Suitable mattress for rheumatoid arthritis sufferers

[Cutes]

I have finally decided I need to invest in a memory foam mattress, as I have heard they are ideal for anyone suffering with night time joint pain. I have resisted before, because I felt a foam mattress would be too hot. It just happened that the last 2 occasions I had to replace my mattress, it was during very hot weather and when I tried out memory foam mattresses in the shop, they felt as though they would be too hot. Has anyone else any advice re suitable mattresses, even a particular brand name would be really useful info. for me? I have a pine, slatted bed frame, which is maybe not ideal either for me, but I don't want to have to buy an entirely new bed as well as a mattress. Any ideas would be v.welcome.

[Gottarelax]

I'll be watching this one. My pain is really bad at night. I have a really comfortable mattress with a wool mattress topper which used to be great before RA (I've only had RA for 9 months). I've had a memory foam topped mattress in the past but it was just far too hot. Both hubby and I hated it. I doubt that I'd get him to consider a memory foam mattress again but I am wondering whether to look getting a different mattress even though ours isn't that old.

[CagneysMum in reply to Gottarelax]

Hi. Your RA diagnosis is still quite recent and so I’d think twice about buying an expensive mattress just yet until your RA is more settled and you can then assess your more long term need. Maybe get a topper for now? I have found a memory foam mattress too hot personally.

[Gottarelax in reply to CagneysMum]

Thank you. We do have a wool topper which was great until RA hit. The reason that I think that a different mattress may help is that I stayed in a hotel recently and slept right through with no more pain than I get in the day whereas at home the nights are miserable. Today I actually wrote to the hotel to get the information on the mattress. Of course, as you say, it is relatively early days yet and I'm only on my 4th week of MTX so perhaps holding off a little while may be sensible. It seems from reading here that my previous experience of memory foam is pretty common.

[KittyJ]

Not going to be helpful but I do not like memory foam mattresses. I’ve slept on one and found I got very hot and also that I struggled to move and change position after a while. My problems will be different to yours so that might not affect you but can you get one of those mattresses that the makers allow you to try them for a while and return them if it doesn’t suit you?

Also this has been discussed recently so if you use the search box and filter for NRAS then you should find the post 😊

[Cutes in reply to KittyJ]

many thanks Kitty. Yes, I think several shops/co's do let you actually try out and send back if necessary. Strange about the search function, as I did try that first but didn't get anything come up about mattresses; might just have been the key words I used though.

[KittyJ in reply to Cutes]

here’s one

healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...

[Hezekiah in reply to Cutes]

some more for you to try....healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...

healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...

healthunlocked.com/nras/pos...

[Madmusiclover]

I use two nice soft mattress toppers. Never got on with memory foam. Find it too hard.

[rmros]

I bought an Emma hybrid mattress. I can't say it's made any difference to my spine but it's very comfortable to fall asleep on. I still get woken by lower back and hip pain. Yes, they get hot. I used to have an Ikea mattress plus a memory foam topper that came from Dunelm and tbh I had fewer back problems with it - but that could just be that my back has gotten worse since then.

When I moved house and had to refurnish I blew my bed budget on the Emma mattress (they're not cheap) and then bought one of the cheapest frames John Lewis had - that could have been a mistake.

[Cutes in reply to rmros]

Interesting and thanks for the reply. I think the best way forward is to just go ahead and get one from a company that will allow returns and see how I get on.

[rmros in reply to Cutes]

I think Emma and Simba both give you 100 nights' trial. Like benjijen I really just wasn't in the right head space to deal with mine. But it is a purchase I somewhat regret.

[benjijen in reply to rmros]

I bought an Emma mattress when half price and was still £500! I really don't like it. I would have returned it but wasn't in the right 'head space' to deal with it. I will be re doing 2nd bedroom fthis year so will put on spare bed and buy one for me from a shop. That way I can try it first!

[Fruitandnutcase]

I finally cracked and bought a Tempur Cooltouch Cloud mattress. In my search for comfort I have had more mattresses than you could ever believe. Back in the 1980s when my bad back kicked off I started with a large sheet of plywood under my existing mattress.

Then I bought a very firm horsehair natural mattress - far too hard. Bought another not so firm divan set. Not great. Eventually changed that for another regular mattress on a slatted base - it was ok. Then we bought a Tempur rise and fall bed. We had that for years until the rise and fall failed and bought one of those mattresses that come in a box.

Not good for me so I went to JL at the end of covid and bought a mattress. After another couple of years of aches and pains we cracked and bought a Tempur to put on our slatted bed base - thank goodness we didn’t ever throw it out!

When we thought about it we had had the first Tempur for longer than any other bed we’d had so it seemed like a good idea to go for another one and they had brought out the cool version. It’s not ‘cold cool’ but I don’t get overheated.

I’ve tried all sorts of toppers too - no great success with them either.

On the other hand I’ve had comfortable nights on hotel beds - I always found the Lenny Henry beds good. Yours is a regular query on here so I sure you will get lots of suggestions.

[Cutes in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

many thanks for all the info and to others who have replied - lots of ideas for me to think on.

[helixhelix]

like other I find memory foam too hot. I have a very firm sprung mattress and body pillows for support

[nomoreheels]

We had a very expensive memory foam mattress, a 'spare' when we were kitting out our apartments. It wasn’t for us. I was dreadfully uncomfortable & my h overheated, which wasn’t a great surprise really as he has had this problem since being a child.

The other thing is mattresses aren't really something you can recommend as needs differ, even from one RD'er to another. Also whether you're a back, side or front sleeper can make a difference to how comfortable a mattress is for you.

What we did last time, & about to do again, is try out mattresses & then find the best price, which may likely be online as the majority of places such as Bensons etc add on to take off to & then sales assistants 'do a really good deal for you. Our last mattress was £300 less than the 'best offer' retail, direct from the manufacturer. We shall also be replacing our divan this time. I don't like slats so that's another rootle around for what will suit our needs.

Sorry it's not very helpful. I hope you find what you need, restful sleep is precious. 😊

[TheBoys]

I went off-piste and got an elemeuse one from Amazon. It’s absolutely brilliant. I hit the bed and sleep.

[achyknitter]

I bought a horsehair mattress a year after developing RA and have never looked back. It was not cheap but seven years in and it is still comfortable. I was told to be sure to get the right firmness for my weight. I did try a tempura mattress but I move a lot at night and it was a nightmare. I can only suggest that you try various mattresses before you decide as this is such an individual thing and what suits one person will not suit another. Hope you are soon sleeping comfortably.

[wilbertjellyfish]

I had a memory foam mattress before. At least it had a thick memory foam top to it. I struggled to turn over on it when sleeping. It would mould to your shape and then trying to manoeuvre was really difficult. I bought a new mattress last year and went fot a firm one.

My advice is To go your local independent bed shop and talk to them. Try out different ones in the shop.

I'm lucky because my neighbors run a shop in the local town and have a warehouse round the road from me (I live in the countryside). This lead to me trying out my current mattress at the side of the road outside the warehouse because shops were closed with covid restrictions. It's worked out well... but possibly not best thing to do.

[pineapple_head]

I m on my 2nd memory foam mattress. The first one was making me too warm and made my pain worse. My current one is brilliant because it has a layer of gel that cools it down. I bought this one from Barker and Stonehouse and it did cost about £400 around 5 years ago.

[Gilliancheche]

We bought a Tempur mattress online. Was a very costly mistake. As someone else said you sink into a dip of your body shape and then it is difficult to move from that position. As a result you stay in one position for a long time and I was so stiff every morning. It also feels hard once it has moulded so I found it painful for my hip. We sold it on eBay in the end. Definitely buy from somewhere where you get a trial period is my advice

[Sheila_G]

Memory foam far too hot. It is hard to find one that doesn't have memory foam these days but we got one with the smallest amount and it is still far too hot for me.

[Hidden]

Morning. I have a Silentnight ‘Natural’ mattress. This is fab. I can’t really cope with ‘man made’ fibres so have consciously avoided foam ones. I actually need a new one, but bought a goose topper last year and that has made it comfy again. I have a divan base, so ‘next time’ will just get a new mattress.

Black Friday sales coming soon, so probably worth your while doing some research now. Natural ones allow your body to breathe and allow air to properly circulate.

Any decent one is going to be about 1K 🥹.

[Chris_O]

Hi

When my RA was really bad we purchased a single bed for to sleep in, with memory foam. It wasn’t too bad at first but after using it for a while I hated it. Too hot and too soft, especially in the summer. Now that my RA is much better I’ve gone back to sleeping in a double bed that has a proper spring mattress - I think it was a slumberdown one.

Chris_0

[Hidden]

we bought a firm memory foam mattress due to my condition. It definitely helped me sleep better and crucially reduced pain in my hips and shoulders. The drawback is it is hot so we reduced the duvet tog to counteract this. It is very heavy so only hubby can move it and I struggle to change the bottom sheet but fitted sheets help.

[Evie3]

we have an ordinary Ikea mattress on a slatted bed but have a 3” latex topper. I love it and dont wake up so achey. However hubby finds it hot so sleeps in the spare room, which is fine..we r old! Have had it a while so cant tell u the make

[Haz58]

Ive spent an absolute fortune on mattresses the past 10 years! I hate buying them. Memory foam I really don't like. Hot, hard to move on them after a while. Paid £750 for a Reylon extra firm non memory foam just under 2 years ago. Recommend by my brother who's back is totally shot. It was extra firm but I didn't take into a count he's twice as heavy than me. Far too hard. Just got a super king zip and link bed from Divan centre. Medium firm to firm mattresses and so far so good. Mind you with a broken back at the mo I'm not sleeping much anyway. We go to a little rental cottage now and again and I love their bed do asked them what it was. Serene zip & link divan. But like I say it's hard for people to recommend due to people's weight difference etc. Good luck.x

[RidgebackLady]

My memory foam mattress was so hot I hated it and it was very expensive.I really regretted buying it when the weather warmed up , but couldnt afford to replace it.I was sleeping alone then, so goodness knows what it would have been like if there were two of us in the bed!!

[medway-lady]

I bought a memory foam one and not cheap and really don't like it. Far to hot and I thought my bed was cooking me and my husband refused to sleep in it. So covered with a topper and why pay for one of them when the mattress cost so much! Anyway its now on a spare bed and we sleep on a normal one again. lol

[Leics]

we bought an Emma mattress recently just the original one and it’s very comfortable and not hot either. My original old mattress was a duchess which is pocket sprung and we had a couple of those for over 20 years without them breaking down but my needs have changed and I was finding my hip pain etc was much worse. I think you still get 100 night free trial with Emma and the Simba mattress is great too. If possible I would, as others have suggested go try a few out at a shop first but maybe only do one shop one day and another after a couple of days because 1 shop a day is all I can manage without suffering as a result especially as the shops are usually vast.

[MerrynP]

I have had a water bed for years. I went to a specialist shop (Back Centre, Ivybridge ,Devon) thinking I wanted memory foam but was advised that I would get too hot. So pleased I went down the water bed route...you can adjust the temperature, there are no pressure points and you can select the firmness of the baffles (basically how firm you wish to have it. Also if selecting a double bed you can have two separate mattresses so each individual can control their own temperature! Mine is an AKVA brand but there are lots out there. Isle of Ely Waterbeds have a lot of knowledge and may well help you decide if this is right for you. Good Lick!

[veg_c2000]

In June I bought a Panda "The Topper" - about £125 - has made a tremendous difference to my back and general other aches and pains - it's Bamboo - the blurb says "Its gel-infused technology reacts to your body temperature and keeps you cool". I certainly didn't notice any difference in it being too hot over the summer heatwaves. I also have an electric blanket I switch on about 40 mins before bedtime and then turn off when I get into bed (don't like a hot bedroom). V

[Nanna71]

I hope you opt for a good mattress. My daughter, who was working in furniture, picked out for me a gel-infused memory- foam mattress that controls how warm it would be. The best part about this is she also got an adjustable base so I can raise the head or the foot or both as I need. There are mattresses like that here in Canada (temperature controlled, and in soft, medium, and firm) so likely you could get one where you are. These are not cheap but worth every penny.

[Poshcards]

Depends! If you are very heavy like me then maybe not, I find I sink too much into them that I cannot move to turn over or even get out of bed. I have a 'pillow topped' mattress and it's brilliant, wasn't cheap but well worth it x

[alexis64]

Hi,

I had a similar issue and went to the store to try on different mattresses. I bought a memory foam firm mattress from Dreams.The issue with this mattress is that it’s too soft , sinks in when you lay on, and caused me more pain. I ended up exchanging for a firm pocket spring (over 2000 pocket spring) -marina mattress . It is firm and does not sink in .

I have RA in my all my joints but i have more pain in my hips.I am also a side sleeper.

I will suggest you go into the store and try laying on different matresses. You will have to spend about 500-700.But it is worth it.