs under ours but both of my dds bought metal platform bed frames to go under theirs. I think the frames might make the beds sleep cooler because there is better air circulation.

[GoVanGogh]

I have young onset Parkinson’s and fibro. 
We have had our mattress for a number of years (pre-diagnosis) and I am not sure what it is. I did want to echo what Jean said about mattress being too soft and not being able to roll over. I have the worse time rolling over in bed, though that is likely more the parkinsons for me. 
I have had the most relief from diet changes and hot/infrared yoga. My rheumatologist says the worse foods to eat with fibro are meat, dairy, sugar. My last round of labs, six months after going vegetarian with limited dairy, showed my inflammation levels were  down to merely “moderately high.” I try to do yoga in an infrared heated studio 3-4 times a week. I would live in the studio, if I could, as my pain vanishes within 15 minutes. 

[Slache]

Lupus, extreme pain, particularly in my joints, side sleeper, obese. My nectar made a huge difference in my quality of life. So much better. It has a one year 100% money back guarantee. I cannot tell you what a difference it has made. It's very expensive, but totally worth it. More than worth it. I would have paid 10X as much for this level of relief.

Edited April 9, 2022 by Slache

[Arctic Bunny]

On 4/8/2022 at 6:22 PM, J-rap said:

Interesting!  I don't even know what an adjustable bed frame is?  I'll have to google it.

We were at a mattress store trying out a purple mattress. I was like, it’s pretty good, but my lower back will still hurt a little, I think. Then the salesman took out his magic wand (the remote) and pressed zero-gravity. And then we bought a purple mattress and an adjustable bed frame. (Adjustable bed frame was available at half the price at a different store)

[J-rap]

19 hours ago, GoVanGogh said:

I have young onset Parkinson’s and fibro. 
We have had our mattress for a number of years (pre-diagnosis) and I am not sure what it is. I did want to echo what Jean said about mattress being too soft and not being able to roll over. I have the worse time rolling over in bed, though that is likely more the parkinsons for me. 
I have had the most relief from diet changes and hot/infrared yoga. My rheumatologist says the worse foods to eat with fibro are meat, dairy, sugar. My last round of labs, six months after going vegetarian with limited dairy, showed my inflammation levels were  down to merely “moderately high.” I try to do yoga in an infrared heated studio 3-4 times a week. I would live in the studio, if I could, as my pain vanishes within 15 minutes. 

That's fascinating.

[J-rap]

18 hours ago, Slache said:

Lupus, extreme pain, particularly in my joints, side sleeper, obese. My nectar made a huge difference in my quality of life. So much better. It has a one year 100% money back guarantee. I cannot tell you what a difference it has made. It's very expensive, but totally worth it. More than worth it. I would have paid 10X as much for this level of relief.

Is that their original memory foam mattress?

[Slache]

Just now, J-rap said:

Is that their original memory foam mattress?

Probably? I know they've changed everything. But I imagine they're all good.