Sleeping on a wedge

[Lisa0825]

Well, I think I may be developing GERD. I have had only very occasional heart burn or reflux in the past - typically when eating late at night. But for 4 straight nights in the past week, I have been waking up around 3 am with heartburn, even being careful not to eat late.

I prefer not to add another prescription to my cabinet, so I bought a wedge for my bed. It has helped - no heartburn at all in the past 2 nights. However, I am having a hard time getting used to sleeping on it. I am usually a side-sleeper. I can't get comfortable on the wedge pillow on my side without a second pillow, but if I use my other pillow, my head feels too high. I can sleep pretty well on my back with the wedge (I couldn't before the wedge because it made my back uncomfortable), but I am the type who changes positions multiple times in the night, so I am finding myself awake 3-4 times a night, fussing with the pillow, trying to get right again.

So, before I go out and spend more money on other pillow varieties, I thought I would check here to see if anyone sleeps with a wedge, and how you get yourself comfortable with it.

Thanks in advance for any input.

[kimbutgar]

1. Drink apple cider at first discomfort

I tried the wedge hard to get comfortable but didn’t work for me. Used to take tagament and other acid reducers. Now I drink apple cider and it goes away quickly. The best is a apple cider vinegar in warm water but the taste is ghastly. My friend who suffered from acid reflux drinks the apple cider vinegar with water he said it works better for him than apple cider. That old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has some truth.

[Lisa0825]

6. Thanks, I will check it out :-) nt

[WheelWalker]

2. Not to be an alarmist...

Unless you know it's heartburn, you should get it checked out by your healthcare provider. I'm not a doctor but I am a heart attack survivor.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heartburn/in-depth/heartburn-gerd/art-20046483

[Lisa0825]

7. Thanks - I appreciate it.

I did look at the article, and the section "What is heartburn?" is EXACTLY how I feel, and I have none of the other symptoms listed for heart attack.

[samnsara]

3. i broke down took ouot a loan and got a sleep number with and

..adjustable frame. LOVE IT! We got the split king so each of us have our own controls. Hubby sleeps with his elevated all the time and his snoring has decreased a lot! You may want to check out the adjustable frames.

[Lisa0825]

8. My next bed will definitely have an adjustable frame!

I am hoping to move to a new house within a year or two, and get new furniture to go with it. For now, I think the wedge will work. I just have to get used to it and find the right positions/pillows for me.

[safeinOhio]

4. See a doctor, don't mess around

My GERD turned into barrett's esophagus, a condition that often leads to cancer. I've been on an acid reducers med for over 20 years. Omeprazole, over the counter now and have to get checked every few years.

I've had 2 friends die of esophagus cancer in the last few years. They never got it checked, just heart burn.

[Lisa0825]

9. It just started this week. I will talk to my doctor at my next checkup. Thanks :-) nt

[procon]

5. I sometimes use a wedge for respiratory problems, and as a side sleeper

it made for a difficult night with little sleep. I added a full length body pillow and that helped support my uppermost arm and leg. I also added an additional firm pillow on top of the body pillow for my leg and that has made the wedge much more comfortable even sleeping on my side.

[Lisa0825]

10. Thanks! I saw those advertised, and was thinking about trying one. nt

[Lisa0825]

13. Do you use the straight pillow or curved one?

[procon]

14. I bought one of those curved pillows, just like in the picture,

but it just didn't work for me. It was flatter and narrower than my body pillow so there was less support. The length makes it hard to maneuver into place, especially when you're all covered up by winter blankets. Also the curve shape can't be adjusted so it didn't go where I wanted it to go. The pillow shape didn't match my shape at all and I never could find a comfortable way to make it fit my needs.

The curved pillows are expensive, so if you buy one maybe your results will be better than mine.

[Laffy Kat]

11. Just elevate the head of your bed.

It doesn't have to be much. You can use bricks or whatever. It will have the same effect. Bed Bath and Beyond use to carry cup-like bed frame post elevators. I think they come four to a pack but you can use just two.

[Lisa0825]

12. I sit up in bed a lot, reading, watching TV, etc,

so I didn't want to do something that would make that less comfortable, and which couldn't be easily undone/redone. I can move the bed-top wedge when not using it.

Someday I will have an adjustable bed!!!

[marybourg]

15. Yes, Amazon has several in different heights and materials, also.

[Lisa0825]

16. So I went back to Bed Bath & Beyond to look at the body pillows...

Both styles just looked too big and fluffy! Using a fluffy pillow with the wedge felt like it was pushing my head up too high, so I didn't think these would work for me either. It's actually hard to find a small, soft pillow! I finally found a small "travel pillow" and bought it. I also wanted something small and cylindrical to hold when I sleep on my side, and couldn't find anything like that either, except in the "accent pillows" section, and they were not made for sleeping... had upholstery, piping, ruffles, etc, and cost like $20-$30! So instead, I went to a craft store, bought some stuffing and - using a spare pillowcase - fashioned my own pillow.

I slept really well last night! I slept almost 11 hours, making up for the previous restless nights!

The little travel pillow was just right

[NightWatcher]

17. I sleep on a wedge for my reflux, but go to a dr please

I too am a side sleeper and had to put another pillow on top of it. What I get tired of is eventually sliding down each night.

I "just put up with it" for too long and now I'm afraid I have something much worse now. I've taken Nexium for several years now and even had to take more and sometimes two doses daily. Now I'm having gut issues that I'm afraid might not bode well for my future.

Oh, and never Google your symptoms. If google today is accurate, I'm not long for this world. I hope I can update that I was temporarily insane and am feeing better soon but I'm not counting on it.

Peace.

[Lisa0825]

18. Thank you - I have a checkup coming next month.

I hope you will be getting checked up too!?

I also get tired of sliding down. After a few weeks of sleeping on the wedge, I tried sleeping without it and did fine for a while. Then, I think I could feel before going to bed that something was irritating me, and sure enough I woke up with heartburn, so I grabbed the wedge. So far, I have been able to use it "as needed", but I will still be discussing with my PCP.

I actually do google symptoms, but I used to work in medical research, so I am good about looking for legit resources and reading objectively.

I actually correctly diagnosed a relatively rare condition I have. The specialist was impressed