In short, our pillow works because it keeps stomach acid out of the esophagus while you sleep, and it does so more effectively and comfortably than other pillows or beds. In all major therapies to prevent nighttime acid reflux, the goal is to prevent stomach acid from entering the esophagus, which leads to heartburn and a sour taste in your mouth. Severe reflux can cause damage to your vocal chords, can promote tooth decay, and can contaminate your sinus cavity which may result in asthmatic symptoms.
The conditions listed above are symptoms that arise from Acid Reflux Disease. Unfortunately, there is no cure for Acid Reflux Disease, but there are many ways to treat the symptoms and help you sleep well at night. Major studies look to promotility agents, profound acid inhibition, H2 blockers, surgical procedures, and patient-controlled therapy, also referred to as lifestyle measures.
For severe cases of Acid Reflux Disease, your physician should decide the best treatment or combination of treatments, such as undergoing a surgical procedure. For many others that suffer from mild to moderate Acid Reflux Disease, there is a choice of treatments. Your physician may simply suggest lifestyle changes and/or recommend an over-the-counter medicine to help alleviate the symptoms of Acid Reflux Disease. When you have a choice, our pillow is a proven patient-controlled therapy that provides completely non-invasive treatment for nighttime acid reflux.
Medical Treatments
Surgical procedures are not guaranteed to work, and the effectiveness of the surgery can depend on many factors including the age of the patient, physical well-being of the patient, and experience of the surgeon.
Promotility agents aid in overall digestion and help prevent nighttime reflux by accelerating gastric emptying which relieves pressure on the upper valve in your stomach and reduces indigestion which can lead to undigested food pushing acid out of your stomach up in to your esophagus.
Mild to moderate acid reflux treatment may employ blocking H2 histamine receptors to inhibit acid secretion. However, they block only some of the receptors that stimulate acid secretion, and this treatment is also dependent upon the severity of the condition and the dosage used.
Profound acid inhibition uses proton pump inhibitors (PPI) and is considered by many physicians to be the most effective way to treat the symptoms of Acid Reflux Disease. It is estimated that 80% of all people using PPI medication in standard doses can relieve themselves of nighttime reflux symptoms. However, there are side effects associated with PPI. Each medication has its own set of side effects, such as diarrhea, feeling or being sick, constipation, abdominal pain and headaches. PPIs should also be use cautiously by pregnant women and people with liver or kidney ailments.
Positional Therapy - GERD
Dr. Andrew H. Soll and Dr. Ronnie Fass published research entitled Gastroesophageal Reflux: Practical Management of a Common, Challenging Disorder . In their paper, they promote the use of Positional Therapy for mild to moderate nighttime reflux symptoms. They state that "elevating the head of the bed is as effective as H2RA therapy in reducing nighttime reflux." Sleeping on an incline will place your body in a position that makes it very difficult for acid to seep into your esophagus. To do so, it would have to defy gravity or you would have to suffer from a severe reflux reflex, one that would most likely cause you to reflux while in a standing or sitting position.
In another study by Lawrence F. Johnson and Tom R. DeMeester, patients with reflux had a 67% improvement in the amount of time it took for acid to clear from their esophagus following a reflux episode.
While elevating the head of your bed will work, but it may cause you to move towards the foot of the bed, end up sideways on your mattress, or, even worse, fall out of bed. If you share your bed, your partner will have to sleep in the same manner. The solution is to elevate your upper body. Additional studies published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology established that the best position for people that suffer from nighttime reflux is on the left side.
Positional Therapy - Sleep Apnea (OSA)
Dr. Arie Oksenberg, Dr. Donald Silverberg, Dr. Elena Arons, and Dr. Henryk Badwan published research entitled Positional vs Nonpositional Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients in 1997. They state that "some patients have succeded in lowering their total [number of respiratory disturbances] to normal by merely sleeping on their sides and it has been estimated that this type of therapy alone could be successful in treating about 50% of all OSA cases." If these estimates are true, this would make our Comfort Lift SideSleeperDelight™ an effective treatment for many people that suffer from OSA. We are currently working with an institutional sleep center to conduct clinical studies that will validate these estimates.
Positional Therapy In Children
We reviewed a study by Jacinta M. Tobin, Phillip McCloud, and Donald J. S. Cameron entitled "Posture and Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux: A Case for Left Lateral Positioning." Their studied found that sleeping position does have a role in the frequency of reflux episodes. Children that sleep on their backs are more likely to have more episodes and more severe reflux symptoms. Children that sleep on their stomach or left side have a lower frequency of episodes. However, it is not recommended that children sleep on their stomach due to concerns about SIDS. The ideal sleeping position is for the child to sleep on his or her left side, and our ComfyLiftBed™ is well suited for this purpose. The side barriers make excellent cushions for a child to lean up against while sleeping on his or her side. The study also noted that young children with poor control of their upper bodies will negate the effects of sleeping on an incline by slumping to one side. This poor posturing causes increased pressure on the child's midsection, thus increasing the likelihood of reflux.
Our Pillows
We promote our pillows as the safest and most comfortable form of non-invasive, Positional Therapy available. Unlike medications, our pillows do not change your internal bodily functions, there are no long-term side effects, there is no continuing cost to maintain treatment, and there is immediate relief of nighttime symptoms for most people.
Our pillows have been designed to maximize comfort while sleeping on an incline. For all users, there may be an initial period of slight discomfort simply because you must retrain your body to sleep on an incline. You may not be used to the additional pressure on your lower-back and posterior, and it may take a few weeks to be able to sleep through the night on ANY wedge pillow, not just our models. However, the slight side-effects during a temporary transition period are offset by the fact that you will experience immediate relief from mild to moderate nighttime acid reflux symptoms. Retraining your body to sleep on an incline is much easier than dealing with the symptoms of Acid Reflux Disease and the side effects from medications.
A recent pressure test of our Super Soft Foam materials returned excellent results. Our materials scored below 60 mmHg at the highest pressure point for a male of average size. (mmHg = The torr or millimeter of mercury. It is the atmospheric pressure that supports a column of mercury 1 millimeter high.) Pressure on any part of the body greater than 70 mmHg can lead to restrictive blood flow and discomfort, which would cause a sleeper to need to turn over or move. The results shown below are evidence that our pillows can provide long-term, restful sleep for adults and children.
Our patented model, the Comfort Lift Pillow® with adjustable base, has features that promote proper posturing. When sleeping on a flat wedge, there is a tendency for your weight to be concentrated in the center of the pillow. This causes you to sink into the middle of the pillow, which leaves you in a position where your chin is pushed to your chest and your shoulders and arms are in a forward posture. The raised spinal support will flex inward when you lay on the pillow creating a relatively even surface for your shoulders to relax upon rather than being hunched together, as a sleeper would be when sinking into a flat wedge. There is a rounded lower edge for lumbar support, and a raised head rest. This pillow comes with a 3" (2" for Small size) wedge base to adjust the elevation of the pillow depending upon the symptoms of the user (mild to severe symptoms).
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Comfort Lift Pillow®
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Our Comfort Lift Pillow® II model is a basic wedge with a "memory" foam neckroll built in to aid in proper head positioning known to help with mild reflux and snoring problems. |
Our SideSleeperDelight™ uses two foam "walls" to keep you on your side and elevated at the same time. It is perfect for people that suffer from Acid Reflux Disease and prefer to sleep exclusively on their side. It is also perfect for people that are required to sleep on their side due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea/Snoring. This pillow is made from the softest foams available and features a "Super Soft" foam shoulder rest.
*Patent Pending |
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SideSleeperDelight II
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The Patent Pending SideSleeperDelight II home and travel pillow is a
sleeker and more compact design. As with the original SideSleeperDelight, this pillow is made with side comfort barriers to keep a person on their side for proper positioning which helps to reduce or eliminate snoring at night. |
Our ComfyLiftBed™ incorporates Positional Therapy and innovative design features to keep a child in an inclined position while preventing the child from sliding down the pillow or rolling off the side of it.
*Patent Pending |
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NOTE: People who suffer from Arthritis in their back or that have problems with their upper back or neck should consult a doctor before attempting to use a wedge pillow. Please contact us for more information.
DISCLAIMER: Medical information for this page was taken from the writings of Dr. Andrew Soll and Dr. Ronnie Fass. All other writings are purely the opinion of this author, and, although meant to offer help and guidance, should not be considered as medical advice or in lieu of the recommendations of an attending physician or other health care professional.
