by: Jon Campbell
Fibromyalgia is a perplexing disorder that has just begun to make itself known in the medical community. Because of its wide range of symptoms and often intermittent nature, little is known about effective treatments for the condition, but there is evidence that something as simple as a memory foam mattress or topper can help some FMS patients. www.sleepaidfactory.com
Fibromyalgia is characterized by widespread, sometimes debilitating pain in muscles, tendons and other fibrous tissues. Other symptoms may include an overwhelming feeling of fatigue, and difficulty with concentration and complex mental tasks, sometimes referred to as "fibro-fog." As the medical community struggles to learn more about FMS, and to separate it from similar disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, patients have been left largely to their own devices for treatment.
Through experimentation, many patients have found treatments that are effective on their own FMS. For example, there is much anecdotal evidence to suggest that regular massage therapy from therapists or mechanical massage chairs can help to reduce the muscle pain associated with FMS. Other treatments focus on improving sleep, through the use of pressure point relieving memory foam mattresses or toppers. There are a wealth of options out there, so the best thing for FMS sufferers to do is to seek as much information as possible.
Many doctors believe that the fatigue associated with FMS may be due in part to poor sleeping patterns. Clinical studies have shown that those suffering from FMS have repeated disturbances of phase IV sleep, the deep sleep that we need to feel rested during the day. There is even some evidence that this lack of deep sleep may be a major cause of FMS, and not just a symptom. Many FMS sufferers describe a cycle of sleep loss and muscle pain; those patients who sleep poorly experience more pain during the following day, and therefore sleep less at night, which leads to more pain, and so on.
There is anecdotal evidence that the right mattress can help FMS sufferers sleep more soundly and with fewer interruptions. When we lie down in our beds, our pressure points are always bearing more weight than other parts of our bodies. For example, if you are a side sleeper, most of your body weight will come to rest on your shoulder and hip. Discomfort from these pressure points is responsible for disturbing the sleep of even average individuals through a process called pressure point arousal. Because of already sore muscles, this disturbance is even more pronounced and frequent for FMS patients. Because critical deep sleep is constantly being interrupted, FMS patients may wake up feeling exhausted, even after getting a "full night's rest." Memory foam mattresses www.healco.com, www.A1mattress.com are unique in their ability to distribute pressure away from pressure points, thereby helping to eliminate pressure point arousal.
Doctors are still struggling to learn more about Fibromyalgia, and a cure may be many years away. Until the medical community can offer real solutions, Fibromyalgia patients will continue to find their own paths to wellness.
About The Author
Jon Campbell is a sleep products specialist and editor for Sleep Aid.
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Emma's Not Dreaming
Emma's Not Dreaming
by: Cameron Elliott
Emma could not believe her luck. She walked into the kitchen, and it was spotless. The counter was free of her housemates? dirty, grimy dishes. The oven was sparkling clean, a pristine white. And there was Brad, clad in only sweatpants, flipping blueberry pancakes in one pan, and making eggs in another. The aroma of coffee, baking, eggs, and something? else filled the sunny kitchen.
Brad handed her a full mug of coffee. ?I made breakfast. I hope you don?t mind.? He winked at her.
?Mind?! This is unbelievable. I must be dreaming.?
And that?s when it dawned on her.
Emma woke up with a vague feeling of regret, but mostly, she was satisfied, feeling content. Some might have written it off as ?only? a dream. Emma preferred to focus on the fact that it happened at all.
The exact nature of dreams is still unknown. It?s not entirely clear what dreams ?are.? It is known and it is clear that...
Emma's Not Dreaming
Mattresses > Emma's Not Dreaming
A Comparison Of Beds
A Comparison Of Beds
by: Cameron Elliott
It?s time to buy a new mattress. There are so many options, so many choices. How do you decide? What do you pick? The salesroom is overwhelming. Beds and mattress all lined up, neatly, perfectly. The salesmen are pushy, demanding. Hammering you with the benefits of this one, of that one.
Leave. Enter an empty room, painted light blue, smelling clean. Welcoming. Soft light filters in through the windows. In the middle of this empty room are three beds, an innerspring, a foam, and an air. Each bed is lined with pillows with a plush blanket. After you leave this room, you will know what mattress to buy.
Lie down on the innerspring mattress. The springs compress, the padding offers some comfort. You can feel your spine. You?re aware of every vertebra. Without a pillow, there is a gap right where your neck becomes your back. You can feel pressure on your hips. Possibly, if you?re exhausted, you?ll fall...
A Comparison Of Beds
Mattresses > A Comparison Of Beds
A Smoker Needs His Rest
A Smoker Needs His Rest
by: Cameron Elliott
Smoking and Sleeping
I?ll come clean: I smoke. I know, I know, it?s a bad habit, and I?m the process of quitting. But, I like having a cigar with my dad on special occasions, and after writing for hours, a cigarette break can be exactly what I need. Besides, I smoke cloves, which unlike regular cigarettes, actually smell and taste good.
But I do realize the health risks of smoking: increased heart disease, lung cancer, and emphysema, plus a whole lot more. Here?s the thing, though. I?m young. I just turned 23. At this age, it?s easy to write those things off; even if they do happen, it won?t be for another 15, 20, 30+ years.
So why am I quitting? I?ll get to the point: smoking and sleeping don?t mix. It took me a while to figure it out, but after smoking a lot and not sleeping, I began to put two and two together. The problem is nicotine is a stimulant; it will keep you up. You wouldn...
A Smoker Needs His Rest
Mattresses > A Smoker Needs His Rest