Inclined Bed Therapy

[jean-la-grenouille]

Hi,

As i was advised by Dr Franceschi, I have tried IBT for 1 week. I'm happy with this but i sometimes feel pressure in my veins. Don't no if that's a good thing or not. I sleep a lot with IBT, I feel pretty good with IBT, hope this will go on and I will feel greatter improvements...

Jean

[AndrewKFletcher]

Hi Jean

This is indeed good news. Dr Zamboni forwarded a copy of my emails to Dr Francheschi because he has an interest in postural therapy for helping people with multiple sclerosis.

The pressure differences in your veins will make more sense as the weeks pass. Not many have been able to sense the pressure changes like you have. This is god news, providing you do not have a collapsed vein in your lower limbs, which is unlikely and will be evident by skin colour changes towards blue -purple, rather than the pink colour reported by people using I.T. without a collapsed vein problem in the lower limbs.

You say you feel pretty good, can you elaborate some more?

Andrew

[Jugular]

Andrew, my apologies for not being able to find this anywhere, but what is the ideal angle of incline?

[AndrewKFletcher]

Andrew, my apologies for not being able to find this anywhere, but what is the ideal angle of incline?

5 degrees to the horizontal. Raising a standard uk bed 6 inches or 15 cms at the head end will do fine.

If your bed is longer add a little more height to compensate for the length.

Suggestion:

Begin by raising the bed 4 inches at the head end. After 2 weeks raise another inch and same again in 2 more weeks.

Questions are always welcomed, There are pictures of a bed raised on the threads.

Thanks for deciding to give I.T. a go.

Andrew

[happy_canuck]

After approx. 5 weeks at a 4" incline (on an 80" bed), we raised to 7" today to get exactly 5 degrees. We also removed the boxspring and replaced with plywood and boards so I can get into bed more easily.

The incline is steeper (and we haven't slept on it yet!!), but the lower overall height is MUCH easier to deal with.

Observations:
- hand numbness (especially forefingers and thumbs) still less upon waking and now noticeably less all day (yeah!). I am making a solid effort to keep from putting my hands under the pillow and I think this has a lot to do with the numbness decrease. My arms are LOWER than my heart overnight (or at least in the beginning). I am keeping them out from my body, but angled downward.
- my BP is still up (142/92 upon waking today, but lower than a few days ago)
- hands and feet still cold through the day (and feet still go purple from time to time, especially when legs crossed).
- no urinary changes (other than unrelated bladder infection).
- hubbie still not snoring anymore -- he had a snoring volume and frequency second to none prior to raising our bed.
- my chiropractor reporting I have amazing back response to her treatment -- much faster than she expected and holding between appointments.

Cheers everyone,

~ Sandra

[Robnl]

Andrew,

About the height; am i wrong that earlier you had to raise the bed between 4 and 6 inches. Now i read on the IBT site that you should raise the bed 6/7 inches??

About 2 months ago i raised my bed 4 inches, i do no notice any changes; i feel tired en stiff when i wake up. During the day i feel better.

So i'm going to raise my bed 2 inches more, probably need a seatbelt to keep me in bed

Rob

[AndrewKFletcher]

Andrew,

About the height; am i wrong that earlier you had to raise the bed between 4 and 6 inches. Now i read on the IBT site that you should raise the bed 6/7 inches??

About 2 months ago i raised my bed 4 inches, i do no notice any changes; i feel tired en stiff when i wake up. During the day i feel better.

So i'm going to raise my bed 2 inches more, probably need a seatbelt to keep me in bed

Rob

Hi Rob the height depends on the length of your bed. Raising your bed 4 inches will help you to get used to sleeping on an incline but will not produce anywhaere near the results of sleeping on a five degree incline. Your experience over 2 months confirms this.

It is wise to begin lower. You should be able to determine the difference at the correct angle.

Thanks for your post.

Andrew

[Robnl]

Hi Rob the height depends on the length of your bed

So, help me out; length of my bed is 210CM, what should be the heigth??

Thx,

Rob

[AndrewKFletcher]

happy_canuck

Over the next 4 weeks we should see the numbness improve to the point where it vanishes completely.
Have you noticed any odd / unusual pains?

Your report is following the same pattern as many other people with ms who have tilted their beds.
Thank you for your post Sandra

[AndrewKFletcher]

Hi Rob the height depends on the length of your bed

So, help me out; length of my bed is 210CM, what should be the heigth??

Thx,

Rob

17cm to 18 cm will be ok.

[joyj]

hi all, im think i have less numbness in my hands. i find that my changes are improving slowly, does it usually happen that you gradually feel better and better. i cant wait for the warmer weather, i know il really see the benefits then.

[AndrewKFletcher]

joyj

This is how it works, slowly but surely gradual improvements that often go unnoticed for weeks.

Some however from the very first night experience huge improvements. A friend of mine who has a condition called psoriatic arthritis, used to wake up every morning with her hands paralysed. She would immerse her hands in hot water for an hour or more before they would begin to work again.
The very first night she tilted her bed, following a very restful sleep, she woke with no pain and her hands moved freely. That was in 1995, her problem with her hands never came back.

[joyj]

i find it very exciting, so simple but so helpful. ive got 2 of my friends with ms in america trying also, the 1 has slept all night first time in 10 years.

[happy_canuck]

happy_canuck

Over the next 4 weeks we should see the numbness improve to the point where it vanishes completely.
Have you noticed any odd / unusual pains?

Andrew,

No unusual pains, but a few observations after our first night on a full 5 degree incline (we were at 3.6 degrees for 5 weeks):
- neither of us slept restfully, although I am not feeling unduly fatigued today (it's a little after 2 p.m.). My feet were cold going to bed and, even after putting on socks, they were slow to warm.
- hubbie's breathing was silent all night...very unusual and most welcome. He had stopped snoring, but I could still hear his breathing before.
- hubbie reported he felt his feet were swollen a bit. I told him that had happened to me a couple weeks ago on the lower incline and they went back to normal over time.
- actually yesterday before we went to bed I felt, for the first time in 10 or more years, a tiny patch (about a postage stamp size) of "normal" sensation on my right forefinger. It continues today to be so free of numbness to have the feel of normal skin. I keep feeling it to be sure it's still there! Amazing! Thumbs and forefingers, especially on right hand, are the least numb of all fingers.
- again yesterday (so pre-full incline) I noticed a change in urine colour (more greenish?). May have something to do with the antibiotics for my bladder infection, but may not b/c I have been on them since Dec 29.

The change in slope is quite striking. We never thought it would make such a large difference from having started lower. But, the changes are worth it already. I keep imagining I am lying on a beach when falling asleep and the incline seems quite comfortable. We'll get used to it.

Cheers,

~ Sandra

[BUCK]

Just a quick mention, my wife was diagnosed 5 years ago & has been sleeping on a wedge for over 4 years now & has not had any symptoms since. She just did it by accident & found she felt great in the morning so bought a proper memory foam one. It has been very interesting for us to read all this exciting news because we have felt that it was a blood flow problem all along because of the dizzyness ect.