Finding the best mattress for Arthritis
On top of almost everyone’s list is to get a good night’s sleep. To clock in those full eight hours is hard enough, but can be even more difficult for someone who suffers from joint pain and arthritis.
First of all, the biggest red flag indicating you need a new mattress is if you find yourself consistently waking up in more pain than when you went to sleep. Because arthritis causes chronic pain, hinders movement, and can lead to joint inflammation, a comfortable and sound sleep becomes a rare occurrence.
Experiencing sleepless nights because of excruciating aches and pains can generate frustration and impact your daily life. Sleep is essential to good health, and without its restorative and healing properties, improving joint conditions becomes a challenge.
Whether you have been dealing with arthritis or joint pain for years, or its become a more recent manifestation, you might feel that changes need to be made in order to to improve your condition.
How sleeping affects arthritis
Osteoarthritis
Is a degenerative arthritis causing the bone cartilage to deteriorate. It is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions worldwide. A good night’s sleep helps effectively manage symptoms and slow progress of the disease.
Rheumatoid
Affects the joint lining material known as synovium. Its a chronic inflammatory disorder that can affect more than just your joints, so it’s important to have a mattress that will positively affect your entire body.
Psoriatic
Is joint inflammation brought on by the skin disease psoriasis. Because a cure does not exist, the control of symptoms through a good night’s sleep should be considered as part of your remedy.
Gout
Is joint inflammation of the knees, ankles, and feet. Gout is caused from high levels of uric acid in your body, getting a good night’s sleep allows your body to maintain equilibrium and perform metabolic functions to keep uric acid levels normalized.
Arthritis pain areas
Arthritis impacts several aspects of the body and although one mattress may help alleviate joint pain in a certain extremity. It’s helpful to be knowledgeable of sleeping tips and tricks for the specific body ache keeping you up at night. Common areas where arthritis flares include:
Sleeping position tips
Back
Placing a flat pillow beneath the knees allows for good spinal alignment and alleviation of pressure points. It also improves circulation to ease inflammation.
Stomach
Placing a flat pillow below your abdomen will soothe the pressure from one of the heaviest points in your body—the hips.
Side
A pillow between your legs will prevent the joints in your knees from getting crushed. It also ensures good spinal alignment.
Pillows vary in terms of thickness or, “loft.” The right loft in a pillow can be a profound difference on arthritis symptoms. Memory foam, latex, and buckwheat are common materials popular among those who suffer from arthritis. Tossing, turning, and struggling to sleep is a common complaint from people living with RA.
Key mattress qualities if you suffer from Arthritis
Pressure relief
If you’ve experienced inflammation or joint pain, you know it’s highly pressure-sensitive. Your arthritis will be irritated if your mattress causes a build up of pressure points, particular in the hip or shoulder regions. You need a sleep surface that provides relief and balances that pressure, not creates more of it.
Spinal alignment
If you get too soft of a mattress, the spine will have poor alignment. When your spine curves out of alignment, your joints can end up crammed together and cause irritation.
Support
Underneath your comfort layer should be support technology to keep you aligned throughout the night. If you lack support, you can sink too deeply, which will limit mobility and exacerbate your stiffness come morning. Arthritis is a debilitating ailment that requires double the comfort and support.
Conforming ability
You should identify your preferred sleeping conditions and how it may impact your spinal alignment while resting. Once you nail down the exact way you prefer to rest your body, you can narrow down firmness options.
Furthermore, whether you prefer latex or memory foam, your selection is dependent on your preference and their conforming ability. Memory foam can be tricky for arthritic people, but considering your body type and the right density can be a match made in sleep heaven.
Motion transfer
If you share the bed with a restless sleeper, your condition might only worsen. Movements caused by your partner can keep you up at night. For most athritis diagnosis, the best model is one with minimal motion transfer.
All in all, the best mattress will provide pressure-relief and comfortably conform to the natural curvature of your body. By working with your sleep architecture rather than against it, you can get that good night’s sleep that you’ve been longing for.
The importance of a good mattress
A mattress selection is significant if you suffer from arthritis, particularly individuals who experience severe stiffness and pain. The proper mattress will alleviate aches and pains throughout the body. Allowing you to sleep soundly throughout the night and wake in the morning feeling refreshed. Choosing the wrong mattress, however, can have the opposite effect of increased pain and pressure that decreases sleep performance.
Maintaining a balance is always helpful for a healthy body to prevent and rid of pain. A well-balanced and healthy diet, exercise routine and switching your mattress can make an enormous difference for your combat against arthritis.
The number one piece of furniture in your home to help you is your sleeping surface. Consider the role it plays in your joint support each night, and remember that quality here should triumph price.
Is a firm mattress better for Arthritis?
If you’ve experienced inflammation or joint pain, you know it’s highly pressure-sensitive. Your arthritis will be irritated if your mattress causes a build up of pressure points, particular in the hip or shoulder regions. You need a sleep surface that provides relief and balances that pressure, not creates more of it.
But, underneath your comfort layer should be support technology to keep you aligned throughout the night. If you lack support, you can sink too deeply, which will limit mobility and exacerbate your stiffness come morning. Arthritis is a debilitating ailment that requires double the pressure relief and support.
