In the past, adjustable beds were only common in hospital wards. But, their popularity and availability are now on a steady rise. Much of this is due to friendlier price points and massive awareness campaigns by medical professionals.
Most people think of mattresses, weighted pillows, and other accessories when it comes to upgrading their sleep quality. One of the biggest misconceptions is that adjustable beds are for persons needing assistance, which couldn’t be further from the truth.
Adjustable beds feature a rich infusion of technologies that puts them miles ahead of hospital beds. For one, you can tweak the controls to your sleep position for a more restful slumber. This can lead to less snoring and effective relief from the muscle aches that follow you home from the office.
An adjustable bed can also complement your lifestyle. You can raise it to read comfortably in bed. Or even program it to lift you gently from your slumber in the morning. Ultimately, an adjustable bed can be a life-enhancing upgrade. But, with so much truth and fiction out there, it is hard to lock in on the unsung benefits of getting an adjustable bed.
Today, we would like to set the record straight, so let us look at what doctors recommend when it comes to adjustable beds.
The Health Benefits of Using an Adjustable Bed
Why is quality sleep so essential to good health? Well, sleep slows down your metabolism, hormone secretions, nerve impulses, and other processes that consume energy and tire you out.
This creates the perfect conditions for your body to repair itself. However, this is not possible if you are uncomfortable in bed. That is why it makes sense to research and invest heavily in improving your sleep quality.
Here are 12 ways an adjustable bed can help you improve your general sense of amenity and health.
1. Improves accessibility
Some circumstances in life can confine you to a bed. It could be due to an injury or an illness. Complications during pregnancy and postpartum depression can also affect mobility.
It is usually possible to get to a few daily tasks while in bed. But, this can be an uncomfortable experience when laying on a flat mattress. An adjustable bed can bring a world of convenience in such situations.
It allows you to sit in various positions comfortable enough for typing, eating, playing with pets, or even attending to some light cloth folding. What’s more, you get optimal neck and back support. With that in place, you not only get comfort through the day but also an improved sense of independence - This is refreshing, especially if you love doing everything by yourself!
2. Helps to Reduce Swelling
Edema (swelling) occurs when your tissues release lymphatic fluid to cushion your joints, muscles, and other tissues from strain or injury. In such cases, it is referred to as localized Edema. However, there are also cases where the lymph fluid is secreted and retained in the tissues. This leads to swelling throughout the body or a generalized Oedema.
Sure, prescribed pain killers, antihistamines, and other anti-swelling medication can provide some relief. However, many doctors advise people suffering from Edemas to use adjustable beds. This helps keep the legs elevated above their hearts.
Such a move ensures optimal blood circulation. With time, your circulatory system simply filters the excess lymphatic fluid from your tissues - You get loads of relief without relying on drugs.
3. Reduces Arthritic Pains
Over 350 million people from around the world face some kind of arthritic, joint, or ligament pain. The muscles go through a lot of pressure during the day, and arthritic conditions can cause joint swelling. In worst-case scenarios, this creates additional pressure that can cause joint tenderness and even muscle atrophy (breakdown). So, most people simply need a way to reduce stress and pain.
The best way to alleviate such pain is elevation and conforming to ergonomic positions. This reduces the pressure on the joints, muscles, and ligaments. While there are many ways to attain comfort, adjustable beds offer a more versatile approach. You can position your body in the most comfortable position, which allows your body to do the rest.
4. Alleviates Chronic Back Pain
Most back pain results from the improper distribution of weight and pressure due to improper spinal alignment. This puts a lot of strain on the sciatic nerve hence the chronic pain. Spinal aches also rise as we age. This is because the spinal discs wear down as you get old, leading to a reduction in the spinal fluid that cushions the vertebrae that line your spine.
You can adjust your positioning on an adjustable bed to take some of this pressure off your back. Most adjustable beds even feature a zero gravity position setting that takes all the pressure off your spine.
That is not all. Adjustable beds can help counter upper body pains that result from sleeping in crooked positions that compress the neck. With such lumber support, you are sure to get up without feeling any aches and pains after a restful night’s slumber.
5. Controls the Symptoms of Sleep Apnea
Obstructive sleep apnea can be a scary condition for you and your loved ones. It is characterized by short periods when you are unable to breathe as you sleep. According to data from AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine), over 25 million people suffer from some form of sleep apnea.
The symptoms go beyond difficulty in breathing. It can also cause muscular changes in the tongue and other tissues, brain activity, or obstructed airways. This can leave you feeling tired when you wake up. It also elevates the risk of developing high blood pressure and other circulatory diseases.
That is why doctors recommend investing in adjustable beds for people suffering from sleep apnea. This allows you to sleep with an elevated upper body. So, your airways are clear, allowing more air to flow in and out of your lungs and consistent blood flow to your organs.
6. Helps with Heart Disease by Improving Blood Circulation
Traditional mattresses are stiff. So, getting into a comfortable sleep position can be challenging. It can exacerbate heart and other circulatory problems. Regular mattresses offer inadequate support and pressure. Thus, it increases the work your heart does as you slumber.
Circulation plays a vital role in delivering oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle, and poor circulation can contribute to the development of heart disease. An adjustable bed can help to improve circulation by allowing you to sleep in an elevated position.
For instance, you can raise your legs slightly if you have swollen legs to help with circulation. Aside from reducing swelling, it can also help you manage the symptoms of diabetes and high blood pressure.
7. Reduces Asthma Flare-Ups
If you suffer from asthma, you know that flare-ups can be triggered by a variety of factors, including allergies, cold air, and exercise. But did you know that the position of your bed can also contribute to asthma flare-ups? That's because lying flat allows gravity to pool mucus in your chest, making it difficult to breathe.
An adjustable bed can help to reduce asthma flare-ups by keeping your head elevated at night. This allows gravity to drain mucus from your chest and throat, making it less likely to trigger an asthma attack.
In addition, an adjustable bed can also help to reduce post-nasal drip, which is another common trigger for asthma attacks. Your airways also remain clear in an angled position, which reduces the obstructions that can inflame asthmatic conditions.
8. Improves Your Metabolism
Eating close to bedtime, midnight snacking, or waking up to snacks is not recommended by doctors. Such behavior disrupts your digestive system once you lay on a flat mattress.
Sleeping on a flat mattress after a snack or meal allows the food to come back up from your gut with more ease - resulting in indigestion, bloating, or heartburn. This is referred to as acid reflux (or simply reflux). It causes a hot sensation in your chest that you can mistake for a heart attack.
How do adjustable beds help with this? Sitting or lying in elevated positions ensures the food you eat stays in your stomach. It helps digestive processes and reduces the chances of acid reflux.
9. Enhanced Comfort Through Pregnancy
Pregnancy is an amazing time in a woman's life. However, it can also be a time of discomfort due to the added weight and changes in the body. And as a result, many pregnant women find themselves waking up multiple times during the night.
An adjustable bed can help provide the enhanced comfort during pregnancy that many women need. By allowing you to adjust the head and foot of the bed, an adjustable bed can help you find the perfect sleeping position. Additionally, some adjustable beds come with massage features that can help to relieve aches and pains.
10. Strengthened Relationships
There are two main ways an adjustable bed can improve a relationship. For starters, some couples are too stiff or less limber due to chronic pains. Well, such beds allow them to find more creative and comfortable ways to get intimate.
Sleep apnea, asthma, and other conditions can also get in the way of one person getting quality sleep. So, they can adjust the bed on one side to ensure the unafflicted partner can also catch some RnR.
It may sound funny, but some sleep habits can ruin relationships. So it might be a superb idea to get an adjustable bed frame that can have individual settings on each side. That way, you get relief from your afflictions and your partner gets some quality sleep - and you stay together!
11. Boundless Comfort Levels
The difference between sleep and getting a good night’s rest depends on your level of comfort. An adjustable bed can allow you to lay flat if that is all you need. You can also move it into any position or angle it for the most comfortable sleep position.
Some positions worth trying with an adjustable bed include:
Zero gravity is a neural position that relieves all the weight and pressure from your muscular system. It does so by raising your back and legs to create a 120-degree angle at your hips. This relieves the strain you experience on a flat mattress for a restful sleep or TV-watching experience.
The legs elevated position helps reduce swelling in the legs, lower back, and sciatica. It does so by improving blood circulation and evacuation of lymph fluid from inflamed tissues.
A contoured position allows you to elevate your legs and head at the same time. This is ideal for back and side sleepers that struggle to achieve spinal alignment as they sleep.
Head elevated position does wonders for people with sleep apnea and other respiratory issues. It can also help if acid reflux keeps waking you up.
12. Some Ease from Insomnia
The leading cause of insomnia is depression, anxiety, and other psychological issues. However, your bed also plays a significant role in your inability to get a restful night’s sleep. Even the slightest incline can have some surprisingly relaxing effects.
That is why you can achieve higher levels of mind and body relaxation on an adjustable bed. You can settle into the best position, which ensures you turn less as you sleep. To top it off, you can also adjust it to relieve the aches and pains that could be keeping you up at night.
In summation
This list barely scratches the surface of the health benefits you can get from an adjustable bed. That is why they come so highly recommended by doctors, physical therapists, and other healthcare professionals.
Do you want to reap such benefits? Well, the Flexispot adjustable bed base is the perfect place to start. It comes highly rated by ETonline, and you can get exclusive customizations. We also offer 30-day risk-free trials and refunds on returned items ordered from our website.
Give us a call today or put in your order to upgrade your sleep quality!
