Tech Forum Posting

Posted by Brian on April 11, 1998 at 08:32:53:

In Reply to: best mattress posted by Jody Tomic on April 08, 1998 at 13:53:00:

Hi Jody,

As a sleep tech/massage therapist, a few thoughts:

Healthful sleep involves several repositionings during sleep time to redistribute load bearing and circulation, among other things, so I would recommend a mattress which would be large enough to allow unrestricted movement.

I personally like air mattresses, for the adjustable firmness, even temperature, and load distributing.

For persons who suffer chronic pain which interrupts sleep, finding comfortable "neutral" positions can be substantially aided by using pillows, bolsters, wedges, etc. any of which can be easily obtained (try any hospital P.T. supply catalog) or fabricated. Develop strategies for changing pillow arrangements during the night.

A few typical arrangements:
Supine--for lumbar neutral position, a six to eight inch support under the knees; for neck and shoulders, a cervical support
Prone--use the knee support to support the ankles, a pillow supporting the shoulder toward which the face turns
Side--a pillow between the knees, waist support, ample head and neck support to help carry the shoulder load, perhaps wedging along the back to support semisupine positioning.

Clearly all this would be highly individuated. Set up blocking arrangements while awake, to be used at night. Augment with hot pads in any of their forms.

Persons who suffer musculoskeletal pain do better if they maintain muscle activity through the full range of motion in order to maintain flexibility with comfort. Regular low-impact exercise is important in setting you up for sleep (see www.sleepfoundation.org for sleep hygiene).

Massage Therapy is excellent for chronic pain management and almost invariably persons receiving massage sleep better as a result. The University of Miami Touch Research Institute (TRI) is an excellent source of data to support this.

Anyone who has chronically disturbed sleep for any reason should consult a physician.

Hope this helps,

Brian.

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