Sleep tips for people with mobility difficulties
Mobility difficulties make getting in and out of bed difficult and make it harder to get comfortable. While we can’t cure your ailments, we can provide a few tips to make you more comfortable for a better night’s sleep.
The best investments you can make are an adjustable bed, a mattress that supports your body weight and a bed frame that puts your mattress at an optimal height. These two tricks will improve your comfort and make bedtime tolerable. With a good night’s sleep you can achieve all your goals, visit Cuddle Fairy for some tips on how to find the path to self-empowerment!
This guide runs through our top sleep tips for people with mobility issues – read on for helpful advice from our experts.
Get an adjustable bed
An adjustable bed could be life-changing, letting you sleep with an elevated head and legs at various inclinations. There are countless ways to get comfortable at the flick of a switch!
Adjustable beds let you sleep in an elevated position to make getting in and out of bed easier. Studies have also found that sleeping elevated prevents airway collapse, helping reduce snoring and apnea symptoms.
Pictured: Recline-A-Bed Adjustable Base, Available from Bedstar.
Choose a mattress that supports you
The last thing you want is a mattress that is too soft! Too soft a mattress makes sitting up in bed, lying back down, and tossing and turning difficult.
You want a mattress that supports your body weight, which means going on the firmer end of the scale. Here’s a quick firmness guide:
- Medium – under 150lbs
- Medium-firm – under 200lbs
- Firm – over 220lbs
Increase your bed height
If getting in and out of bed is painful for you, you can make it easier with a bed that sits between 65cm and 75cm from the floor, including the mattress. This height is ideal for most people, reducing the distance to stand straight.
This is easy to implement in practice – if your bed frame has a height-to-mattress under 30cm, get a mattress over 35cm thick. The higher your bed, the easier it will be to get in and out of bed, especially if you have hip and lower back problems.
Pictured: Nordic Mill Shake High 5FT Kingsize Wooden Bed Frame. Available from Bedstar.
Keep warm
When you warm up a sore joint or muscle, the blood vessels get bigger, allowing more blood and oxygen to flow, and this relaxes your muscles and joints, improving mobility. This is a common example of Heat Therapy, which is known to help reduce pain and stiffness. You can improve your warmth in bed with a heated mattress topper, a heated blanket, or a thicker duvet that traps more heat.
You can improve your warmth in bed with a heated mattress topper, a heated blanket, or a thicker duvet that traps more heat.
Do stretching exercises before bedtime
There are stretches you can do before bed to improve your sleep. Stretching at night can help you fall asleep faster and reduce pain when moving around, with ten minutes of light stretching sufficient to see good results.
Here are the best stretches to do before bedtime (you can find tutorials for all of them here):
- Neck stretch – works the upper trapezius muscles
- Neck twist – works the scapula
- Lying T Twist – works the thoracic spine (upper back)
- Cat cow – works the lower back
- Child’s pose – works the lower back
- Lying knee to chest – works the hips
See a physiotherapist
Performing physiotherapy and stretching exercises before bedtime could significantly improve your mobility during the night. A physiotherapist can also work with you to find a sleeping position that reduces pain and discomfort.
You may have bad habits that make sleeping difficult, such as sleeping with your legs at an angle, and there might be exercises that will loosen up your hips and back, making it easier to toss and turn and get comfortable in bed.
See your GP to manage your pain
Over-the-counter painkillers like ibuprofen capsules and topical gels have anti-inflammatory properties that help reduce pain.
However, if you are really struggling with pain in bed, your GP might be able to prescribe better medication to manage your pain. Discussing your discomfort with them is worthwhile to see if there is anything they can do to help.
Your doctor might recommend another NSAID or steroid medication. Being in pain is an awful experience, but you don’t have to go it alone!
Follow