Do certain mattresses & pillows really help support sleep>

[Delaney Jansen]

Ive seen all these ads about the sleep number bed and temperpedic pillows and mattresses and i just want to know if they really make a difference and improve sleep patterns. anyone have any input on this?

[Dr. Mel]

Your sleep environment is important to your sleep experience and your mattress and pillow is a critical component of your environment. The three elements of a good mattress are its ability to maintain spinal alignment, reduce pressure on the hips and shoulders, and support the recessed parts of your body. I have found GelTop mattresses to be the best, learn more at:

http://intellibedaustin.com/memory_foam_comparison.htm

The GelTop mattress is different because it buckles rather then compresses and thus reduces pressure, provides better spinal alignment, and body support.

[Onlineshopper]

The ability to relieve pressure points and offer a more comfortable sleeping position is why memory foam initially achieved so much success within the medical profession. But how does pressure form in the first place?

When you lie on a traditional coiled or conventional foam mattress your body weight pulls you down, but this reacts by pushing back against you. The skin and blood vessels are caught in the middle, squeezed by the gravity force of your body weight and the upwards force of the mattress.

This causes pressure points which restricts circulation, resulting in discomfort and sometimes pain. With a visco elastic memory foam mattress there is no air left in the cells to push up against you and cause discomfort. Air is dispersed to adjoining cells and the visco elastic foam simply contours to your body shape to provide long term balanced support and comfort to your whole body.

Pressure points form at the shoulder blades, buttocks, head, heels, hips, and elbows which may result in numbness, stiffness or even pain over time. This is a major factor why we toss and turn at night as our body attempts to find a more comfortable sleep position.

A memory foam mattress http://www.internetmemorymattress.co.uk closely conforms to your individual body shape, cradling your body efficiently and distributing pressure over the whole surface. This reduces the need to toss and turn by around 80% resulting in a deeper more restful sleep.

[scott]

OK, since other mattress manufacturers have weighed in, I'll tell you the real story.

As for any current conventional mattress, they cannot do a good job because:

1. They are not fitted to your body. Since everyone has a different shape, wieght, size, and sleeping posture. one size cannot fit all.

2. Any mattress that uses foam, of any type, slowly softens over time losing any ability to properly support the body.
3. The real issue is support and what you do not hear from any manufacture is that support is two-fold:
a) Internal support: This is to keep the spine neutral. As the spine is a series on concave and convex structures, keeping it in it's natutal shape promotes healing while sleeping and avoids pain.
b) External Support: This is the force against the body that causes pressure points which restricts blood flow and actually can cause local ischemia which in extreme cases ends up as beds sores.

So what ca you do? iForm Bright Mornings is the only mattress that is custom fit by a doctor to your body. Using patented Telescoping Supports it delivers high resolution support that lets your body dictate what is needed. This results in solving bot internal and external support in a better way.

Write [e-mail] for details

[Dr. Mel]

I want to comment on the online shopper comment that said:

"With a visco elastic memory foam mattress there is no air left in the cells to push up against you and cause discomfort." I can assure you that memory foam creates pressure points similar to regular foam once it is fully compressed. We have measured 1000s of individuals of all shapes and sizes on inner spring, pillow tops, memory foam and intelliGel using a xSensor pressure mapping system. The only one that reduces pressure on everyone is the Intelligel mattress.

As to scott's comments, he is describing a "zoned" mattress with different levels of support through "telescoping supports" that are "custom fit by a doctor" to your body shape, size, and form. This creates different zones that perform differently for each section and can probably achieve better alignment that traditional inner spring support, however, it still does not displace pressure like intelliGel that automatically responds to each body type and weight is custom support due to the material and the column buckling structure of the intelligel. At the end of the day it comes down to material, physics, and your physique as the primary variables in providing support and pressure relief.

[scott]

I'm glad we can have this discussion as it's good to talk with people that know what they are talking about. I am very familure with Intellegel and if you are from Utah, you may know me as I was a supplier calling on you and have met with the inventer on several occasions.

My comments are these:

First, although xsensor gives an indication, the more the mattress displaces (which is needed for proper external support), the less accurate it is. By this I mean that the pad they use being nonstretch impedes greatly what these high performance mattresses do and actually cause pressure points that do not exists without the xsensor pad giving false readings, or at least inaccuate.

Second the use of zones allows for fitting for neutral spine which is less possible with other mattresses. Having a Doctor verify it also ensures exact support for that person. As a bed reacts to body weight and displacement, how can a mattress that has an overall solution keep the spine neutral? This is do not understand and perhaps you can explain, especially for side sleepers

[Jared]

I love my tempurpedic mattress and pillow. Definitely the best mattress I've ever had, hands down. I actually tried mine for the first time at my sleep study, and it was so amazing that I went out and got one for my RV. It's actually better than the mattress I have in my house!

I also have a tempurpedic pillow which I use nightly, and it's great.

The only caveat is that it's expensive. I spent about $2500 just for the mattress, no box spring. I had to have a custom size for my RV, so maybe it was more expensive for that reason. It was well worth it IMHO.

This is coming from an actual customer, not a salesman with absolutely no vested interest in any mattress company. Just thought you'd like to know.

Hope this helps.

[Linda Hansen]

It is always recommended to take a long 'test rest' before buying any mattress. You are going to spend more time on this investment than you will in your car...and have it much longer too! As Professional and Community Liason for a large mattress retailer, I can tell you that the way you sleep and any ailments you may have should influence your purchase greatly. Medical professionals tell me that they recommend softer mattresses for side and back sleepers...while reserving the firm ones for those who sleep on their tummys. Think about your spine. It must be kept as straight as possible if you are to have good circulation and want to awake feeling rested and revitalized.

My company sells over 80 different kinds of mattresses. Here is my personal general opinion...Sleep Number is an air bed. Our customers seem to be upgrading to better mattresses daily. Some of them do not retain the air and require constant adjustment. Tempurpedic is made from viscoes foam (a petroleum by-product) and I find it very hot to sleep on. The resiliency of this memory foam is not fast enough for me. I feel like I am falling back into the 'hole' when I try to roll over. Also, I can smell the odor that off-gasses from the mattress and it gives me a headache.

I suggest that you investigate the feel of Talalay Latex. It is more resilient, breathable and does not have an odor. Many manufacturers use this natural rubber latex in their mattresses. It is hypoallergenic and antimicrobial...resists mold, mildew and dustmites! You will find that you have more comfort levels and options to choose from. Sweet Dreams!

[Dr. Mel]

In response to Scott’s comments above, “although xsensor gives an indication, the more the mattress displaces (which is needed for proper external support), the less accurate it is.”

Scott, you raise a valid point about the xsensor displacement and accuracy, however, I do not think this distorts the reading significantly, let me explain. The XSensor pressure pad has sensors that are fixed distance apart, evenly distributed across the pad in a flat position. As they concave to reflect mattress displacement, the sensors may effectively become closer together thus increasing the pressure point reading. To eliminate this displacement one should maintain a constant relationship between the number of sensors and one’s body surface area to provide a truer measure. This would best be accomplished by putting the sensors on the person’s body in a “form fitting” sensor suit which is totally impractical. This suit, if available, would maintain the relationship between the body surface area and the distance between the sensors as a constant, or close to it. Eliminating the variance associated with a xSensor pad as an independent material with sensors placed between the body and the mattress surface.

Nevertheless, the variance introduced by the xsensor does not account for the differences in pressure measures when comparing foam, memory foam, and intelligel. Since we routinely see between 50-80% decrease in pressure with IntelliGel, this is not fully accounted for by variance of the xSensor system.

Instead it has to do with the physics of column buckling versus compression. Foams compress, whether polyurethane foam or memory foam, the air within the foam escapes allowing the foam to compress. Memory foam compresses at a slower rate due to its visco-elastic characteristic. On the other hand, the Intelligel is a honeycomb matrix with columns that buckle. This buckling allows for the displacement of pressure. While the foam wants to return to its original shape causing pressure, the Intellige buckling does not experience the same phenomenon until it goes beyond its initial buckling point, at that time pressure starts to build but an a different slope due to the original displacement. This provides the “soft and firm” nature of Intelligel – soft in displacing pressure, firm in support pass the initial buckling point.

Your second point about “the use of zones for fitting for neutral spinal” requires a clear understanding of what is meant by “neutral spine”. Since the spine is comprised of 24 vertebrae, each articulating with two surfaces there is tremendous variability in the spinal curve from one person to another. Each individual varies from the “classic” spinal curve as seen in a “teaching model” of the spine. Basically the classic spine has 45 degrees of curvature in the neck, yet few actually have this degree of curvature. In reality, few match the perfect spinal curve and things like scoliosis, muscular imbalance, old injuries, and other conditions impact the shape of the spinal curvature.

With all this variance in spinal curvature, what do we mean by a “neutral spine”? For purposes on this discussion a mattress promotes a neutral spine is one that allows spinal function to remain identical to one’s vertical spinal function when standing. There is a published study of spinal displacement for different support levels of an “air mattress” at different air pressures. The results indicate differences in spinal articulation at a lower pressure. This would be called hammocking in layman terms. In most people the hammocking would increase the probability of effecting the spinal articulation causing pain or discomfort. Again we do a test of this in our sleep lab using a Sleep Number bed. Resting on one’s side and taking pressure points at 70 and 30 shows similar pressure readings, however, at 30 the articulation of the spine is significantly different with most people noticing the discomfort associated with this “hammocking”.

To note, Select Comfort conducts the sleep number test on one’s back since the “hammocking” involves hip flexion and does not contribute to discomfort in such a dramatic way that lateral displacement would result.

In summary, while reclining the mattress must minimize hammocking and reduce pressure on the joints while allowing for a natural position of the spine to achieve a “neutral spine”. In terms of a doctor reviewing the “right zones” for an individual, this would require some measurement of the body as well as a understanding of how the zones would perform for a given person. Its nice to say a doctor reviews the configuration, however, this does not mean that such a review is valid to improving a “neutral spine” given the limitations of the measurement as well as the limitations in options for zone firmness.

Finally, you ask, “As a bed reacts to body weight and displacement, how can a mattress that has an overall solution keep the spine neutral?”

To answer this, let’s look at the typical mattress composition. A mattress is comprised of two layers: a comfort layer and a structural layer. Then the mattress is placed upon a box spring or platform. I assume your zoned mattress changes the resistance of the structural layer but lets review the comfort layer first. The comfort layer is usually composed of foam, memory foam, latex foam, intelligel, down, cotton or exotics such as horse hair.

The structural layer most often is springs, air, water, or foam either polyurethane or latex. So your question about zones is at the structural layer. Variable support throughout this layer allows for variable displacement of body physique such as shoulders or hips which in turn would improve alignment. This would also impact the durability of the zone structure since the wear process varies across the zones and the heavy use areas would wear quicker.

The intelliGel provides a solution in the comfort layer of the mattress. Since the Intelligel responds to the physique and weight in a variable manner automatically it has a greater opportunity to keep the spine neutral since the body is closer to the comfort layer. In the zoned structural layer, the comfort layer usually made of foam will mitigate the effectiveness of the zone. This is especially true once the comfort layer wears out such as the foam having an indentation.

In short, having a variable surface closer to the body in the comfort layer would be superior to the zoned structural layer. The second criteria would be durability of each solution. By a zone structure, the wear of the softer zones will be greater and wear faster while the IntelliGel would wear more evenly.

I hope this captures your question and I appreciate your patience in my response time.

[Jared]

I'm no expert, but online reviews (easily searchable with Google) are not great for IntelliGel. Here's an example:

http://www.epinions.com/review/Intelli_Gel_Gel_Mattress_Set/content...

Basically, these customers say the IntelliGel mattress broke down after 18 months. At 3000$ for a mattress set, I'd be upset too.

I'd never heard of IntelliGel until I read about it in this forum though. Do your own research.

The Tempurpedic mattress I've got did have a smell for the first few days, but that went away and it's been great ever since. It's been much longer than 18 months, and there is no visible evidence that Anyone slept on it. This is just my experience, and again I have no vested interest one way or another.

[somrenson]

[July]

BENEFITS

Actions:
Relieve body aches.
Calms pain in joints of cervical and lumbar spine, and upper and lower limbs.
Descontracturante own power.
Relaxing action.
Retains load.

Usefulness:
As support for chairs with rigid structures.
As a travel pillow.
Support eutonía exercises, yoga, Pilates, aerobics and more.
Occupy little space in the wallet, purse or backpack.
To put the clothes leaving a scent, unique and natural.

All can be used in activities such as:
Yoga.
Eutonía.
Pilates.
Massages.

Knowing What is an Aphrodisiac

[July]

Well I've heard something about that but the truth had no information on the internet and look and I think that facilitated July (by the way we like call), it is quite clear it was something like what I found and just wanted to confirm that this information is quite real luck!

Affiliate promotion