Coping with back pain and getting a good night’s sleep is never easy. The difficulty is often compounded when you must deal with the migrating pains associated with Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Arden Gifford, M.D. has found an inexpensive solution for easing his back pain and improving his sleeping habits: a LoungAir — a multipurpose twin mattress that can convert to a chair or lounger.

Dr. Gifford likes the convenience of the LoungAir. “It is excellent for travel purposes,” he says, in part because of its convenient carrying case with an easy-to-use drawstring and heavy-duty strap. In a way similar to how he uses his LoungAir at home, Dr. Gifford enjoys that comfort of home when he stays in a hotel room because he simply places the LoungAir on the floor “in a portion of the bedroom away from the bed.”

When asked why he places his LoungAir on the floor, Dr. Gifford said, “I use the floor [as a] back brace.” He said it’s a continuation of the self-therapy he recommends for patients with back pain in which he suggests that they “lean against a wall or lie on the floor with knees bent to remove the curve in the small of the back.” Dr. Gifford further insists that “there is nothing at all wrong with the floor. People before the 20th century slept on the floor all the time; many still do. The bed is a 17th century wealth concoction, [that resulted] from the same thinking as McDonald’s Hamburgers and other convenience and luxury items in life: They are nice to show, and may taste or feel good, but they are not good for you.”

Dr. M. J. Gimeno (The Stress and Phobia Center, Clearwater, FL) treats “a variety of patients — some with panic attacks, anxiety, chronic pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, depression, and other conditions.” He “recommends the Loungair … for patients who need to be in a comfortable position for meditation, musical meditation, and directed imagery.” He likes the LoungAir because “for patients with chronic pain, it relieves a lot of pressure.”

For his patients with Fibromyalgia, Dr. Gimeno recommends a program that includes a “Fibromyalgia diet and supplements such as Co-Q10, Alpha Lipoic, [and] Benfothiamine as well as daily relaxation [and] meditation.”

As for himself, Dr. Gimeno says, “I own a LoungAir that I use to practice my own meditation to the sound of Mozart, and as an extra bed/chair for visiting friends and relatives. I like the flexibility that this unique item provides. It is not an inflatable bed! It can be adjusted to different positions and is easily transported from one room to another. It provides relief by decreasing ‘weight pressure’ on those sensitive trigger points.”

Dr. Arden Gifford also says he recommends the LoungAir because it is “small, portable, convenient, flexible, and medically and orthopedically sound in helping people sleep well and combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.”

Dr. Gifford also recommends the LoungAir for GERD reflux patients, in part because it is something they can take with them when they travel.

Overall, Dr. Gifford likes the LoungAir because it’s “simple to put away” and is comparable to alternative options that can “cost two the three times as much.”

When I mentioned my frustration that putting the LoungAir on my bed made it too high for me comfortably climb onto it, he said, “The use I put to the [LoungAir] bed it not to put it on the bed. I place it on the floor [for the] firm underlying support; the sagging of the support of the bed is one of the features of a bed that contributes to back pain.” He also said that “the conformity of the air support is better than water because it does not roll and make waves, but simply supports with no pressure, unlike all other forms of mattress products that I have used.”

According to Dr. Gifford, “about 80% of back pain can be resolved by bed rest, but you have to have the right type of bed; placing the [LoungAir] bed on the floor provides the support. He said that putting the LoungAir “on another mattress is self defeating,” adding that for those with Fibromyalgia and muscle spasms, placing the LoungAir on the floor “provides support for the spinal column with the needed bracing to reduce spasms.”

Both doctors enthusiastically recommend the LoungAir. When asked if he had anything more he’d like to say about the LoungAir, Dr. Gifford said, “I use this Loungair everyday, and everywhere I go. It is excellent for travel purposes. … This is not a temporary toy, or something to stow in the closet until guests come; this is a real and effective medical prosthesis for me in that I spend 1/3 of my life in it and it makes me quite comfortable.”

Dr. Gifford added that he chose the LoungAir because “other products were either too large, or only flat, or had various other cumbersome features. The easy of use is that you don’t have a big bulky product that you have to struggle with to get inflated. It is small, convenient, and easy to use.” As his final endorsement, Dr. Gifford said, “The fabric is soft and does not have the swimming pool air mattress feel that sticks to your skin and is hot and uncomfortable.”

Pictures of the LoungAir

In Search of a Better Sleep and Relief from Fibromyalgia and Back Pain: A Review of the LoungAir

Other related information:

Things to Help You Keep Better Sleep

Two Doctors Recommend the LoungAir for CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Back Pain Relief is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

Related posts:

1. What is Fibromyalgia? What is Fibromyalgia? Defining Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia — which is...
2. Fibromyalgia Awareness T Shirts and Other Fibromyalgia Support Gift Ideas This page is the index to Fibromyalgia (FM, FMS)...

Because my budget is now dictated by a work schedule set by my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, and Multiple Chemical Sensitivity fatigue levels rather than by my work ethic and goals, needed accessibility changes come slowly around my place. I did recently add a LoungAir to my “arsenal” of ways to help battle my back pain and muscle spasms in the hopes of getting better sleep, but as you’ll discover in this review (of sorts), I’m still not using it as its intended — or in a manner that will provide me with the most benefit. Someday™!

The LoungAir is an inexpensive inflatable multi-use mattress that Dr. M. J. Gimeno (The Stress and Phobia Center, Clearwater, FL) says he recommends “for patients with chronic pain, it relieves a lot of pressure” and Dr.

Arden Gifford says is “helping people sleep well and combat Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.” Pretty good endorsements for a $99 bed alternative. (For more information on what the doctors have to say about the LoungAir, see How Two Doctors Recommend Using the LoungAir as a Part of Fibromyalgia and Back Pain Therapy.)

In the bed position, the LoungAir is the size of a standard twin mattress (75” x 38” x 10”), which means that it doesn’t require expensive custom-made sheets; twin-sized sheets fit the LoungAir perfectly.

When not in use as a bed, the LoungAir easily converts to a chair with a 38” x 42” footprint and 42”-high backrest. As a lounger, it measures 75” x 38’ with a 32”-high backrest. Or, you can use the LoungAir as a recliner, angling the backrest to match your comfort level by inflating the inclination of the backrest to between zero and approximately 45 degrees. In the recliner position, the LoungAir length varies according to the inclination angle of the backrest. (I’m currently using a modification of this in the manner that I’m using the LoungAir on my bed. I don’t inflate the “bed” portion of the LoungAir; I inflate the backrest portion only, and then use a pillow to support my neck.)

Inflation is easy, if not somewhat noisy: The LoungAir comes with what the company calls a Fast Fill Pump (FFP) system that includes 3 universal inflation adaptors. For those concerned about odors or other possible sensitivities to the materials used in the LoungAir, its no-leak valve system features individual inflation and fast-deflation ports, each with a neoprene gasket that forms an airtight port seal once they are tightened. (The loungair valves are 100% guarranteed not to leak.) The LoungAir itself is made from a non-allergenic, puncture-resistant heavy-gauge vinyl with a velour-like finish and has extra-wide, electronically welded seams. (I’m very sensitive to odors and, except for a slight aroma when I release air from one of the valves, I detect none from the LoungAir that I’m using. Rather than risk a reaction to exposure to the surface material itself, I keep my LoungAir covered with a 100% cotton sheet.)

The LoungAir also has its own travel or storage bag — a drawstring-closable carrying case with a heavy-duty strap.

For around a month, I’ve been using the LoungAir to help elevate the head of my bed. As mentioned earlier, I have it on top of my mattress, in a semi-inflated state.

An occasional problem will occur in anything mass-produced. Glitches can slip through, but I haven’t experienced any with the LoungAir I have. According to company literature, inflation sometimes needs to be adjusted periodically because the material can stretch. I’m finding that I must adjust the inflation whenever I go to bed. (But, bear in mind, I am not using my LoungAir in the normal manner.) Arden Gifford, MD told me that he exchanged his first LoungAir for another because of inflation problems, and has experienced no further problems since that time.

The LoungAir, invented by architect Victor Kasatshko and developed by medical product developer Nicholas Webb, was created with the goal of providing an orthopedically correct improvement over the flat inflatable bed. It carries the prestigious Orthopaedic Research Institute Seal of Approval.

Note: Earlier I’d mentioned that I’m not using the LoungAir in “a manner that will provide me with the most benefit.” That’s because I am no longer coordinated enough to get up and down off of the floor. As soon as I can fit it into the budget, I plan to have my brother-in-law build me a daybed frame. That will give me a way to put my LoungAir on a solid surface. Until that time, I’ll continue to improvise. I believe I am benefiting by using the LoungAir to elevate the upper half of my body while I sleep.

For additional information, you can read my interview of two doctors who recommend the LoungAir for back pain, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, and Fibromyalgia patients.

LoungAir Web site

Other related information:

Things to Help You Keep Better Sleep

In Search of a Better Sleep and Relief from CFS, Fibromyalgia, and Back Pain is a post from: Chronic Illness.org

Related posts:

1. What is Fibromyalgia? What is Fibromyalgia? Defining Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia — which is...
2. Fibromyalgia Awareness T Shirts and Other Fibromyalgia Support Gift Ideas This page is the index to Fibromyalgia (FM, FMS)...