Playing Goldilocks Again With RLS

Lately, I have been moonlighting as a pet and house sitter. The upside to this is it doesn't really matter if I have had a rough night with my RLS; being awake and roaming a foreign house makes the hours spent plodding the floorboards more interesting. Different views, perusing new bookshelves, trying to work alternative "smart" TVs, etc. Walking during the day can help tire my legs out, or wake them up to the point where they are unbearable.

I am once again trying beds, but this time in homes

Having new feline or canine eyes looking at you with that questioning stare — trying to determine if there is any chance for more food or walkies at 3 AM, learning that this strange woman is around 24/7, napping at all strange hours — might be an advantage!

One part of the job that is definitely interesting is being able to try new beds! I know I have written a piece here before about the varied hotel beds I had the pleasure of testing a few months ago. Now I am experiencing beds that are used daily in a home environment. These need to be exceptionally more comfortable to enable people to function on a daily basis.

Springs versus memory foam

Firstly, we have the spring mattress versus the memory foam mattress. As a sufferer of not only RLS but also fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, clinical depression, high blood pressure, and irritable bowel syndrome, the type of bed I sleep in is extremely important! Being in excruciating pain due to a bed is a kick in the teeth, especially when you spend as long in it as I do!

If you have a spring mattress with a memory foam topper, it is the best of both worlds. The buoyancy of the springs with the cushioning of the foam makes for the ideal combination. The foam alleviates the roll-together and increases the wicking action, so you feel cooler during the summer.

Duvets versus weighted blankets

Duvets are the same bundle of judgmental fun, too. Be it polyester filling, feather, or down — or any combination of both — allergies need to be taken into account. I spent a couple of days the other week sneezing myself into submission during the wee small hours after a run-in with a new duck down duvet!

The reason I mention duvets is there has been a large push towards weighted blankets to help sufferers of both RLS and fibromyalgia, as the pressure can help us stop moving our legs so intensely.

They have also been known to increase our symptoms, though, as the pressure can increase the urge to move, as it does in my situation. Trying to hold my legs still makes the creepy feeling exponentially worse. This is not the case for everybody, though.

I'll keep trying different mattresses to test for symptom relief

Over the next few posts, I will band together my meager opinions regarding mattress types and makes, letting you all know how my RLS reacts to each one. As we all know, RLS is a fickle thing, different in every person, but I am hoping my experiences may help someone out there!

If you have anything you would like to impart to me regarding your bed/mattress/duvet experiences, I would thoroughly love to hear them. Keep well.