5 Amazon Purchases That Help Me Sleep with hEDS
Anyone with hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) knows that getting comfortable in bed can be a nightmare – pun very much intended! If you’re like me and have instability in the neck, shoulders and hips, sleeping positions become very limited. That in itself then becomes an issue because bony areas become sore from sustained pressure against the mattress. Painsomnia, sleep apnoea and restless leg syndrome join the party and you’re in for a long night.
Of course medical professionals can help with pain medication, treatments for things like restless leg syndrome (assuming magnesium supplements or rubs don’t work) and sleep apnoea can be managed with a mandibular device or a CPAP machine. But what of getting comfy?
I’ve spent the last few years honing in on a set of tools for sleeping, all purchased from Amazon, so widely available. Here they are:
Making sure your head is supported and your neck is aligned is a great place to start. This isn’t the actual pillow I use as that doesn’t seem to be available anymore but it is very similar. I found my sleep improved a great deal once I switched to a pillow that supported me properly. Find it here.
If you’re prone to turning onto your side, even if unintentionally, a knee pillow like this one can be ideal for keeping your hips and pelvis aligned. Using this has greatly reduced my hip pain and the strap keeps it from falling off when I turn. Find it here.
I find the biggest trigger for my occipital neuralgia, migraines etc., is my shoulders subluxing and pushing up onto my neck. Of course sleeping in a hard collar would be horrible, but this soft collar seems to do the job and I have no problem sleeping in it. It even comes with a washable silk cover! Find it here.
My safest and most comfortable sleeping position (assuming I have my CPAP on to keep my floppy airway open) is flat on my back). My only big problem with that is my heels get very sore from the pressure on the bed. I’ve found this inflatable mat ideal because I can move my feet around to get different pressure on different areas of my heels/ankles, thus relieving pressure. Find it here.
When all else fails and something is keeping me awake (painsomnia, an upcoming appointment etc.), these bluetooth headphones allow me to listen to music, meditation or an audiobook while being comfortable enough to roll onto my side and fall asleep. The sound is good and doesn’t leak out to disturb my husband lying next to me. I can fit my CPAP over the top and still use the control buttons to turn the sound up or down, fast forward or back, and pause or play. They also don’t aggravate my tinnitus in the same way that in-ear headphones do, bonus! Find it here.
