by Magnetic therapy has been known to heal certain health conditions and body aches for years. It gained popularity in Australia, France, India, China, Germany, Japan, and Egypt, and became legitimate in the medicinal field. Because of that, magnetic products such as bracelets, slippers and pads have emerged in the market. Magnetic Mattress pads involve the use of magnets. Most magnetic mattress pads are made of foam and in different sizes. Continuous strip magnets are inserted inside the foam and cover the whole bed to surround the entire body. The magnets aim to restore energetic imbalances that the body undergoes when it is in pain.
The benefits of magnetic mattress pads include pain relief especially from backaches and migraines, fast wound and bone healing, improved overall blood circulation, and improved sleeping patterns. In rare cases, the side effects of using a magnetic mattress pad are nausea and dizziness, a decrease in blood pressure, and pain over some local skin areas.
Although the use of magnetic mattress pads have gained popularity in the medical field, they aren’t for everyone; especially not for people requiring a pacemaker or other electro-medical devices. Read this article from Ramsdale, 2012, Precautions After Permanent Pacemaker Implantation for more information about the effect of magnets on electro-medical devices.
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What is a Magnetic Mattress Pad?
A Magnetic mattress pad containing ceramic magnets. It is designed to help create a better sleeping experience. Image from Amazon.A magnetic mattress pad uses magnets to control the amount of radiation and electric energy the body is exposed to during sleep. It is considered an effective tool to help you achieve a deeper and more recuperative sleep. It is also believed to increase blood circulation and treat different types of pain.
Around 50 to 200 magnets are padded well into the fabric and their strength is normally rated between 200 and 10000 gauss. The higher the strength is, the more effect the pad has on the body. Although there are no conclusive results on the usefulness of a magnetic mattress pad, the FDA hasn’t disapproved its usage for the time being. Here’s an article warning patients with pacemakers, about magnetic mattress pads, from the FDA .
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How does a Magnetic Mattress Pad Work?
Our bodies have magnetic and electric fields, and it is believed that certain health conditions and diseases originate from an imbalance in our magnetic fields. When a part of your body is injured, positive ions assemble towards the injured area and cause swelling and pain. That’s when a magnetic mattress pad comes into play. Magnetic therapy in general is a potential way to treat and heal body aches, improve overall blood circulation, boost your overall health, and speed up recovery. We’ve discussed how to use a magnetic mattress pad properly in our related article.
A magnetic mattress pad works by driving the positive ions away from the affected area to help the body return to its balanced state. Furthermore, the part of the body that is in contact with the magnet undergoes an increase in blood flow and thus receives a healthy supply of oxygen and other nutrients, which are good for healing.
However, there haven’t been a lot of studies on magnetic therapy and its effectiveness varies from person to person. Therefore, a magnetic mattress pad should not be recommended for every illness and condition. People with a pacemaker, insulin pumps, or other electro-medical devices should not use a magnetic pad, as the strong magnetic field will interfere with the function of the devices. Pregnant women and people who need to get an MRI or an X-ray are also not advised to use a magnetic mattress pad as there aren’t enough studies on the effects of magnets on this category of people.
Note: Typically magnetic mattress pads don’t have heating or cooling properties. If you’re looking for advice on how to fix a mattress pad that makes you sweat, take a look at our article. Also, if you’re wondering if you can put a mattress pad on top of a foam mattress, we’ve got you covered! And if you’re still wondering if you can use a mattress pad to make a bed firmer, you’ll want to read that related article too.
What are some Magnetic Mattress Pad Benefits?
Magnetic mattress pads can be beneficial for people suffering from insomnia, arthritis, fibromyalgia, migraines, backaches and other kinds of body pains. In general, people who regularly get restful nights have less aches, lower blood pressure, and enjoy a better quality of life. Here’s an article from Tufts University, Medical School, on the benefits of magnetic mattress pads on fibromyalgia patients.
Some benefits of magnetic mattress pads include achieving better sleep, increasing overall blood flow, alleviating pain, and fast healing.
Magnetic Mattress Pads Ensure A Good night’s sleep
Magnetic mattress pads are considered a viable tool to soothe morning aches and to achieve a deeper and more recuperative sleep. They help reduce stress and generate relaxation. Achieving better sleep will undoubtedly have a positive effect on how you feel and act when you wake up.
If your magnetic mattress pad is making you sleep hot, it’s probably your mattress protector and not your pad. Typically magnetic mattress pads are made of cotton, which is good at thermoregulation. Here are some tips on replacing a mattress protector that makes you hot. We’ve also written about how often to replace mattress protectors.
Magnetic Mattress Pads Improve Blood Circulation
Magnetic Mattress Pads increase blood circulation towards your cold body extremities and help you warm up when you are cold. Magnets can reduce heart rate and blood pressure but sometimes it’s just a placebo effect. Here’s an article from the Journal of Clinical Rehabilitation about this topic.
Magnetic Mattress Pads Alleviate Pain
Magnetic Mattress Pads are known to alleviate body pains such as backaches, knee pain, headaches and migraines. The magnets help reduce muscle contractions, improve the overall blood flow, and therefore relieve bones, joints, and muscles pain. Here’s an article from the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology on the benefits of magnetic field therapy on pelvic pain.
Magnetic Mattress Pads Speed up the healing process
Magnetic Mattress Pads are believed to heal bone fractures, torn muscles, and ligaments. When a part of the body is injured, positive ions assemble in the affected area causing pain and swelling. Using magnets will help your body’s magnetic field to go back to normal and accelerate recovery.
Here are some highly rated magnetic mattress pads from Amazon.
| Product from Amazon | Benefits of this Magnetic Mattress Pad | Price |
| Promagnet Standard Magnetic Therapy Mattress Pad | Soothes pains and discomfort Reduces inflammation Improves blood flow Improves quality of sleep |
~ $ 220 |
| Poly Magnetic Mattress Pad- Quilted Mattress | Alleviates aches such as arthritis, back pains, and muscles. Improves blood circulation Heals tissues faster |
~$ 175 |
| Magnetico Classic Magnetic Sleep Pad Queen | Relieves pains such as migraines, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Improves blood circulation Improves quality of sleep |
~$ 840 |
What are the side effects of using a magnetic mattress pad?
Magnetic therapy is relatively safe. However, some people have reported a few side effects but they only occur in a small percentage of cases.
In rare cases, the side effects of using a magnetic mattress pad are nausea and dizziness, a decrease in blood pressure, and pain over some local skin areas.
Magnetic Mattress Pads May Cause Nausea And Dizziness
Some people may experience low energy and heart palpitation after magnetic treatment. This can be followed by nausea, dizziness, and vomiting. This article from Current Rheumatology cites previous studies about the side effects of magnets.
Magnetic Mattress Pads May Cause A Decrease In Blood Pressure
Some people may experience a decrease in blood pressure due to the use of Magnetic treatment. This side effect can be followed by dizziness, weakness, and fainting. In more severe conditions, low blood pressure can deprive your body of enough oxygen causing heart or brain failure.
Magnetic Mattress Pads May Cause Pain Over Localized Tender Body Areas
Magnetic coil stimulation can cause itchiness, pain, and burning sensation on local skin areas that are in direct contact with the magnets. When using the wrong side of the magnetic pad, your pain may intensify. The south or positive pole is believed to promote swelling and discomfort however this hasn’t been scientifically proven. You should consider adding a memory foam or latex mattress topper to further relieve body pains. We’ve discussed the difference between latex vs. memory foam mattress toppers in our article.
For additional information about the benefits and hazards of magnetic therapy, take a look at this chapter from Markov, 2015, Electromagnetic Fields In Biology And Medicine.
Do you need Magnetic Bed Sheets for the effects of the Mattress Pad?
A magnetic mattress pad made of cotton and designed to sit on top of your mattress and under your fitted sheets to improve your sleeping patterns. Image from Amazon.You do not need bed sheets for a magnetic mattress pad to be effective. The strength of the magnets and their effects on your body changes with distance to. Try to keep the magnetic mattress pad close to your body to maximize benefits.
In fact, magnetic mattress pads come in soft and comfortable materials. The magnets are well encapsulated inside the magnetic mattress pad so your body won’t feel them when you lay in bed. They should be at the top surface of the Mattress pad to get through the fabric and reach your body faster.
However, placing your magnetic mattress pad under the sheets is not harmful because you will feel like sleeping on a cloud. Just make sure that the sheets are 100% cotton to enable all the magnetic energy to flow through to your body in order to maximize the benefits of magnetic therapy. Note that magnetism isn’t blocked by any particular bedding material. However, it does diminish with distance. These 800 thread count cotton sheets should work well with your mattress pad.
If you’re wondering how to properly protect your mattress pad and make it last longer, take a look at our guide. We’ve also discussed the difference between mattress covers and mattress pads in our article.
Can a Magnetic Mattress Pad Help with Back Pain relief? How?
Some theories suggest that when your body is in pain, the magnetic fields in your body are out of balance. So if you place a magnetic field near your body, it is thought that things might go back to balance. However, there is a lack of research and studies on how magnets work. People with chronic back pain have claimed to obtain significant relief by sleeping on a magnetic mattress pad. This article from the Canadian medical association has done a systematic analysis of the effects of static magnets on body pain.
A magnetic mattress pad can help with back pain relief because it reduces muscle contractions and increases the blood flow towards the affected body parts.
In general, when you suffer from backaches, magnets help reduce the pain by increasing the capillary circulation and by flushing inflammatory agents that build up in the tissue. This magnetic mattress pad claims to relieve the pain associated with fibromyalgia. The blood supply delivers oxygen, which may also be helpful in reducing tension and cramps from your back muscles. However, there is no scientific proof to support the claims that a magnetic mattress pad is the answer for relieving back pain or any other health condition.