Pillows, matresses and sleeping question

[Qikdraw]

I'm just curious...

Which side do you prefer to sleep on? Do you have a preference? I curved to the left, and I sleep on my right side. Until I got a 3" tempurpedic matress topper (2 years ago), I could never sleep on my back. Now I can lay on my back for awhile, what a nice feeling)

What type of matresses do you use? As I mentioned I have a 3" tempurpedic matress topper on top of a regular matress & boxspring. Have you found anything to be better than another?

How many pillows do you use to sleep with? I use 3, including one 5' pillow I use to lean up against and put between my knees to even out my hips, if I don't I get a lot of lower back pain. I put one under my head of course, and the other bunched up tight behind my back, as if I was leaning up against something.

So just curious how some of you deal with sleep.

Brad

[SIsForSarah]

I'm completely loving the cervical memory foam pillow that was recommended to me in another thread (I think the one I bought is an ObusForme). I thought I was starting to have scoliosis related neck pain, but as it is starting to go away with the use of this pillow, I'm thinking I just needed a new pillow!

[skoshi314]

Hey Brad,
I was an avid stomach sleeper for as long as I can remember. I knew when I had this surgery that would no longer be an option. I will be 5 weeks post-op Monday. Before surgery I bought a 2" memory foam mattress topper from Overstock.com (THANKS, PAM!). I start my night on my back with a thinish pillow under my head and a medium pillow under my knees. This seems to take some of the pressure off my hips. At some point during the night, I roll onto my left side and have the pillow between my knees and the pillow still under my head. That's how I usually wake up, but sometimes I'm back on my back. I think I would be a lot more comfortable on my side if I had a pillow behind me for support, but I don't wake up enough to remember turning onto my side, much less enough to get another pillow.

In the corner of my bedroom, I have a stack of probably 7 pillows. Right after I came home from the hospital, I used most of them to sleep. Now they just sit there not being used. Oh, well. Guess that means I'm getting better, right?

[txmarinemom]

When I first got home from the hospital, I could only get comfortable on my back. I was a stomach sleeper (almost 100% of the time) before surgery, and just the *thought* of sleeping on my tummy after surgery ~hurt~: I assumed those days were over.

At 5 months post-op, however, it's not a problem at all. :-)

I have:

- 8 pillows (about 1/2 are down ... the others are REALLY large/long down alternatives, memory foams ... and one is a cool black poodle fabric pillow with arms - LOL). Anytime I'm on my back, I have at least 3 under my knees, but I did that before surgery.

I also keep a memory foam cervical travel pillow (the u-shaped ones so you can sleep on a plane) hanging on my headboard, and some nights it just feels good to use that alone and let my head drop back and relax!

- a 2" memory foam topper on a pillow top mattress (never been able to handle a firm mattress, and that didn't change)

- a big ol' down comforter that serves to prop up/support any areas on the fly.

I have also *finally* gotten to where I can sleep on my side (with a pillow between my knees, and a down pillow stuffed behind my back.

My sleeping positions are far more varied than they were, and it seems to change almost nightly. No matter how I actually fall asleep, though, I almost *always* wake up on my back now. I guess because I slept that way for so long after surgery .... who knows.

Becky, I had to laugh remembering the overstock.com sale ... they were probably wondering what was going on because I think there was quite a run on those things. I even bought one for my mom (just because) and one for my neighbors for watching my dog for the month after surgery!

Pam

[Qikdraw]

Some of the best sleeps I have are on the couch. A nice back to lean up against, sometimes stuffing a small pillow at the small of my back is prefect.

An example of a perfect sleep can be found here.



Brad

[Geish]

Some of the best sleeps I have are on the couch. A nice back to lean up against, sometimes stuffing a small pillow at the small of my back is prefect.

An example of a perfect sleep can be found here.



Brad

Just curious...do you have to have the dogs there to make it perfect? LOL

[Qikdraw]

Just curious...do you have to have the dogs there to make it perfect? LOL

It does help.

Brad

[aktech23]

sleep is awful for me.

I have scoliosis and kyphosis and alot of back pain.
I have a 10" Temperpedic mattress, and resting on my back feels the best for me. The only problem is that I simply cannot fall asleep if I am laying on my back.
Sleeping on my side hurts my shoulder. I fall asleep on one side, and sleep until the pain is too much. Then I roll over to the other side and sleep there until that side hurts.
By the time morning comes I am pretty much rolling over like a log in a river.
Around four hours after I fall asleep the pain starts.

I try muscle relaxers for night time, and they help. I have found that if I take one before 2 am, I am ok to get up by 6:30 without being groggy. If I take one when I go to sleep it wears off around the same time my pain usually wakes me rendering it useless. 50% of the time the medication will allow me to fall back asleep on my back. When I can sleep on my back I do feel much better in the AM.

I very much like my mattress, but it might be too firm for some people. I just wish I could fall asleep on my back.

[txmarinemom]

aktech ... are you pre-op or post-op?

Regards,
Pam

[Qikdraw]

Last night I brought out some more pillows, with my wife grumbling about the pillows taking up too much of the bed again , and I tried the whole pillows under the knees thing while lieing on your back. Wow, couldn't do it. When I lay on my back I have to have my legs straight out, or bent up like I'm going to do a sit up.

*sigh*

Brad

[pathvet]

sleep number

I use a sleep number bed and a few pillows. I have to sleep on my stomach and prop my right hip up with a pillow. I like the sleep number because if I am really sore I can adjust the bed and it helps. Also, I toss and turn alot and the sleep number has a separate side for my husband- so I don't wake him up as much as I used to.

I will say, Some nights, nothing helps- those are the nights I sleep on the couch. I don't know why I like the couch- but its the only place I can sleep on my back.

As I've gotten older, the positions I can sleep in are fewer and fewer- I assume thats a common problem.

My husband also complains about all the pillows.

[BETall]

Last night I brought out some more pillows, with my wife grumbling about the pillows taking up too much of the bed again , and I tried the whole pillows under the knees thing while lieing on your back. Wow, couldn't do it. When I lay on my back I have to have my legs straight out, or bent up like I'm going to do a sit up.

*sigh*

Brad

For a lot of people with scoliosis and after surgeries, using pillows under their knees when they are on their back contributes more to a "flat back " which is against the physiological lumbar curve and in later years another cause for pain.
The Schroth method teaches how to apply small pillows, (the size of a regular postcard filled with rice) to the pelvic and shoulder girdle depending of the individual spinal torsions.
When you are resting sideways on your thoracic concave area you may like to set a half of a lumbar roll or a not to soft small pillow behind your T6 T12 area for support.

[aktech23]

aktech ... are you pre-op or post-op?

No surgery for me (knocking on wood) PT for now.

They want to start giving me injections into my spine for pain, but I'm not sure what I think about that.

[theizzard]

i have a tempurapedic which i got right before my fusion (not scoliosis) surgery 3 years ago. since then i can only sleep on my back or kind of curled up on the side. i have no problem sleeping but since getting the tempurapedic and having the fusion, i am in the worst pain when i wake up and attempt to get out of bed.
avis

[bluestone]

I just wish i could curl up on my side and sleep!
I can only sleep on my back but because of that I wake up with a very stiff lower back.Sometime I get a strong desire to lie on my side which I do until it hurts.If Im really tired I fall asleep like that but I soon wake up with pain.
My positions for sleep have altered dramaticaly with age.When I was in my twenties I always slept on my stomach-impossible now!