Stokies is curious: how does one now sleep comfortably?

sleep
(Carolyn aka stokies) #1

Oh my goodness.

I can’t even begin to explain the physical pains I endure now that I don’t have as much extra cushioning as I once had. First world problem - I own that. But what the @#%#%. My hips, my shoulders, and upper arm muscles HURT now as a side sleeper, no matter how I arrange pillows and shove supports around me. My mattress isn’t an issue either- regularly rotate and it is in great shape, age-wise. When bigger, my back would spasm due to excess pressure from my weight. This is an entirely different experience. It’s like I am bruising from the inside out because my bones are prominent without the padding…

Anyone else or am I just like the princess and pea, but the pea is my own bony projections? Hahahaha… achy and sleepless… (and could be adding to my stall, now that I think of it…)

(mole person) #2

It’s perfectly normal. I’m pretty slim and I don’t get that experience at my current weight of 107 lbs but when I lose 5 lbs more I get it. Similarly, when I lost my original 30 lbs in keto I had it. You just have to wait it out. Your body will toughen to the new normal in time and the pain and discomfort goes away.

(Central Florida Bob ) #3

I’ve had that for months now and while I can’t dispute @Ilana_Rose’s claim it will go away eventually, it hasn’t yet.

They’ve been slow or gentle onset things, barely noticeable at first. I couldn’t tell you how long ago they started.

My tailbone hurts most of the time I’m sitting, I broke that in my (one and only, thank God) bike accident when I got hit by a pickup truck, so maybe that’s arthritis? And my right thighbone hurts right at the hip joint when I sleep on that side. My cat insists I sleep on that side so that I hold him all night. I wake up all night to roll over and he commands me back into position! Maybe that’s arthritis, too.

(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #4

No it’s not just you, and if you can figure out a way to resolve it then please do share :joy: I’m a stomach sleeper and my hip bones stick out now, which is ultra uncomfortable :persevere:

(Carolyn aka stokies) #6

Sleeping bubble wrap? I could make millions lol :laughing:

#7

Oh my. I still have about 30 lbs to lose and most of my extra fat is between my waist and knee but still, wooden benches became uncomfortable, I just don’t have the necessary amount of padding anymore… What will happen later? :open_mouth:
But there are so many slim ones, it can’t be that horrible longer term… I don’t want to be truly skinny, just slim (and a bit more muscular too).

(Lazy, Dirty Keto 😝) #8

Sign me up as an investor :laughing:

(Carolyn aka stokies) #9

Right? I wanna just ask some of them to see what they do. I think @Ilana_Rose has a point - it’s about our bodies getting used to it eventually. I too work out so hope that building more muscle will help some too.

(Scott H.) #10

Foam mattress covers and softer mattresses make a huge difference for me. When I was 300+, no amount of foam had any effect. Now, under 200 lbs, those little comforts matter. I also notice this whenever I’m sitting. This hasn’t gone away for me yet.

#11

I agree that layering foam makes a huge difference, but the type of foam is important. I have suffered from “princess and the pea” syndrome my whole life and was constantly changing mattresses. My solution is a bed in box mattress topped with a good 4" latex foam mattress pad and a 2" gel memory foam pad over that. A true P&P combination, but it works. Of course, it works even better now that I’ve shed 50 lbs. No more waking up with sore spots, back pain or tingling arms from loss of circulation.

Good luck finding your perfect combination. Don’t give up looking and don’t trust mattress manufacturers to create it for you.

(Susan) #12

What about a body pillow?

My daughter has one and loves it. It is from mypillow company -not to get in trouble for posting advertising, so won’t put the site, but she loves it.

(Carolyn aka stokies) #13

I was wondering about those huge wrap around ones for pregnant women… My regular body pillow isn’t helping currently. Could be it just sucks lol…

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #14

I had pain in my left hip (the side I sleep on) before losing weight. Still have it now. I have a bed that the back elevates and I sleep on my back part of the night and I also sleep in a recliner on my back. I do still like to sleep on my side but I reserve that for the last hour or two. I still wake up in pain.

I saved $ for years to be able to do this. Good luck.

(Troy) #15

+3
For your mypillow mentioned product :wink:
The owner in blue clothing ( billy Mays style ) has a GREAT testimony btw!!:rofl: no joke

Oh…I mean +3, as in others I know " swear " by their sleep improvement
I am just waiting for the roadshow to come back to Costco again …will purchase :slightly_smiling_face:

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #16

I use a mypillow as well. A perfect pillow for me anyway.

#17

My problems with aching hips and shoulders (as an avowed side sleeper) were much reduced when I bought myself a good memory-foam mattress topper. I couldn’t afford a new mattress (and the one I have is actually really good, quite new though apparently just a little too firm for me), but a couple of hundred bucks on a high-quality topper has done the trick.

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #18

Mattresses where I live are barely more than plywood with an insignificant amout of padding on top. I used to sleep on my floor, so it wansn’t a huge transition for me. Then I lost weight. I am a back sleeper and had quite a while when I would wake up with tingling hands from a pinched nerve in my elbows by my sides while sleeping. Only you mentioning it now makes me think of that since it hasn’t happened in a long while. I don’t know if it is nerves learning the new normal, or if I have changed how I sleep. But, I am currently sitting on a wooden chair that I used to love and now use with pillows on the seat and back. I hadden’t used the chair in a while and couldn’t understand why I didn’t like it so much anymore, so thanks for the reminder that it is probably me!

Typing this out, I have come up with a thoery. It isn’t that extra fat pads us better, it is that when we had extra fat, those particular nerves getting triggered would have meant we were in a major dangerous situation. So they became more sensitive for our protection. Now that those nerves are nearer to the surface, they need time to learn that a small amout of pressure is no big deal.

(Carolyn aka stokies) #19

I really like that theory about sensitivity and perceived danger/pain. Took me a while to adjust when gaining, so it makes sense that it ould be the same with the loss, right? My mattress is epic so at least I have that to help. I remember when I was heavier how the beds at the in-laws were intolerable, to the point my chest and ribs even hurt. This was because they are merely cotton covered bricks in my best estimation :laughing: HOWEVER - since becoming smaller, those beds have become more tolerable. But I still have the same hip, shoulder and upper arm pain. Pick and choose, right? I’ll get tougher. Eventually HA!

(Hyperbole- best thing in the universe!) #20

Ha! This is my new description of Chinese beds!

(Bob M) #21

We have a Tempur-pedic mattress that has a top of foam and an underlying set of springs. I was going to post a link, but it appears they don’t make it anymore. With this, I haven’t had any issues. I am a side sleeper primarily, though I can sleep on my back for a bit.