A musculoskeletal condition characterized by fatigue and joint pains, fibromyalgia patients typically share one common symptom – difficulty sleeping. The pain often makes it difficult to settle down comfortably for a good, therapeutic snooze, but the lack of sleep feeds into our inability to recover from or deal with the pain. While medication is one way of breaking out of this vicious cycle, we understand your concerns if the prospect makes you nervous – painkillers and sleeping pills can only help so much, and becoming dependent on them for the smallest moment of solace is a daunting thought.
Deep, restful sleep is pertinent to recovery, giving the body a break where it relaxes and sets about healing as well as refreshing the mind – something that becomes difficult if you’re experiencing frequent sleep disturbances and spasms of pain through the night. One way of alleviating these issues and paving the way for recovery, since better sleep is positively correlated to an improvement in pain symptoms, is adjusting how you sleep – particularly, the pillows you have on your bed. The right, ergonomic pillow can prop up your body and let your joints lay back and relax without putting any strain on them through the night. While good bedding by itself isn’t enough to cure fibromyalgia, the right pillows can supplement other treatment to let you relax and rest enough to work towards recovery. Here are our picks for the best body pillows for fibromyalgia.
KEN’S PICK
Moonlight Slumber Comfort-U Total Body Support Pillow
This is easily one of the best body pillows out there, not just for fibromyalgia but for conditions like gastric reflux, carpal tunnel syndrome, sciatica, pregnancy-related back pains and so on. The humungous size makes it a versatile pillow for both men and women of different statures, belying the usual descriptions of these U-shaped body pillows as pregnancy pillows. The U-bend lets you rest or elevate your neck and shoulders, while the sides both mold to your back and help support it while also giving you something to prop your knee over, to maintain the right distance between your legs and keep your hips from getting misaligned. The pillow is designed to let you snuggle down and allow your body to completely relax without the risk of unnaturally aligning yourself, which in turn lets you lay back comfortably and seek relief for aches and pains.
The fusion fiberfill of the pillow is densely-packed yet soft, compressing just enough to accommodate and supplement your preferred sleeping positions while still retaining the pillow’s shape, structure and supportive integrity. The stuffing also allows for better ventilation, so you’ll find the surface cool to the touch and comfortable to lay back in. The hypoallergenic, zipper-fitted pillow case is 100% organic, easy to remove and throw into the washing machine, naturally repelling dust mites and odors so maintenance is a breeze, while the two sides of the pillow let you easily move around at bedtime without having to get up and reposition a bunch of pillows – especially aggravating if you’re troubled by chronic joint pains.
KEN’S BUDGET PICK
ComfySure U Shape Full Body Pregnancy Pillow
An extra long pillow fit for queen- and king-sized beds, you can say goodbye to the heaps of pillows you use to try and get yourself comfy for some sleep with just one of these. Of dimensions 39 by 60 inches, the pillow is contoured on the inside to seamlessly fit and hold the curves of our spine and tummy, the U-bend holding up our head, neck and shoulders. The ergonomic design offers optimum support for sleeping, keeping the body properly aligned and deterring the likelihood of strains and pains. Despite being primarily designed for expecting mothers, the pillow works just as well for patients of fibromyalgia with its resilient, supportive structure. The long sides let you simply roll from one side to the other without needing to move a bunch of pillows, giving you the same, consistent support on both sides. The 100% hypoallergenic microfiber cover is soft to the touch, breathable, and removable for washing and re-using.
RUNNER-UP
Leachco Snoogle Original Total Body Pillow
One of the most popular body pillows out there, this uniquely shaped option with its patented design and quirky name is a great one not just for pregnant ladies but also patients of fibromyalgia and other ailments like sciatica, arthritis and back pain. Built to give full-bodied support, the pillow is a variant of the U-shaped body pillows on this list, but can simultaneously support the head, neck, shoulders, hips and back nonetheless. Horse-shoe shaped, you can wrap your legs around the curved end, fold it up to use as a back or elevated head rest, while the extra long midsection supports the curvature and alignment of your spine (or your tummy, if you’re expecting and need a little extra support). The Snoogle (a combination of the words ‘Snooze’ and ‘Snuggle’) comes with a removable, machine-washable cover in 6 available colors, a soft and breathable polyester-cotton blend – though if you’re looking for something more organic, the brand offers a 100% cotton option as well, sold separately. Both snuggly-soft and firm enough to retain its shape and continue delivering the best support, curling up with this pillow lets you attain the most natural and comfortable position to catch some z’s in.
RUNNER-UP
Queen Rose Unique U Shaped Full Body Support Pillow
Go organic with this 100% cotton covered pillow – another U-shaped addition to this list, the dense polyester fiberfill of the pillow makes it both comfortable and resilient in keeping its shape and supportive capacity for full body relaxation. You can choose to under- or overfill your pillow, depending on your needs, an internal zippered cover holding the fiberfill while an external removable cover comes with sturdy double zippers to ensure endurance and longevity. The contoured sides meld into the curves of the back and tummy, long enough to let you prop your leg over one to align your hips properly and keep your spine correctly supported. Measuring 31 by 55 inches, this pillow does away with the need to keep any other cushions or pillows on your bed – even if you need to switch sides, you can simply turn over and continue experiencing the same, consistent support. The pillow can be folded up in various ways to support and hold your body, depending on your reclining or sitting position.