Hello Everyone,

You know this is slightly off topic but this is the best forum for good information on the web. So I am looking for suggestions for a great mattress (bedding) that supports those of us who have back issues. Also for great sleep to wake up and tackle those LL challenges we all face. Your advice will be greatly appreciated......have a prosperous day

Watching closely!

I've been researching them as well. Time for a new one.

You are not going to like this advice.... this is from a retired nurse who spent 38 years turning, lifting and positioning critically ill patients and who never had a back issue...

The prescription for a bad back is exercise. Get to the gym, get an exercise routine and stick with it. Start slow with low weights. Start with a physical therapist if need be, but start and stick with it. Your muscle mass determines your youth. Women in particular need to work on upper body strength. Everyone has degenerative joint disease after a certain age. Exercise will help maintain bone mass and prevent compression fractures.

I have also heard anecdotal evidence that those inversion tables help.

Can’t recommend a mattress ( I prefer a firmer one ) but you can try to experiment with a pillow as a cheaper alternative.

Our best mattress is an expensive Tempur-pedic. Make sure what ever you buy, you are able to return it in 30 days if it doesn't work. And like RathdrumGal said, a mattress doesn't solve back problems, but it can make you more comfortable.

Go to YouTube and watch yoga stretches for spinal decompression. It's works wonders!! Super easy too. Takes about 30 seconds.

Marriott sells their own brand of mattresses. I always sleep well at a Marriott.

We bought one from Costco - it's an adjustable position bed. It's okay.

We also have one from Tuft & Needle that guests say is very comfortable.

From my personal situation and of people I have observed (and backed up by Rathdrumgal's observation) nothing fixes back pain quite as good as old fashioned exercise.

The majority of people I know (might be all...not 100% sure...I'd have to make a list) who have back pain are overweight and/or do not exercise. Of the people who exercise regularly, only a handful have minor issues from time to time related to over-exercising, and they typically go away once the proper difficulty level is achieved.

A different mattress won’t fix back pain.

1.) lose weight.

2.) exercise.

True, being a healthy weight and strengthening your core is important for back health. But a good mattress is also. I have been sleeping on a cheap air mattress for years (actually, many of them because they pop) with a little memory foam on top. Just ordered a sleep number bed yesterday - it's just a glorified, sturdier air mattress. I'm glad to hear Busy's glowing recommendation!

I find air gives me excellent support because I like it soft, and when my hips press down, the area around my waist goes up & gives good support. Like water beds used to do - remember those?

The best way to keep your spine straight (important) while sleeping is to lie on your side with the right height pillow. And possible a pillow between your knees.

After trying a number of mattresses including air one and waterbed over the years, my chiropractor suggested getting an extra firm one with minimal ticking BUT adding a good MEMORY foam,..1 1/2 to 2 inches over it,..he said that every pt that did this told him that they loved that combo,..(me too) Although after a few years I thought maybe I should switch it out and tried one that was on sale at a discount store ,...MISTAKE,..it outgassed a terrible plastic odor that didn't go away despite it hanging in my garage for 2 months,..wondered why it was half price,..took it to the dump.

BTW got a new one from Target,..I think it was no better than the original one we took off. In the days when I used a regular foam topper,..they would get soft and punky in less than a year,...but it seems the memory foam doesn't,..

I have that combo on our guest bedroom,..people that say over always say it is a wonderful bed,..they want to know where they can buy the mattress,..

Charlie, do you garden much? If you do, might you lean your elbow on one knee as you pick weeds? I screw my left knee up every couple of years when I forget that I should not lean on the knee as I weed!

I found sit ups to cause back pain. I was doing 200 every morning and once I stopped the pain went away.

foambymail.com/HDHQ_2/hd36-hq-foam-mattress.html Put www in front of. We've had a 6" piece of this on our bed at home, and a custom-cut of the same for our sailboat. Though described as medium density, it's quite firm and unlike squishy memory foam you don't sink into it. My 70-year old husband (still working 50 hours of a very physical job) finds it quite comfortable, if the snore meter is any indicator. I have a multitude of spinal/neck injuries and this is the first bed I could actually sleep well on all night without waking up in knots after fitfully tossing and turning. Bonus: it arrives in a small box that is very light, which magically springs to full size when released. No turning or flipping needed. You can order any thickness; our 6" on a plywood pedestal is perfect. We also bought the washable cover. The company is wonderful to work with, and we've found this is the best bed for us at any price. It's quite reasonably priced for the level of comfort and durability.

The key to being comfortable in bed or on any surface is to use pillows, bolsters, or rolled up blankets to fill in any space that may exist between your body and the mattress. Our limbic system likes support, and will send the 'ok to relax now' signal to our brain if you provide it. I'm a side sleeper and accomplish this using a pillow against my back (try a heating pad too, heavenly!!), a pillow or two in front to extend my arms across, a variety of pillows under my neck, and a yoga bolster to support legs from hip to toes. This is a spinal decompression position and so pain-relieving I rarely need to turn over.

Here's another great product: look up Zheng Gu Shui. This amazing stuff was recommended by our acupuncturist/herbalist/chiropractor. My husband uses it every day for his aging knees and can now dance every dance in a 3 hour contra. It is a miracle for back/neck issues, and has really helped my arthritic hands, wrists and shoulders enough to keep me fiddling and playing accordion in a working Celtic band. After applying, it helps to 'bake' it in with a heating pad or other heat source.

Last: restorative yoga every day, even if you only have 10 minutes. I went from barely being able to walk across my living room using 2 canes to resumption of normal life having learned yoga principals. Last weekend I rode a 19-hand Shire; that would have NEVER happened after my injuries without learning how to take care of my body with yoga. If you are new to yoga, it's best to start with a class where the instructor can help you become comfortable with any modifications you may need. After you understand the basics, there are many free online classes as well as reasonable subscriptions to yoga sites. I've enjoyed Gaiam very much.

Good health and sweet dreams to all!

Correction- 100 sit-ups. Not 200!

My wife has a spinal cord problem that makes lying down flat for an extended period of time really difficult. We decided to try an adjustable bed. After one week she was sleeping through the night.

I researched the various mattresses and there are a number of studies that show gel memory foam provides the best sleep and increases your blood circulation so that's what we got. You really should go to a mattress store to try them out since most companies will not accept returns on mattresses.

If you didn't born with aching back, something is not right.. so, instead of working on outside cause and solution, work from inward..

I have had aching back and bought an upside down gadget too.. What solved my aching back? Proper diet and good posture/muscle support.. It was painful for couple days while I was working to fix myself, then, all in a sudden, the lower back loosened up.

Yesterday, I walked 5 miles in 2 hours after having worked a day at my properties. last time I walked that much probably was 15-20 years (walk for breast cancer or some cause). No pain whatsoever.. I felt that I could walk another 5 miles at that pace..