Do you wake up sore, achy, or groggy?
If so, you may be one of over 4 million adults in the US suffering from fibromyalgia, a chronic syndrome that causes muscular pain, fatigue, and trouble sleeping. Learn how fibromyalgia sufferers sleep differently with our original research that you can only find here.
Keep reading below...
This guide is brought to you by Slumber Search editor and researcher, Hideki Maniwa, who waded through over 13,000 mattress reviews and gleaned over countless medical resources. We are not medical doctors at Slumber Search. If you have a medical condition, please consult your doctor.
Fibromyalgia News Today Patient Specialist and fibromyalgia sufferer Robin Dix has talked about her personal struggles with finding the best bed. If you find yourself like her "bed-bound most of the time due to severe fatigue," the importance of a comfortable mattress is paramount.
Looking for the right mattress?
According to the Center for Disease Control:
About 4 million Americans are living with fibromyalgia, or 2% of the adult population.
Gender and age are some of the major factors, as women are twice as likely as men to get fibromyalgia.
Starting at middle age, getting older increases one’s likelihood of getting fibromyalgia.
We'll go into more of the data on fibromyalgia below...
Though many sufferers of fibromyalgia hope that there is an underlying cause and cure, scientists have yet to discover one root cause behind the pain.
Theory #1: Genetic & Aging Factors
According to WebMD, some scientists believe that fibromyalgia is caused by genetic factors and may be related to aging for some individuals. In aging sufferers, some theories reference menopause and low physical conditioning as being a potential flash point.
Theory #2: Hormonal & Stress Factors
Research by NIH, has found links between fibromyalgia and chronic stress and depression. Additionally, those that are suffering from fibromyalgia may be influenced by other hormonal events like menopause.
Unfortunately, these links are not silver bullets and the causation is unclear. One thing is for certain, most fibromyalgia sufferers experience insomnia and non-restorative sleep.
We analyzed over 13k mattress reviews to help people with fibromyalgia, soreness, and painful pressure points find their perfect night sleep.
What we found about fibromyalgia shows just how tough it is for sufferers to find the right mattress.
We'll go through the findings.
Keep reading on...
You may think that fibromyalgia sufferers looking for overall sleep quality may opt for the comfort of a mattress that feels like floating in a marshmallow.
However, as mattress buyers who have fibromyalgia tend to do more research prior to testing a mattress at home and suffer from secondary symptoms like back pain, we've found that over twice as many fibromyalgia reviewers find their mattress too firm rather than too soft.
Additionally, sufferers are oftentimes and understandably more critical:
- Sufferers are 101% more likely to rate a mattress 1 out of 5 stars
- Sufferers are 45% more likely to rate a mattress 3 out of 5 stars
Compared to average reviews, the words used to describe the best mattresses tends to be 'relief,' which is mentioned over 10 times more often.
Additionally, fibromyalgia sufferers are:
- Over 12x more likely to mention dealing with soreness.
- 3x more likely to mention pain.
- 3x less likely to feel refreshed after a slumber.
Not only are individuals with fibromyalgia more critical of mattresses that don’t live up to expectations, they’re also more informative about why.
This can be seen in the length of reviews:
Fibromyalgia sufferers have reviews that are 235% longer than the average review of just 56 words.
At an average of 134 words, sufferers of fibromyalgia often provide context about their challenges sleeping, offering information about their previous mattress, and if their new mattress made a difference in their quality of sleep.
Additionally, as not everyone finds relief during the trial period of their new mattress, it is more common to hear about people's experiences with companies' customer service departments
When fighting fibromyalgia, average mattresses just don’t cut it.
Our Top 10 mattresses for Fibromyalgia include customer satisfaction ratings to help ensure you find your perfect mattress, as companies with high ratings have been known to stand by their products and policies over time.
There have been reports of certain manufactures who offer generous trial periods being unresponsive or unwilling to work with customers. This is the last thing you want to be dealing with when trying to get a good night’s rest, so make sure to do your research.
If you're a sufferer of fibromyalgia, it can be exhausting to live without relief.
We've dug through the reviews to find real people that have found comfort.
Read on to get inspired...
"I would wake up several times on my old mattress-- every time I would roll on my shoulder or side hip and would wake up 15-20 times! First night I only woke up once. I have fibro pain, neck and back and hip issues and slumber search web site rated this mattress excellent in all of these pain issues. I went to 3 stores as well as did alot of research and this mattress was magic for me." - Sapira Mattress Reviewer
"I'm writing this review for two reasons ,one I have fibromyalgia / RA this mattress has helped my pain level increased my sleep by 2-3 hrs. a night .It's refreshing to have a company do what they say these days. My contact with customer service was great everything they said was the way it was.
My experience with two other companies were both horrible experiences, don't buy from them you will regret it. The first company has no clue at all bought 4/28 by 5/12 no tracking # no bed had to make 10 calls & 8 emails trying to a ship date had to get bank fraud division involved to get money back, while the other lied from beginning to end went so far as had me donate mattress send proof for tax write off for them told Paypal would give money back only if I shipped mattress back pay for return knowing it was donated like they asked Paypal upheld their decision bigger customer and all will be closing that account too no protection for little guy. I had to call bank fraud division again to get my refund only took 16 days since donation of mattress.
TO SUM UP BETTER MATTRESS ,BETTER CUSTOMER SERVICE PERIOD. will take a couple days to get used too." - Bear Mattress Reviewer
"A little background on me. I bought my very 1st brand new mattress 6 years ago from a brick and mortar store. I had always had hand me downs. It was a horrible experience. I never got to "try out" any of the beds. The saleslady was pushy and not helpful at all. I walked out dazed and confused.
4 years ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. With Fibro comes insomnia and really poor sleep. I finally started researching some mattress ideas and came across an article comparing Leesa to Casper. I was a little wary of ordering such a big purchase online without being able to try it first. I was also concerned since I had read that foam mattresses end up being hotter and I already sleep hot as it is. But with the coupon Slumber Search offered me I decided to give it a try. That coupon and that fact that they're headquartered in VA (where I live) made the decision for me. So on March 2nd I ordered my queen sized mattress (it was my bday present to myself). On Thursday UPS said it would be delivered the next day...sadly a snow storm killed that. It finally arrived on Monday, March 9th. Not bad...1 full week (would've been earlier had it not snowed). I will say if you order anything bigger than the twin it's best to have 2 people. 62lbs is heavy to move...especially in such a long box. I had to drag it (but I don't have any upper body strength).
Finally got my old coil spring mattress moved to the living room for storage until I knew I liked the Leesa. Finagled the Leesa box onto my box spring (I did fully check mine out...still in great condition and I put 2 thick blankets between the box spring and the mattress). Cut open the plastic and laughed as it expanded. Measured it right away and it was 8" in height right out of the box. Went and finished up my evening chores and came back...it was at 9" after an hour.
The cover is so soft I almost decided to not even make the bed and just sleep on it as is with a blanket. The cover is super luxurious feeling. First night wasn't that great. But I expected it to be bad as it was a whole different type of bed and my routine was all out ofwhack from UPS delivering it so late in the day. It feels firm...but not hard if that makes sense. It definitely supports my body really well. I no longer feel my cat jumping up onto or off of the bed while I'm sleeping. I no longer wake up as sore as I used to.
I have arthritis in my right hip as well and even the pain from that has diminished greatly. Thanks to the layering of their foam it hasn't been any hotter than my other coil spring mattress. In fact I think it might be cooler (I had to put a 2" memory foam on the coil spring mattress). I actually sleep more soundly through the night now as well. It's just been...fantastic. And Leesa's customer service is amazing. I really can't say enough good things about it.
It's been 2.5 weeks and I love it. Quite possible the best purchase I've made in years. I have more energy during the day. I've gotten so used to being exhausted thanks to the Fibromyalgia that I really don't know how to handle getting a good nights sleep. It feels very strange after so many years of restless sleep. I highly recommend Leesa. I still have a couple of nights here and there where I don't sleep that great...but even those nights are better than the best nights I had on my coil spring mattress. Oh...and the day after I got it I did re-measure the mattress and it was at the full 10".
You won't regret buying this mattress...and if you don't like it their return policy is top notch. I just love it. I know it sounds corny but it has made a huge impact on my life. Now that I sleep better I have more energy to do more during the day. I no longer just lay in bed because I'm so miserable and in pain. So thank you Leesa for giving me back a bit of my life that I thought I'd lost when I got my Fibromyalgia diagnosis. Thank you. " - Leesa Mattress Reviewer
"For the first time in years I'm not being work up because my husband is rolling over or getting up in the night. I also have fibromyalgia and after a few nights my body has adjusted to the bed and I'm getting the best sleep I have in 15yrs. I can't praise this bed enough." - Nectar Mattress Reviewer
"It is by far and away the best mattress we have ever owned (prior mattresses included a Sleep Number, a Serta Perfect Sleeper and a Sealey Posture-Pedic). The WinkBeds mattress gives us the perfect combination of firmness and softness and both my wife and I now wake up refreshed and without back pain" - Winkbeds Mattress Reviewer
"My wife loves that she wakes up refreshed and ache-free, and also that she doesn't feel my thrashing around all night. Two thumbs up. Also nice to know that you are sleeping on a product that takes into account its impact on the planet and provides workers with a good wage." - Avocado Mattress Reviewer
Still suffering?
We sympathize and hope that the below resources help turn your pain into relief!
Learn more about how to manage your condition.
Read on...
Like other inflammation and neurological disorders that can flare up with stress, one of the most important things to inspire healing is to keep calm and bring in positive energy to your life. Often that is easier said than done, but there are a few helpful practices that are recommended by experts:
- Deep breathing exercises
- Meditation
- Calming sounds
Don't know where to start? Susie Mantell, a best selling author and stress relief expert, provides great guided meditations and audio resources. One of her most popular is called Your Present: A Half-Hour of Peace that helps with relaxation and sleep.
In addition to mental peace, there are ways to help your body get properly soothed and that includes light exercises. But, first it is important to start slowly. WebMD emphasizes the need to start with something small and increase activity gradually over time. Use your body as your guide.
Some exercises that can be helpful
- Stretching
- Yoga
- Walking
- Light Strength Training
For more information on specifics, see this helpful resource from the National Fibromyalgia & Chronic Pain Association.
From our research, we've found that fibromyalgia sufferers complain more about pain and pressure points than other types of sleepers.
Because of this, it is important to consider a few things before purchasing your next mattress:
1. Generally those that are medium or underweight in size and have fibromyalgia will do well with a medium to medium-soft mattress.
2. Additionally, side sleeping can exacerbate pressure points in the hips and shoulders, requiring a softer bed or extra pillow support for one's neck.
3. Those that are overweight will experience firm beds as softer and will do best with a medium or medium firm bed depending on sleeping position.
For more information about our top mattresses for fibromyalgia, see our top 10 mattresses for fibromyalgia.
Mattress & furniture shopping is an oftentimes tedious and mundane task. This site's sole purpose is to help you make the decision faster and with more peace of mind. We sincerely hope that whatever your interaction with this site, that it is helpful and timely for you, and that the product information here guides you to the best outcome for your daily life. May all benefit! The reviews here are aggregated from other sources across the Internet and although we have tried only to find trustworthy reviews, the content and scores here may be subject to manipulation by agents acting on behalf of manufacturers and marketers. Like all things you read on the Internet, understand there is no better judge than yourself. When it comes to your own comfort, your own body is the only North Star. Where Slumber Search discusses medical ailments, we strive to ensure the information on this site is accurate, current and useful, however, we do not warrant the accuracy or completeness of any information related to medicine. We are not doctors -- if you have a medical condition, please consult your doctor.
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