We all know how important it is to get a good night’s sleep, but that’s a lot easier said than done when you’re suffering from scoliosis. Although some scoliosis patients don’t notice their condition too much at night, many others experience pain and discomfort that can make it difficult to doze off.
A mattress can’t cure your scoliosis, but you may be able to ease some of your discomfort by choosing the right mattress to sleep on.
Choosing a scoliosis-friendly mattress
When you have an abnormally curved spine, it’s incredibly important to choose a mattress that gives your back the support it needs. This is so you can distribute your weight evenly, which should relieve the pressure on your twisted spine.
With this in mind, we would recommend investing in a good medium-to-firm mattress that doesn’t give too much when you lie on it.
If you’re finding that your mattress is too firm for your liking, you can always use a mattress topper for added comfort. You’ll want to pick a topper that is around 2 to 3 inches thick; any thicker and you start to lose the benefit the firm mattress provides.
Other factors to consider
We recently shared some tips for sleeping with scoliosis, and in that blog post, we explained how pillows and sleep positions can affect your quality of sleep (both positively and negatively). Once you’ve found the right mattress for your condition, you will hopefully see a big improvement in your ability to sleep throughout the night – however, if you are still struggling, consider these other mitigating factors:
- Do you have too many pillows? Pillows can elevate your head too much, which can put pressure on your neck, shoulders, and back.
- Are you consuming too much caffeine before bed? This can make it difficult to drop off and disrupt your sleep pattern.
- Try to go to bed at the same time each night. This will teach your body to follow a sleep routine, which has been proven to aid sleep quality.
Where can I find the right mattress for my scoliosis?
There have been plenty of tests conducted to determine which mattresses are most suitable for scoliosis patients. If you’re looking to invest in a mattress that will help with your discomfort, you may find these links helpful now that you know what you are looking for:
If you have any questions about your condition – from the best mattress for scoliosis sufferers to how you can begin to treat your curved spine – we at Scoliosis SOS would be more than happy to help. Get in touch with our expert team and book your initial consultation today.
Scoliosis sufferers in the Republic of Ireland have faced significant difficulties in recent years. While treatment is freely available through the Health Service Executive (HSE), many scoliosis patients have been forced to wait months or even years for crucial procedures such as spinal fusion surgery. This situation has been dubbed ‘unacceptable’ by figures within the Irish government, and some people with curved spines have found themselves struggling with pain, depression and reduced mobility as a result of the long wait times.
However, the HSE recently announced that overall health funding would increase by more than €600 million in 2018, with €9 million earmarked specifically for “the expansion of paediatric/adolescent orthopaedic services, including scoliosis”. Minister for Health Simon Harris (pictured below) welcomed the increased investment, adding that 2018 would be “the fourth year in a row where significant additional resources have been allocated” to Ireland’s health service.
Simon Harris, Ireland’s Minister for Health (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
HSE director general Tony O’Brien had a more cautious response to the news, warning (according to The Irish Times) that the HSE still faces “a very significant financial challenge in 2018” due to the increasing cost of delivering treatment and other services.
Scoliosis treatment at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic
We’ve treated countless patients from other countries here at the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, and perhaps as a result of the aforementioned long waiting lists, a significant number of those patients have come to us from the Republic of Ireland.
We provide specialist non-surgical treatment for scoliosis and other curvatures of the spine. Our unique ScolioGold treatment programme incorporates a wide variety of effective exercise-based techniques from all over the world, and has proven extremely effective at reducing curve angle, improving mobility and muscle balance, and boosting overall quality of life.
Molly Garvey is one scoliosis patient who came from Ireland to our clinic in England – watch the video below to hear her story.
If you’d like to arrange a consultation with the Scoliosis SOS Clinic, please click here to get in touch.
