Inclined Bed Therapy - Sleeping With The Head End Of The Bed Elevated

[andrewkfletcher]

I have been doing this for a some time now, and I keep doing it because it makes sense. However, I have found no noticeable difference in my life, although my life and health have changed dramatically these recent months, so the change might be lost in the noise. I do suspect that healthy people do not notice an immediate difference, like with PUFA consumption. Nonetheless I appreciate Andrew's work on this topic which has clearly helped a lot of people.

Can you share with us what the changes are that you are experiencing and why you think this is happening?

 

[Hugh Johnson]

Can you share with us what the changes are that you are experiencing and why you think this is happening?

Well, I had a spiritual awakening to start with. I can not even begin to explain the stuff that has been going on.

 

[charlie]

#TheGreatAwakening

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Well, I had a spiritual awakening to start with. I can not even begin to explain the stuff that has been going on.

Intrigued :)

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Inclined Bed Therapy IBT - Restore & Support Your Health - Testimonials

Just in:
Sleep Apnea

I went through Menopause at the early age of 40 and ever since I have had sleep issues. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea. I believed it is because my muscles became more relaxed in my neck area. My dentist said that I had a high tongue. So, when I lay down at night I was having about 13 episodes of interruption a night - mild sleep apnea. This has caused such a disruption to my normal life. I was waking up 3-4 times a night and often not going back to sleep for an hour at times. I then would go into a deep sleep right before it was time to get up for work. I felt immense brain fog. Barely getting through the day. I prayed often and asked God for help because I could not function like this. I tried the sleep apnea machine. I took melatonin, valerian root. I bought 5 mattresses over 10 years. My relationships suffered, my memory was getting worse. I wasn't sharp on my job. And I began to have dark circles under my eyes. Well one day I went to visit Herman Meinke at Treehouse for Earth's Children Holistic Center in Farmington Hills, MI. He had tried IBT and it worked for him. The paper he gave me also had many testimonies from others who had been healed or whose health had been improved by IBT. He told me to try it. I bought the 6" bed risers and the first night I slept inclined I noticed a big difference. I only woke up once during the night and went back to sleep. I was excited. This seemed to be working I also started tracking my sleep on my Fitbit, So for the next 3 nights I was getting similar and better results. On the 4th day, the coldest day of the year, I was up at 5AM refreshed and at work by 7:30AM. My Fitbit indicated that I had a couple hours of REM sleep and deep sleep and a few hours of light sleep. I literally cried and thanked God for this simple remedy. All these years of suffering and it was remedied with this simple method. Thanking God for Mr. Fletcher and his willingness to share what he learned with the world.

P.S. Although my data is only for 4 days I just wanted to note the remarkable difference in such a short period of time. I will write another review in a couple of months to see if the difference continues and to see if there are any other changes.

Thank you,

Shaun Hughes

 

[Cirion]

I have the same problem as that success story (Sleep apnea, only going into deep sleep just as its time to go to work... not a morning person etc etc...) but not seeing success with IBT myself... maybe I need a bigger incline?? I'll measure it tonight. I don't know what my angle / elevation is exactly.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

I have been sleeping at 5 degrees now for over 6 months. At first I saw some improvements in waking up less fatigued, being able to sleep on my back, and falling asleep faster. Now something has changed, I cannot sleep on my back, my knees down to my feet feel uncomfortable in any sleep position, and I am turning frequently throughout the night. I side sleep and feel this odd sensation like my head is being pressed upwards, playing with pillows doesn’t help. I like the concept of IBT, and think I saw some minor health improvements from it, however now I am ready to lower the angle. I do note when I have slept in other beds the flat feeling feels completely wrong now. I think IBT is helpful by allowing certain joints relief, however the weight gets transferred to other joints and can cause discomfort there. My hips are always stiff now, and that never used to bother me. My upper back feels better but my lower half feels worse. I will be decreasing to just a 3 inch raise, and see if that feels right. When I started out I was at 3 inches for a month or two and then increased to 6 inches which I got used to but now I think it has been too much for me, I gave it a fair chance.

For fun I looked at pictures of ancient egyptian beds, I was surprised to see how different many designs were. Some were on very concave platforms, so the dip in the middle would have functioned more like how one fits in to a hammock. Ultimately it looks like this design raises the head more like a pillow, with the feet slightly lower... it is not a straight slope...



For myself when I try to sleep on my back I find the most comfort with the knees higher than the hips and the head higher than the knees, which would be more like a curled fetal position. I think that is what I am seeking, it feels better to me when I put a pillow under my knees when I try and sleep on my back. Who is to say the egyptians didn’t sleep with their knees bent up in these beds?

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Try sleeping on your sides but at an angle so that your weight tests on your shoulder blade and buttock instead of shoulder and hip. Also, having knees raised will shorten tendons and make you stiff when trying to stand upright. This allows us to sleep with arms down by sides.

What type of mattress are you using?

Re curves in some Egyptian beds.

Keep us posted on your lower incline experience.

Thanks for your post.

Andrew

 

[tankasnowgod]

Try sleeping on your sides but at an angle so that your weight tests on your shoulder blade and buttock instead of shoulder and hip. Also, having knees raised will shorten tendons and make you stiff when trying to stand upright. This allows us to sleep with arms down by sides.

Andrew, can you explain this position a little more? I'm not quite seeing it in my mind. Or, is there a photo example somewhere?

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Try sleeping on your sides but at an angle so that your weight tests on your shoulder blade and buttock instead of shoulder and hip. Also, having knees raised will shorten tendons and make you stiff when trying to stand upright. This allows us to sleep with arms down by sides.

What type of mattress are you using?

Re curves in some Egyptian beds: Some were made from wood, covered with thing gold. The timbers must have turned into dust, leaving behind the outer coating of gold, which could have curved when the wooden core decayed?

Keep us posted on your lower incline experience.

Thanks for your post.

Andrew

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Andrew, can you explain this position a little more? I'm not quite seeing it in my mind. Or, is there a photo example somewhere?

From the side sleeping posture, ease back so weight goes on to shoulder blade. This allows arms to be in down position and feel comfortable.

 

[andrewkfletcher]

Also, if we are sleeping on our sides with knees raised too much, it will cancel out some of the ibt effects.

 

[kyle]

The idea of having whole body inclined seems uncomfortable. Why not just your torso? Seems more natural.

Ive slept in hammocks and felt pretty good immediately from it and the legs are elevated so you dont have that weird sensation of slipping.

Picking an exact degree orientarion seems a bit biologically reductionist.

Imagining the origins of the modern matress it wasnt full of metal springs and plastics, nor rigid.

They were probably filled with down feathers and would coddle the body.

 

[Captain_Coconut]

The idea of having whole body inclined seems uncomfortable. Why not just your torso? Seems more natural.

Ive slept in hammocks and felt pretty good immediately from it and the legs are elevated so you dont have that weird sensation of slipping.

Picking an exact degree orientarion seems a bit biologically reductionist.

Imagining the origins of the modern matress it wasnt full of metal springs and plastics, nor rigid.

They were probably filled with down feathers and would coddle the body.

I agree, being able to curl up a little provides more restorative sleep. Think of when a bone is sprained or ligament is injured, common medical knowledge is to keep that area curled up until the inflammation is low enough to flex naturally, keeping it straight obstructs proper healing. Look at how almost all other mammals sleep, generally they curl up.


Nice little incline and curl.

 

[Cirion]

Interesting, I was going to ask if anyone has tried sleeping on hammocks. I have recently heard a few good things about them, but haven't tried it myself.

 

[tankasnowgod]

The idea of having whole body inclined seems uncomfortable. Why not just your torso? Seems more natural.

Ive slept in hammocks and felt pretty good immediately from it and the legs are elevated so you dont have that weird sensation of slipping.

Picking an exact degree orientarion seems a bit biologically reductionist.

Imagining the origins of the modern matress it wasnt full of metal springs and plastics, nor rigid.

They were probably filled with down feathers and would coddle the body.

I'm guessing you haven't tried it? I found inclining my bed much more comfortable than simply having it flat.

Hammocks also generally have a back and forth motion to them. So, no doubt they are going to have some circulatory benefits, especially when compared to a flat bed with no motion. And you likely get the benefits of gravity on the upper half of your body and GI tract, which are some of the most important. I am interested in what Andrew has to say about them.

As for picking an "exact degree," well, you basically sleep at an "exact degree" every night you sleep in your own bed, it's just one that you've chosen by default. Andrew came up with the five degree angle because that is the angle where circulation can take place in a closed system with no pump. He explains in this video with the experiment, relevant part starting about 13 minutes in-


All that said, you can certainly tweak the angle to see what you prefer.

As to your last point about mattresses, there is certainly nothing stopping you or anyone else from using a down feather mattress on an incline. With a wood frame like Blossom uses, it could easily be achieved.

 

[InChristAlone]

I am finally looking in to this mostly because of my husband and his snoring. He wants to get a cpap but I don't think it's going to help. Thing is I thought that the more unhealthy someone is the more dangerous sleeping flat becomes, thus sleeping up keeps them alive so they don't stop breathing and the heart works better. I think Peat even said this. So could be why some people just don't notice anything good from it as they breathe fine and their circulation is fine. I will have to experiment! I used to experience sleep paralysis a few times a yr and it was always when I was sleeping on my back, my theory was that the mouth drops open and you are basically starving for air losing CO2. And so you are trying to wake yourself up but still stuck in a dream. Ever since taping my mouth I can even sleep on my back and don't have this problem again. I also don't wake up in a panic anymore.

 

[tankasnowgod]

I used to experience sleep paralysis a few times a yr and it was always when I was sleeping on my back, my theory was that the mouth drops open and you are basically starving for air losing CO2.

Waking and not being able to move for a few minutes (seems like an eternity), right? I had that too, about a few times a year. Has not happened to me in 8 months sleeping inclined.

 

[Cirion]

I am finally looking in to this mostly because of my husband and his snoring. He wants to get a cpap but I don't think it's going to help. Thing is I thought that the more unhealthy someone is the more dangerous sleeping flat becomes, thus sleeping up keeps them alive so they don't stop breathing and the heart works better. I think Peat even said this. So could be why some people just don't notice anything good from it as they breathe fine and their circulation is fine. I will have to experiment! I used to experience sleep paralysis a few times a yr and it was always when I was sleeping on my back, my theory was that the mouth drops open and you are basically starving for air losing CO2. And so you are trying to wake yourself up but still stuck in a dream. Ever since taping my mouth I can even sleep on my back and don't have this problem again. I also don't wake up in a panic anymore.

I have sleep apnea so I can chime in. CPAP does indeed help at least when it comes to getting to sleep and staying asleep, and it does eliminate snoring quite effectively. But, CPAP does not cure sleep apnea. Like all of mainstream medicine, this shouldn't be a surprise. All it does it treat symptoms (shocker, right?) But it is effective at treating symptoms, which is why I still do it. CPAP machines probably actually would cure sleep apnea if instead of compressed air they added a wee bit of extra CO2 into the device. But then they wouldn't have your business for life like they do now constantly ordering new parts / filters for your machine etc... sigh.

In terms of sleep apnea, I do not notice any improvements sleeping inclined personally at least. I still do it, because it does seem better than sleeping flat, but for me it hasn't cured anything.

One of the possible treatments for sleep apnea is Diamox which I may plan to try soon. You correctly note though that it's a CO2 problem. I think you can get CO2 measuring devices but they're kinda expensive. One poster here awhile back (visionofstrength) said that the goal is to get to 6%+ saturation and that most are only at 4%. Taping your mouth and other such solutions sort of work, but I consider them a band-aid approach. I say that because fixing the CO2 problem rectifies that problem, rather than the other way around (taping your mouth does not fix the CO2 problem, it merely masks it.) That's why I want to actually figure out how to cure my sleep apnea, rather than treat the symptoms via CPAP. So if you find any breakthroughs, let me know... I'm tired of my CPAP lol. I have noted that when my glucose stores are topped off. I don't mouth breath. The mouth breath doesn't happen until later in the night 4-6+ hrs in (noted by dry mouth), when glucose stores have run out. The absolute best thing to do to cure just about every metabolism related woe is to train your body to make CO2, and then you don't have to apply any of these extraneous strategies... but that's certainly easier said than done in my experience.

Another guy what he did was put dry ice near his CPAP machine. Unfortunately dry ice is rather pricey, and also you can't store it for more than 24 hrs. I saw another guy here post saying he fixed a relatives' sleep apnea merely by having him bag breath for 2 mins, 3 times a day, for 2 weeks. I have to give this an honest effort. I have tried bag breathing but never consistently I get lazy.

 

[InChristAlone]

Waking and not being able to move for a few minutes (seems like an eternity), right? I had that too, about a few times a year. Has not happened to me in 8 months sleeping inclined.

That's great! Says to me your breathing and heart are better sleeping that way.

I have sleep apnea so I can chime in. CPAP does indeed help at least when it comes to getting to sleep and staying asleep, and it does eliminate snoring quite effectively. But, CPAP does not cure sleep apnea. Like all of mainstream medicine, this shouldn't be a surprise. All it does it treat symptoms (shocker, right?) But it is effective at treating symptoms, which is why I still do it. CPAP machines probably actually would cure sleep apnea if instead of compressed air they added a wee bit of extra CO2 into the device. But then they wouldn't have your business for life like they do now constantly ordering new parts / filters for your machine etc... sigh.

In terms of sleep apnea, I do not notice any improvements sleeping inclined personally at least. I still do it, because it does seem better than sleeping flat, but for me it hasn't cured anything.

One of the possible treatments for sleep apnea is Diamox which I may plan to try soon. You correctly note though that it's a CO2 problem. I think you can get CO2 measuring devices but they're kinda expensive. One poster here awhile back (visionofstrength) said that the goal is to get to 6%+ saturation and that most are only at 4%. Taping your mouth and other such solutions sort of work, but I consider them a band-aid approach. I say that because fixing the CO2 problem rectifies that problem, rather than the other way around (taping your mouth does not fix the CO2 problem, it merely masks it.) That's why I want to actually figure out how to cure my sleep apnea, rather than treat the symptoms via CPAP. So if you find any breakthroughs, let me know... I'm tired of my CPAP lol. I have noted that when my glucose stores are topped off. I don't mouth breath. The mouth breath doesn't happen until later in the night 4-6+ hrs in (noted by dry mouth), when glucose stores have run out. The absolute best thing to do to cure just about every metabolism related woe is to train your body to make CO2, and then you don't have to apply any of these extraneous strategies... but that's certainly easier said than done in my experience.

Another guy what he did was put dry ice near his CPAP machine. Unfortunately dry ice is rather pricey, and also you can't store it for more than 24 hrs. I saw another guy here post saying he fixed a relatives' sleep apnea merely by having him bag breath for 2 mins, 3 times a day, for 2 weeks. I have to give this an honest effort. I have tried bag breathing but never consistently I get lazy.

We aren't sure if he has sleep apnea, but his palate does collapse so maybe a bit of obstructive? He solves it by breathing through the mouth, I've watched him sleep and it's pretty weird how he breathes. I think the mouth tape worked pretty well for him but he has a full beard so he refuses to shave so he can use it. I agree that it's also a bandaid, but I'd rather that then nightmares and panic! And maybe for sleep apnea that wouldn't be very safe I"m not sure. I think getting sun all summer long is the best way to aid health, but time is factor for many.