This is my first post since finding Braintalk2.

I have wasted thousands on beds. At present, the better of my two beds is a futon I bought on sale at a going-out-of sale while we were in Seattle for a year.
It is neither too hard nor too soft.

I have pain many nights, no matter what kind of mattress I use.

Our other mattress was an expensive one made to order to have non-toxic materials. I have Porphyria in addition to MS, so any new bed is a nightmare for me. The futon had already mostly outgassed by being a floor model for eight months before I laid eyes on it.

Not all futons are good. Years ago I had one which was way too hard.

The worst of all mattresses for me was Tempurpedic. It gave me no support. I sunk into it so that every painful place was emphasized. I had them take it back the next morning. I had to pay a 10% restocking fee.

We had a Select Comfort but it wasn't too great for me so my son has it now.

My husband, who has no sensitivities, ironically, is the one who really likes the mattress with non-toxic materials. It is a little soft for me. What I usually do is spend part of the night in one place and then move to the other place when I need to. That works best for me, moving often to have differing pressure points.

I too do well on motel beds, although I don't do well on the "sprays" they use in them. I had a nightmare trip back here to NM. I had to do all the driving, as my husband is now in a wheelchair full time; we have a wheelchair lift on the back of the car for HIM.

What helps me most in sleeping, I find, is to have enough Vitamin D3 and calcium. On rare occasions I take a small demerol to help with the pain. The pain varies dramatically from night to night, and the reasons for the pain are not always evident, but lack of D3 or calcium will keep me awake. Of course, as some of you know, I must also take l000 or more mg of magnesium to stop myoclonic jerks, and this works great. I also take B1 if the mag ever fails. The jerks are so bad without mag that I would never sleep a wink; they affect both legs and lower back, and a bad jerk can propel my whole body into the air.

Mariel