Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Beds and Sleeping

Beds have been a long struggle for me and we really can't afford to keep trying different ones. We finally spend quite a bit of money on a bed and I thought that it was going to help so much, but other then the first couple of nights, it's back to the same old thing. When I Sleep on the Sofa or the recliner I really get a good night sleep.

Has anyone tried those air beds that are advertised on TV? or anything else?
If I sleep on a hard bed, I wake up very sore and if it's a softer bed and I'm sleeping in the wrong position (seems to be most nights), I get more stiff and sore also?

Ideas anyone?

Tom

Hey Tom,

It sounds like you are having the same dilemma as I am. I can find a bed where I sleep great for a few night then I wake up as sore and stiff as ever. I have tried the sleep number bed and it seem to work great but I did not use one long enough to recommend them to someone else to purchase one given the price they are.

I wish there was a way we could try out mattresses for a month or so without having to purchase them before we knew how they would treat our bodies. I know some of the foam mattress companies allow you up to 90 days, but I can understand the cost if every mattress company did this and why they don't.

Best of luck finding a good one that works for you.

Brent

Hi Tom,

For a very long time I had to really watch what beds I slept on and evey now they can not be too hard. When SI's were at worst I bought a Select Comfort that helped. For travel (mostly for business), I would take one of the Aerobed's (may be the bed you are referencing) on the trip with me. For business travel it is a bit cumbersome to take since like to travel light. But the bed was much better than some of the hard hotel beds I ran into.

Tim

Hi all,

my doctor told me to go out and get a very hard mattress. from what you guys are saying this may not be the way to go. now i am confused!! any advice??

hard mattresses SUCK for me . . . I think the main reason docs advise that is to prevent kyphosis (the forward-posture spinal fusion thing) but I don't think that's worth it. i'd much rather SLEEP than lie awake in the correct position in pain!

I've slept on a Therapeutic, and OH, WOW was it awesome! I only slept on it for 2 weeks though, I was housesitting.

,
Bridge

tom i wish i could help ya but i'm in the same boat as you are but i gotta have a bed that will be comfortable for my wife and thats always uncomfortable for me so i do alot of couch sleeping. and right now we cant afford that new bed thing the is like memory foam matress that suppose to be a form fitting thing no matter what position your in....oak

Well I had a waterbed until my first back surgery and my neurosurgeon told my wife the bed had to go before he would release me from the hospital. He told her to find the hardest mattress she could find for me to sleep on. So when I got home I had a new firm mattress and it works great. Everytime I have purchased a matresses since them it has been extra firm but nowith the spinal stenosis and the kyphosis getting worse I have been looking into something new. The air mattress Tim talked about above works well for travel but I have not set one up at home to try it for very long, but have been very tempted. The firm mattress makes my hips and shoulders sore because I can not sleep on my back or stomach anymore so something a bit softer needs to be under me. Maybe I could get me another aerobed and one of those memory foam matress toppers for xmas and see which one works best, but come to think of it I think I have a memory foam topper around here somewhere that was on the bed I replaced a few years ago.

Brent

Have you considered a memory foam mattress topper? I got one a couple of months ago since I was finding our bed too hard for me and it is really good. Not expensive and you could easily cut it if you just wanted it for your side of the bed. Definitely worth a try. Hope things improve for you.

how much is this memory foam pad here it is quite expensive......oak

We have a select number air mattress. The first night I slept on it was great! That was four years ago, and after many adjustments up then down I am now wondering about a Temper-pedic memory foam mattress.

I can't seem to find a happy medium! My way of thinking was at least I could adjust the mattress to what ever was best at the moment, I suppose it is better in that sense.

Maybe I'm just not meant to sleep! Hope you have better luck! Sorry, wish I could be of more help!
Trae