Hi There
My honey has suffered with fibromyalgia for 20+ years and has arthritis. She rarely gets a good night sleep. We’ve spent over $6K on two foam beds in the last 5 years and they just do not hold up and lost support within a couple years. It is my goal to find a bed she can find some quality sleep in and that will hold up. After a couple weeks reading when I can I found this site. Amazing site and it’ll take me some time to get up to date on the info I’ve just started to read here. I have done over 10 hours on the web reading as much as I can about the types of beds out there and have started to form an opinion. No more synthetic foam for us. Looked at air, water, coil, latex & multiple mixes. I’d like as much USA product as possible, and believe in supporting the “little guy”. Quality is a must. Cost is near bottom of concern to get my best friend/wife some rest filled sleep. Leaning toward organic latex so we can get individual support. I’m 6’2" & 225 pounds. She’s 5’4" and 130 pounds. I really like what I see so far from this site and wondering if you’d have any direction in our search other than the path toward a high quality 100% organic latex bed we are leaning toward? I’ll do much more reading here before we’re through. Thanks so much for your time and effort putting this site together!
Mike
Hi HDrider,
I’m sorry to hear about these fibromyalgia and arthritis issues. I know how difficult that can make simple everyday activities, and especially restoration through sleeping.
Unfortunately, there is no specific configuration or type of mattress that is “good for fibromyalgia or arthritis” in general because each person is unique, and a mattress that works well for one person with a specific condition such as fibromyalgia may be completely unsuitable for someone else with the same conditions to sleep on. In very general terms, softer and more pressure relieving materials that provide a more “relaxed” sleeping surface will tend to work better than firmer materials because for most people with fibromyalgia or arthritis a softer more pressure relieving sleeping surface is a more important priority, but I know that this does vary with individuals, as well as varying day to day. Latex and wool have been popular combinations mentioned over time here on the forum, but again everyone is different.
A forum search on fibromyalgia (you can just click the link) will also bring up more comments and feedback from others that are in similar circumstances that may be helpful (but it will also confirm that there isn’t a single “best” combination of materials that will work for everyone with arthritis or fibromyalgia).
Nothing can replace your own personal testing, especially with specific health considerations. You’d obviously want to consider something that allows for enough surface comfort while sleeping upon your side and back, and also assists with pressure point relief, while still overall being resilient enough and provide enough support while sleeping. Overall, the two basic functions of a mattress are to support and to provide comfort (you can read more about that here if you like), with alignment being the first priority and then comfort coming second.
As you’re going through your readings, be sure to take a few minutes and browse through the mattress shopping tutorial here which includes all the basic information, steps, and guidelines that can help you make the best possible choice.
Two of the most important links in the tutorial that I would especially make sure you’ve read are post #2 here which has more about the different ways to choose a suitable mattress (either locally or online) that is the best “match” for you in terms of “comfort”, firmness, and PPP (Posture and alignment, Pressure relief, and your own Personal preferences) that can help you assess and minimize the risks of making a choice that doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for, and post #13 here which has more about the most important parts of the “value” of a mattress purchase which can help you make more meaningful quality/value comparisons between mattresses in terms of suitability (how well you will sleep), durability (how long you will sleep well), and the overall value of a mattress compared to your other finalists based on all the parts of your personal value equation that are most important to you (including the price of course and the options you have available after a purchase if your choice doesn’t turn out as well as you hoped for).
Outside of PPP (which is the most important part of “value”), the next most important part of the value of a mattress purchase is durability which is all about how long you will sleep well on a mattress. This is the part of your research that you can’t see or “feel” and assessing the durability and useful life of a mattress depends on knowing the specifics of its construction and the type and quality of the materials inside it regardless of the name of the manufacturer on the label or how a mattress feels in a showroom or when it is relatively new so I would always make sure that you find out the information listed here so you can compare the quality of the materials and components to the durability guidelines here to make sure there are no lower quality materials or weak links in a mattress that would be a cause for concern relative to the durability and useful life of a mattress before making any purchase.
If you’re considering latex, you’ll certainly be choosing a good quality and durable material. There are many site members here who are experts in latex mattresses that you may wish to look at, and I consider them among the best in the industry in terms of their quality, value, service, knowledge, and transparency. Some of them even offer component-style latex systems, where the layers can be rearranged to achieve different comforts, and you may even customized he feel on the left and the right side of the mattress.
Most of the manufacturers I mentioned are domestic in constructing the product, but you’ll find that quite a bit of latex is produced in Asia, where the hevea brasiliensis tree is grown. There are a few manufacturing facilities of latex in the USA (such as Talalay Global, Mountain Top and Latexco), but I would consider most of the latex you’ll encounter to be a very high quality material.
Regarding organic latex, most people that are looking for an “organic” mattress or materials are usually concerned more with “safety” than whether the materials have an actual organic certification and they usually aren’t aware that an organic certification isn’t the same thing as a safety certification. There is more information about the three different levels of organic certifications in post #2 here and some of the benefits of an organic certification in post #3 here and there is more about the different types of organic and safety certifications such as Oeko-tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold, C2C, and CertiPUR-US in post #2 here and more about some of the differences between organic and safety certifications in post #2 here and there are also some comments in post #42 here that can help you decide whether an organic certification is important to you for environmental, social, or personal reasons or whether a “safety” certification is enough.
All the latex you are likely to encounter (either Dunlop or Talalay that is made with either natural or synthetic rubber or a blend of both) will also have a reliable certification such as Oeko-Tex, Eco-Institut, Greenguard Gold or C2C and based on actual testing I would consider any type or blend of latex (regardless of whether it is synthetic, natural, or blended) to be a very “safe” material in terms of harmful substances and VOC’s (offgassing).
If you arrive at more specific questions as you go through your reading, I’ll do my best to be assistive.
Phoenix
Thanks does not seem to be enough for all the time and insight you’ve shared. It’ll take a few days to read and absorb all the info you just sent. One interesting sales brand “Flobed” on your site appeals to us. Looks like one can select each side for support/comfort and even the top layer can be adjusted with varying latex foam densities to specifically address firmness from head to toe. And you can purchase each layer or section if what you think you wanted is not what you need. I’ll keep reviewing each of the sales sites on your links to see if anyone closely matches that type of service.
Again, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for the great website, effort it takes to keep it current & assistance to all us folks learning the language and details.
Sincerely
Mike
Hi HDrider,
You’re most welcome. I’m hope that the information here assists you in your search.
FloBeds (one of the site members here, which means that I think highly of them), does offer one of the component-style systems that I discussed previously where you can rearrange layers in various configurations, and also have a different arrangement on the left and right side. They are also known for their V-Zone system, which is a special type of zoned latex mattress.
I’ll be interested to learn of your progress.
Phoenix
I am very sorry for what you are going through. Hope I can help. My name is Gabe. I am the owner of Don’s Mattress Service in Massachusetts. Just to give you some background and a little knowledge, this is a family business that started with my great grandfather in 1919 on Portland street in Boston. From then until the 1970’s we were the second largest manufacture of mattresses in the area. In the 80’s the big companies started mass producing foam, memory foam and latex mattresses. As time has gone on a lot of these companies have even removed the spring from there mattresses and produce a lot of what you see today, a one sided mattress that is just chunks of some type of foam. Really a mattress that you can’t even turn over. Just another way for these companies to save money. Unfortunately this has become the standard that we have seen for many years now and unless you are over 35 years of age you probably don’t know of a better product.
So in that time my family has continued to manufacture a two-sided tufted inner spring mattress with cotton. The same way my great grandfather made them. Also our box springs are a real box spring with a spring in them covered in cotton the same way are mattresses are and covered with the same cotton material our mattresses are covered with. Best of all we stand behind our product and give our customers a 15 year unconditional warranty on our mattress and box springs. We are happy to give our customers a product that is affordable and that will last 20+ years.
Hope to hear from you,
Gabe Donadio
781 367 2692
www.donsmattress.com
[email protected]
I have found the studies on the soothing powers of wool when matched with fibromyalgia interesting. Eliminate Fibromyalgia Pain This Winter with Wool! | Vitality 101 The gist of it is that wool is made of protein that our bodies share, keratin, so all our muscles can relax better, including our heart which I’ve heard actually lowers its pace to relax deeper.
To note, wool mattress are firm, though a wool topper will definitely soften it.
Here is more info on wool: https://0503be7f968393c0170ba45c-jphulksw.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/CharacteristicsOfWool.pdf
Hi diynaturalbedding,
Thanks for your input on wool and fibromyalgia.
In the referenced study by Dr. Kiyak, 36 women in Tureky with fibromyalgia were evaluated before and after a “wool protocol” was initiated, where wool long underwear was worn, along with a wool bed covering, woolen mattresses and wool cushions. The wool underwear was made from 75% merino wool and 25% acrylic. The mattresses and cushions were 100% lamb’s wool. The sleeping surface used in the beginning of the study (pre-wool) was only described as “ready-made beds using a synthetic mattress”.
There was a reported reduction in point tenderness when the subjects used the wool protocol, and the reason for the reduction in pain level and tender point counts is thought to relate to the warmth of the wool leading to an increase in local blood flow reducing the pain as circulation increases. It is thought that the warmth generated by the wool affected muscle strength and endurance in the patients with fibromyalgia in a positive direction. From the first day when the patients commence to use the wool, they reported they had a refreshing sleep. It is thought that the use of the wool (bed covers, mattress cover and cushions) prevented heat loss during sleep, thus promoting refreshing and restorative sleep.
It was recommended that in order to evaluate the efficacy of wool in patients with fibromyalgia, it is suggested that controlled studies using a broader sampling group should be conducted.
Regarding keratin, the structure of wool and the fact that it contains keratin (a tough fibrous structural protein) means that wool fibers have a low thermal conductivity, making them an appropriate product for use in heat therapy, which seems to have an impact on comfort for those suffering from fibromyalgia (see this article).
As I mentioned in my earlier reply to this thread, there is no one “best” solution for pain relief with fibromyalgia, but many do find pain reduction with some form of wool use.
Phoenix
Hi There
Thanks so much for sharing the info re: wool bedding. I’ve been diving into all the info I can get on mattress types, bedding, sheets, supports systems etc. Lots to try and get my little mind around in shuffled into an organized analysis. I have become a believer in the wool bedding and think we’re gonna go with natural latex in a zoned bed.
Thanks again for you input!
Truly appreciated…Mike
Hi Phoenix
Back on your site re-reading and surfing. After numerous calls, conversations and research my honey and I have focused in on the Flobed company natural latex with the Vzone top layer so we can try and find Jayne’s “as close to perfect” pressure relief. Even though there are numerous latex mattress sellers I’ve not yet found one with the numerous adjustments available to get a mattress so customized as Flobed. We’d also decided on a wool topper to go with. Jayne sleeps quite hot and often has the covers nearly off sometime through the evening. Interesting that the wool bedding info was discussed on this thread.
If you know of other mattress’s with nearly the same flexibility as Flobed perhaps you could point them out to us. Dormio is very close but they only ship within Canada.
One question I have is that talking to Flobed folks they only use Talalay as they have had issues with consistent quality and durability with Dunlop. Do you find in your years of gathering info this to be a substantiated issue? I have read due to the process of making Dunlop the heavier particulates seem to settle to the bottom of the mold and density can be uneven throughout the mattress. So far the Flobed company has offered us what we think/hope will be just what we’re looking for. Any other suggestions or company’s will be graciously accepted. Thanks again for this site and all your efforts!! We have view every link to sites offering beds on your website and really appreciate all the info here.
Keep Grinning
Mike
Hi HDrider,
Thank you for the update on your progress so far. I do think highly of FloBeds and their V-Zone design and their experience with it, and as you know they are a site member here, and I do have respect for their knowledge.
Yes, the FloBeds V-Zone uses 6 zones with interchangeable layers, and the Dormio Sleep System uses three interchangeable zones. Out of the site members, those would be the two systems that are “most similar”. There are of course other zoned systems available nationally. There is more about zoning in this article and in post #11 here and the additional posts it links to.
You are correct that there can be more fluctuations in the overall feel of Dunlop latex, especially with layers sliced from the top of the bottom of a 6" mold, due to the particulate that can settle a bit during the curing process. The latex particles in Dunlop settle more in manufacturing so a 3" Dunlop layer that is cut from the bottom half of a 6" Dunlop core can be firmer than a 3" layer cut from the top half and the top would be softer than the bottom of the layer, while with Talalay it’s more consistent from top to bottom so it doesn’t matter as much which part of the core a thinner layer was cut from. All the layers cut from a single core (Dunlop or Talalay) will be rated the same even though they may not have exactly the same ILD.
When dealing with a zoning system like the V-Zone has, they do prefer the feel and slightly more consistent nature that they’re able to achieve with their Talalay supply. Overall, it’s important to realize that ILDs (the softness) of latex are not exact specifications, but “ranges”.
Whatever you decide to do, I’ll recommend a detailed phone conversation with any manufacturers you’re considering, especially when looking at a zoning system, as that can add extra complexity to your selection, and you’ll also want to become fully aware of any potential exchange/customization/return options that any manufacturer may offer.
I’ll look forward to learning of your progress.
Phoenix
Hello Mike!
To be honest I’ve been in the same situation recently. If your honey suffers from the chronic pain or fibromyalgia, I would gladly advise thinking about picking up a mattress for those who suffer from fibro. There are a plenty number of guides and reviews which might help you to choose one, I want to share this quite freshy review, because here reflected such trustful brands as ultimate dreams and hyphen.