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Best mattresses for sleep apnea
When it comes to getting a good night’s sleep, one thing that can really get in the way is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can be caused by a number of factors, from genetics to unhealthy lifestyle habits, and is a common cause of sleep interruption for nearly 40 million US adults. One way to find relief from sleep apnea symptoms is to invest in the right mattress for the job.
First things first: If you suspect you have sleep apnea, talk with your doctor about a possible diagnosis. Testing for sleep apnea is easy, and once you know what you’re dealing with, you can discuss treatment options and lifestyle adjustments — including whether you need a new mattress.
You should consider how effective your mattress is at giving you a good night’s sleep. Do you wake up feeling sore in certain areas? Are you sinking too deeply into your mattress, regardless of which sleep position you go with? These are signs you may benefit from a new mattress in your home.
We’ve put together a list of the best mattresses for sleepers with sleep apnea below.
Best mattresses for sleep apnea
Shop the best mattresses for sleep apnea from some of your favorite mattress brands including Helix, Nectar, and more.
Find your soon-to-be-favorite mattress from our list below.
Best for back support: Plank Firm
Plank
If sleep apnea is getting between you and a good night’s sleep, a firm mattress may be the thing you’re missing. When it comes to a mattress that helps support proper back alignment, the Plank Firm mattress is our top recommendation.
It’s not just us saying that this to be one of the best mattresses for firm support. This firm mattress is also backed by the American Chiropractic Association. The ACA says the mattress can help reduce spinal stress, improve lumbar support, and alleviate back pain.
This mattress boasts an all-foam design, so even though it’s on the firmer side of things (10 out of 10 on the firmness scale) — there’s no sacrificing comfort.
Best for:
- sleepers struggling with sleep apnea on a mattress with little to no support.
- sleepers on the market for the best mattresses for back pain.
- fans of firm mattresses.
Most comfortable: Helix Midnight Luxe mattress
Helix Sleep
For a medium level of support, sleepers can choose no better than this luxury mattress by Helix. Featuring memory foam for improved targeted relief and a highly breathable top cover, this mattress has a lot to offer sleepers.
Sleeping on your back isn’t for everyone — especially if you deal with sleep apnea every night. If you’re mostly a side sleeper looking for something that isn’t too firm, this might just be the mattress for you.
Best for:
- side sleepers.
- sleepers that toss and turn during the night.
- fans of pressure-point relief (specifically around the hips and shoulders).
- hot sleepers — this mattress comes with a breathable Tencel cover, but shoppers can upgrade to Helix’s patented GlacioTex cooling cover and enjoy maximum heat absorption for an extra $249.
Best memory foam: Nectar Premier
Nectar
The premier mattress sold by Nectar is another top-tier choice for side sleepers. This mattress, featuring layers of memory foam for body-contouring comfort, also offers enhanced pressure relief and cooling features for a blissful night’s sleep.
A memory foam mattress may not be the first choice for back sleepers with obstructive sleep apnea (hint: go with a firmer mattress for good back support), but those soft layers of memory foam can help align the spine and reduce symptoms of sleep apnea for dedicated side sleepers.
Thanks to multiple layers of plush memory foam and therapeutic gel, plus a seven-inch stable base layer for added support, the Nectar Premier is one such mattress.
Best for:
- side sleepers looking for a more budget-friendly mattress.
- sleepers who prefer a great memory foam mattress that offers a mix of plush comfort and proper support.
Best mattress you can flip: Layla Hybrid
Layla
This hybrid mattress by Layla has a lot to offer: layers of memory foam, coil springs, and a 10-year warranty. That makes this a great long-term investment for sleepers with obstructive sleep apnea.
What sets this mattress apart is its dual-layer design that gives sleepers a choice between soft and firm each and every night. The soft, plush side offers an advanced cooling design, while the flip side props up sleepers with a firm build and maximum support.
Best for:
- sleepers that want the best of both worlds when it comes to soft vs. firm mattress types.
- sleepers that switch up their sleep position from time to time.
- anyone looking for one of the best hybrid mattresses on the market today.
How we chose the best mattresses for sleep apnea
Firm support and a comfortable design that contours to your body are important to enjoying a restful night’s sleep when you have sleep apnea, but they’re not the only important details. For a closer look at how we review certain products, here’s everything that went into ranking the best mattresses for sleep apnea relief:
- Lumbar support: Whether it was a memory foam mattress, innerspring coil mattress, or hybrid mattress — we specifically looked for reliable lumbar support.
- Customer reviews: We combed through verified customer reviews — in other words, real buyers — to ensure they were consistently pleased with these brands and models.
- Star rating: All of these products have a four-star rating or higher.
- Your needs: We picked mattresses for a variety of budgets and needs, such as affordability, durability and more.
A passenger successfully landed a small plane on Friday after the pilot had a medical emergency, the Federal Aviation Administration said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90 was traveling from Henderson Executive Airport in Las Vegas, Nevada to Monterey Regional Airport in California, with a pilot and one other person on board, the FAA said.
The pilot suffered an unspecified medical emergency while flying, the FAA said, forcing the passenger to take the controls and make an emergency landing at Meadows Field Airport in Bakersfield, California.
The Kern Fire Department told CBS News affiliate KBAX that firefighters were called to a report of a medical emergency on the plane. The pilot was reported to be “incapacitated,” the fire department said. Firefighters saw the plane approach and land safely, then “chased” the plane down the runway in emergency vehicles to meet it.
The FAA did not release the passenger or pilot’s identities nor give an update on the pilot’s condition. The pilot was taken to an area hospital by ambulance. The passenger did not report any injuries.
The FAA and the National Transportation Security Board will investigate the incident, the FAA said.
Congolese authorities began vaccination against mpox on Saturday, nearly two months after the disease outbreak that spread from Congo to several African countries and beyond was declared a global emergency by the World Health Organization.
The 265,000 doses donated to Congo by the European Union and the U.S. were rolled out in the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province, where hospitals and health workers have been overstretched, struggling to contain the new and possibly more infectious strain of mpox.
Congo, with about 30,000 suspected mpox cases and 859 deaths, accounts for more than 80% of all the cases and 99% of all the deaths reported in Africa this year. All of the Central African nation’s 26 provinces have recorded mpox cases. Officials in Congo previously told CBS News that they’ve struggled to diagnose patients and provide basic care in the vast country of 100 million people, where a fragile, under-resourced healthcare system is also burdened by the stigma associated with the virus.
Although most mpox infections and deaths recorded in Congo are in children under age 15, the doses being administered are only meant for adults and will be given to at-risk populations and front-line workers, Health Minister Roger Kamba said this week.
“Strategies have been put in place by the services in order to vaccinate all targeted personnel,” Muboyayi ChikayaI, the minister’s chief of staff, said as he kicked off the vaccination.
Moses Sawasawa / AP
At least 3 million doses of the vaccine approved for use in children are expected from Japan in the coming days, Kamba said.
Mpox, also known as monkeypox, had been spreading mostly undetected for years in Africa before the disease prompted the 2022 global outbreak that saw wealthy countries quickly respond with vaccines from their stockpiles while Africa received only a few doses despite pleas from its governments.
However, unlike the global outbreak in 2022 that was overwhelmingly focused on gay and bisexual men, mpox in Africa is now being spread via sexual transmission as well as through close contact among children, pregnant women and other vulnerable groups, Dr. Dimie Ogoina, the chair of WHO’s mpox emergency committee, recently told reporters.
More than 34,000 suspected cases and 866 deaths from the virus have been recorded across 16 countries in Africa this year. That is a 200% increase compared to the same period last year, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
A lack of diagnostic materials and basic medicines to treat the virus, which can improve survival rates, have also hampered efforts to contain the outbreak, and access to vaccines remains a challenge.
Moses Sawasawa / AP
The continent of 1.4 billion people has only secured a commitment for 5.9 million doses of mpox vaccines, expected to be available from October through December, Dr. Jean Kaseya, head of the Africa CDC, told reporters last week. Congo remains a priority, he said.
At the vaccination drive in Goma, Dr Jean Bruno Kibunda, the WHO representative, warned that North Kivu province is at a risk of a major outbreak due to the “promiscuity observed in the camps” for displaced people, as one of the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis caused by armed violence unfolds there.
The news of the vaccination program brought relief to many in Congo, especially in hospitals that had been struggling to manage the outbreak. Doctors with several charities working in the country have told CBS News they’re overstretched and short on supplies, even having to use tents and mattresses on the floor of makeshift isolation wards to treat a constant influx of patients.
“If everyone could be vaccinated, it would be even better to stop the spread of the disease,” said Dr. Musole Mulambamunva Robert, the medical director of Kavumu Hospital, one of the mpox treatment centers in eastern Congo.
Eastern Congo has been beset by conflict for years, with more than 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich area near the border with Rwanda. Some have been accused of carrying out mass killings.
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