Sleeping better – just in the wrong place…

There is one positive thing to come out of my recent medical problems – I’m sleeping better.

All my life, my respiratory problems (I’ve had the precursors of my COPD, asthma and bronchiectasis, since age two, when almost simultaneous measles and whooping cough trashed my lungs), have meant that sleeping was problematic. The change of posture would often trigger a coughing fit, and invariably, lying down made breathing difficult and caused my lungs to fill up with toxic crap overnight. Now, though, that doesn’t happen.

The reason is that I haven’t been to bed since

The best sleeping position for COPD…

From my search-engine slush pile “sleeping positions for COPD.”

Many years ago I was taught by a physiotherapist that the best sleeping position for any respiratory illness – I hadn’t graduated to COPD in those days – was the recovery position. Googling it is easier than having me describe it.

You’ll probably have to do as I did, and modify it a little to get comfortable, and you’ll have to work at it – it does require discipline – but it really does pay dividends.

There are two ways of further modifying it,

A bed wedge for COPD…

Where to buy a bed wedge for COPD?

Depending where you live, there are many choices, and some extremely high prices. Like pretty much everything I buy, except food, I got mine online.

There are two types of wedge; adjustable, metal-framed, and foam. I’d advise against a metal-framed, adjustable one – the design sucks and will gouge your back if you’re a restless sleeper – and would recommend a foam one, I got mine here for £25. You can easily pay £70 for an identical product. Don’t.

A word of advice – foam products, like this, can emit noxious fumes (I don’t know whether mine did, but it certainly smelled unpleasant). There is a solution, though. When you receive it, it’ll be tightly wrapped in plastic