Bed System, Best for Back Support and Fibromyalgia
My beds since the early 90’s have all come from this shop that hand make the beds.
The system of materials all these decades have been the only ones for me that will relieve my back scoliosis when I lay down.
The beds breathe, are organic and natural, have no chemicals off-gassing, are just a true comfort and help me get a much better nights’ sleep than any other configuration I’ve tried over the decades.
All those years ago, I added to the basic system of the bed little by little as I could.
Of course, it’s far easier and with more consistent results to be able to purchase the entire system, but for many the cost is prohibitive.
So if that’s the situation for you, I would recommend first starting with the inexpensive place to get the organic cotton, no dyes or bleaches bed sheets and add the flat thin pillow and neck roll.
Check first with your licensed medical professional and physical therapist if you’re working with one.
But often re-aligning your neck and spine with the thin pillow with the correctly sized neck roll pillow can really help remediate so much of the pain for people with neck and back injuries and pain.
When we sleep on a thick pillow with nothing to support the neck part of the spine, our head is thrust forward, straining all those muscles and connections.
Sleeping on incorrect sleep support materials can make things so much worse and contribute to not only additional pain, but insomnia and TMJ and other.
So try the flat thin pillow and neck roll first and see what you think. Give yourself a chance to get used to it, just like you do getting used to new foods.
The next most important piece would be to get the 3″ wool snuggle mate topper and use it on top of your normal box spring and mattress setup.
Then the non-toxic, lightweight wool blanket. Maybe the silk -filled comforter.
You might get all the relief you need just with these pieces.
Otherwise, as you can afford them, you could acquire the frame and compressed wool piece and other.
What happens with the entire set is not only the cushy part, but the system breathes with the body– and there are no more fumes of outgassing chemicals that are often there as you sleep for hours and years, even if the scent of the chemicals have disappeared.
So with the whole set you have no more chemicals you are breathing in, which also helps enormously with the level of deep sleep that would be available.
The configuration that I think works the best is their “system” that starts with the natural bed frame with slats that allow the mattress materials to breathe.
Then I put an old, used topper that sits under the main compressed 6 inch tall wool mattress. But when you’re just getting started, they offer a natural latex cushion that can go there. I recommend this extra cushion however it is.
And then the top of the bed is the 3” wool topper.
I use one of their wool felt mattress pads on top of all that. And organic cotton deep pocket sheets. I add a lightweight wool blanket and silk filled comforter.
I use a rather “flat” thin pillow they make with a neckroll that goes on top of the flat pillow that supports the neck perfectly and seems to easily move around as I change positions.
The neckrolls they have made for years are narrower and flatter than one might find elsewhere that are usually fat bolster type things made out of toxic materials and too thick to support the neck properly. You don’t want that one. But you do want the neckroll from these makers.
So their system is the thing!
(You want the THIN version pillow in whatever length, you are wanting a flatter pillow and then use a neck roll on top of it for the best back support):
You want the organic cotton sheets bedding.
I’ve found really inexpensive organic cotton sheets here. The labels say very similar about using Indian organic cotton, certifications, thread counts etc. as the very high end Coyuchi. You might want to check them out!
HACK:
And if you have arm and leg arthritis pain and fibromyalgia or scoliosis and move around a lot, you might try very light weight blanket materials. I have found the merino wool blanket in a smaller size than the bed, combined with a silk-filled comforter (withOUT a duvet cover as that adds another couple pounds to the mix even while of course it would protect the comforter…I chose to go lighter weight and leave off the duvet) to be the lightest weight for me while still capturing warmth in the winter-and amazingly I still stay cool in the summer.
The blankets and comforter are used as layers that can be added or removed for heat comfort.
If an additional lightweight layer is wanted, adding a feather weight “medicine” throw-size felt to the top can also work (and they make a marvelous one as a mattress protector):
As a note, wool comforters are REALLY HEAVY!
Silk fill for the comforter is the lightest weight material that I’ve found—even lighter weight than down and often more hypoallergenic.
HACK: The bed wool mattress part can last 15-20 years or more. The snuggle topper lasts about 7-10 years.
The wool begins to have a body shaped indentation after awhile. Regularly turning over and top-to-bottom of bed rotation can really help even out a bed as it’s being broken in.
But a remedy that can help us get longer use out of these bedding materials is to use their 4” THICK wool batting that comes in 3 yards size and unroll it in two layers over the “hole” of the main bed putting the topper back on top, or for the indent in the topper, place a single layer of batting right under the mattress pad. It nicely fills in the indents with the same support material.
“Increased body temperature improves sleep, especially the deep slow wave sleep. A hot bath, or even warming the feet, has the same effect as thyroid in improving sleep. Salty and sugary foods taken at bedtime, or during the night, help to improve the quality and duration of sleep. Both salt and sugar lower the adrenalin level, and both tend to raise the body temperature.”—Ray Peat. From Thyroid, insomnia, and the insanities: Commonalities in disease Newsletter.
