My bed was causing problems - hip pain and aching joints etc. One night, I felt so uncomfortable I just lay down on the bedside rug, with a pillow and a blanket and tried to sleep. It was difficult, but I concluded it was more comfortable than my bed, so I stuck with it. For the next few nights, I slept some of the time in bed and some of the time on the floor. Then I decided to sleep all night on the floor. I am glad I did. My body is now used to the new sleeping arrangements and I wake up more refreshed. I cannot say it has helped with my PD symptoms, but I can say it has alleviated some of my non-PD problems.
I now use a sleeping bag instead of a blanket.
There is a lot of information on the web about sleeping on the floor.
Hi Martini - when you say you had hip pain and aching joints did you have the aching round where your arms meet with your torso and also where the tops of your legs meet with your torso? That is what I have when I wake every morning, but didn't know whether it was all part of parkinsons or what it was, thanks for highlighting this, maybe I will even try sleeping on the floor same as you!
When my medication is low, my hip pain increases yet I can tolerate it more when I sleep on the floor. Last night, for example, I woke up two hours later than usual to take my medication - hip pain is what usually wakes me. All I can suggest is you give it a try. It would be a good idea to start with a bit more padding than just a rug, as I did, to make things a little more comfortable.
My aches tend to be in muscles around the joints rather than within the joints.
I'm not sure myself if it's the joints or the muscles round the joints that hurt and really ache. I honestly thought it might have been something wrong with my mattress, (like needing a new one!), but i'm sure it's the pesky parkinsons. Will mention it to my Neurologist when I see her next week.
For a while, I have been looking for a thick padded mat that will add a little comfort and insulation. As you would expect, there are people willing to sell you expensive futons and other overly thick things to sleep on, but I have found the perfect mat for me, vet fleece. It's used by vets for recuperating animals. We had a large spare piece lying around the house that I adopted. Very comfortable indeed. It's cheap, freely available, and comes in lots of sizes. You can even have paw prints. There may be one downside; we have five cats and two dogs. Life on my floor-bed may become a little cramped now that winter is upon us. 8-)
