How to Turn and Get Out of Bed with Fibromyalgia Using a Snoozle Slide Sheet

Why Turning and Getting Out of Bed Hurts with Fibromyalgia

With fibromyalgia and central sensitization, your nervous system reacts strongly to even gentle movement. Normal bed movements can feel like sharp, burning, or aching pain, or cause a flare hours later.

Two things usually make it worse:

• Friction and shear from your skin and tissues dragging on the mattress.
• Sudden, jerky, or large movements that shock sensitive muscles and joints.

The Snoozle Slide Sheet reduces friction so you glide instead of drag, and the step-by-step approach below helps you move in smaller, calmer pieces instead of one big painful effort.

Set Up Your Bed and Snoozle for Less Pain

Good setup means you do less work and your body feels safer.

Positioning the Snoozle Slide Sheet

Use the Snoozle only for sliding and repositioning in bed. It is not for lifting or transferring out of bed.

• Lie on your back if you can, with your knees slightly bent.
• Place the Snoozle so it sits under your shoulders, back, and hips. These are the areas that need to glide.
• The top edge should be roughly at your shoulders; the bottom edge around mid-thigh or just below your hips.
• Smooth out any folds so there are no pressure lines under tender points.

Prepare Your Environment

• Have 1–2 pillows ready to support your head, knees, or between your legs once you turn.
• Keep your mattress flat if possible. A very soft or sagging mattress makes sliding harder and increases effort.
• If you have an adjustable bed, a slight head-up tilt can help you roll, but avoid steep angles that make you feel like you are sliding downhill.
• Keep any needed items (phone, water, medication) within reach so you do not have to twist suddenly.

Core Principles: How to Move with Less Fibromyalgia Pain

Before the step-by-step instructions, keep these principles in mind:

• Small before big: Move in tiny pieces (legs, then hips, then shoulders) instead of one big roll.
• Slow before fast: Move at half the speed you think you need. Rushing often triggers pain spikes.
• Glide, don’t push: Let the Snoozle help you slide instead of forcefully pushing against the mattress.
• Pause and breathe: If pain increases, stop, take 3–5 slow breaths, and only continue if it settles.
• Plan your end position: Know whether you are turning to rest, or turning to get out of bed, before you start.

How to Turn in Bed with Fibromyalgia

These steps describe turning from your back to your side. Reverse them to roll back again.

Step 1: Prepare Your Body

• Start on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the mattress.
• If straightening your legs is painful, keep a small pillow or rolled towel under your knees.
• Place your arms where they feel safest, for example, hands resting on your abdomen or across your chest.

Step 2: Move Your Legs First

This step starts the turn without twisting your spine.

• Gently let both knees fall together a few centimetres toward the side you want to turn to.
• Use your feet to slide them on the Snoozle rather than lifting them off the bed.
• Stop as soon as you feel your hips begin to rotate. Do not force a big movement.

If something goes wrong: If your back or hips grab or spasm, bring your knees back to the centre, rest, and try a smaller movement next time. You can also try turning toward the less painful side first.

Step 3: Slide Your Hips Using the Snoozle

• Press your heels gently into the mattress and let your hips glide over the Snoozle in the same direction as your knees.
• Think of your hips sliding, not lifting. The Snoozle should make this feel smoother and lighter.
• Move only a short distance, then pause and check in with your pain and tension.

Common problem: Many people try to lift their hips off the bed, which increases muscle tension and pain.

Fix: Keep your hips in contact with the Snoozle and imagine you are gently pushing the mattress away rather than lifting your body up.

Step 4: Roll Your Shoulders and Upper Body

• Bring the arm on the side you are turning across your body, like you are reaching toward the far side of the bed.
• Use that arm to gently guide your shoulders to follow your hips.
• Let your head turn last and rest on your pillow in line with your spine.

Try to keep your shoulders, ribs, and hips moving together, like a log-roll, instead of twisting at the waist.

If your neck or shoulders protest: Make the movement smaller, support your head with your hand or an extra pillow, and try again more slowly.

Step 5: Settle and Support Your New Position

• Once on your side, place a pillow between your knees to keep your hips and back aligned.
• If your top arm feels heavy or painful, rest it on a pillow in front of you.
• Take 3–5 slow breaths, letting your muscles soften with each exhale.

If the position still feels too intense, roll back a little (just a few degrees) until you find a tolerable angle between fully on your back and fully on your side.

How to Get Out of Bed Safely with Fibromyalgia

This method uses the Snoozle to reduce friction and effort. It keeps movements small and controlled.

Step 1: Turn Onto Your Side Facing the Bed Edge

• Use the turning steps above to roll onto your side, facing the edge where you plan to get out.
• Bring your knees slightly toward your chest if that feels comfortable.
• Make sure your shoulders, hips, and knees are roughly in a straight line.

Step 2: Slide Your Hips Toward the Bed Edge

• Keep your knees bent and together.
• Use your feet and legs to gently push against the mattress, letting your hips glide over the Snoozle toward the edge.
• Move a few centimetres at a time, pausing if your pain increases or you feel unsteady.

What often goes wrong: People try to sit up before their hips are close enough to the edge, which strains the back and neck.

Fix: Focus on getting your hips close to the edge first. Sitting up is easier and less painful from there.

Step 3: Lower Your Legs Over the Side of the Bed

• Once your hips are near the edge, gently let your lower legs and feet slide off the bed.
• Do not swing them fast; let gravity lower them slowly.
• Keep your knees slightly bent to protect your back.

As your legs go down, your upper body will naturally want to come up. Let this happen gradually.

Step 4: Push Up into Sitting

• Place your top hand on the mattress in front of your chest.
• Use your arms to gently push your upper body up while your legs continue to lower.
• Move in one smooth, slow motion rather than jerking yourself upright.
• Once sitting, keep one hand on the bed for balance.

If you feel dizzy or light-headed: Stay sitting on the edge of the bed for at least 30–60 seconds, take slow breaths, and only stand when you feel steady.

Step 5: Stand Up Carefully

• Place both feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart.
• Lean your body slightly forward so your nose is over your toes.
• Use your legs and, if needed, your hands on the bed or a stable surface to push into standing.
• Stand still for a moment before walking to check your balance and pain levels.

Adapting for Weakness, Fatigue, or One-Sided Pain

Fibromyalgia often comes with fatigue, deconditioning, or one side feeling weaker or more painful.

If One Side Is Weaker or More Painful

• Turn toward the less painful side when possible; it usually feels safer.
• Use your stronger leg to start the push for sliding your hips.
• Keep a pillow under or between your knees to reduce strain on sensitive joints.

If You Tire Very Quickly

• Break movements into micro-steps: move, pause, breathe, then move again.
• Rest in a halfway position (for example, half-turned) if fully turning is too much in one go.
• Plan ahead: get out of bed only when you have enough energy and time to move slowly.

When a Helper Is Available

A helper should never lift you. They can assist by guiding and stabilising.

• They can reposition the Snoozle under your shoulders and hips while you do the active movement.
• They can place or adjust pillows once you are turned, so you do not have to twist or reach.
• They can stand nearby when you sit or stand, ready to offer a steadying hand if you feel unsteady.

Common Problems and Simple Fixes

Problem: Pain Spikes When You Start Moving

• Try smaller first movements (for example, moving your knees just a few centimetres).
• Use slow breathing before and during the first movement to calm your nervous system.
• Check the Snoozle is flat and under your hips and shoulders so you glide instead of drag.

Problem: You Feel Stuck in the Middle of a Turn

• Pause and rest where you are; do not force the next step.
• Slide your hips or shoulders back a little to a more comfortable position, then try again with a smaller range.
• If available, ask a helper to gently support your knees or shoulders while you guide the movement.

Problem: More Pain After You Finally Get Up

• Review your steps: did you rush or make any big, jerky movements?
• Next time, add more pauses and keep your movements even smaller.
• Use pillows to support you in your final resting position so your muscles do not have to work as hard to hold you there.

Safety First: What the Snoozle Is (and Is Not) For

• The Snoozle is a low-friction slide sheet designed to reduce effort and friction when repositioning in bed.
• It is not a lifting device and should not be used to lift you off the mattress.
• It should only be used for sliding and gentle repositioning while your body stays supported by the bed.
• Do not stand on the Snoozle or use it on the floor; it is only for use on the bed surface.

When to Contact a Healthcare Professional

Fibromyalgia pain is common, but some symptoms need medical review.

• New or sudden severe sharp pain during or after bed movement.
• Numbness, tingling, or burning that does not ease when you change position.
• New weakness in your arms or legs, or dropping things unexpectedly.
• Loss of bladder or bowel control, or not feeling when you need to go.
• Persistent dizziness, chest pain, or shortness of breath when turning or getting up.
• Ongoing inability to turn or get out of bed safely, even with pacing and the Snoozle.

If any of these occur, contact your GP, pain specialist, or emergency services as appropriate for your area.

Related comfort guides

• Effortless Bed Mobility for MS: Using Momentum and Snoozle to Move Without Pain or Fatigue
• Effortless Bed Mobility for Those Living Alone with Pain and Low Energy: Practical Bedroom Planning and Movement Strategies
• Effortless Bed Mobility with Knee Osteoarthritis: How to Move and Get Up Without Aggravating Pain