Bedtime Story
For: Wellness Facts,
December 2003
If you have back or joint pain, headaches, or insomnia, could you get rid of these problems by sleeping on a magnetic mattress, pillow, or mattress pad? You’ll find these products on the Internet and in many catalogues, along with lots of claims about their healing powers. Magnets do produce electrical fields of varying strengths that are able to penetrate the body; the intensity of these fields is measured in a unit called gauss. A refrigerator magnet has a field of about 10 gauss, for example. Magnetic products for your bed may be more powerful—1,000 gauss or more. The idea is that exposure to magnetic fields while you sleep will somehow improve the functioning of your nervous system and relieve pain, maybe by improving blood flow.
Magnetic mattress pads cost at least $100, mattresses up to $1,000. Cost may vary according to the intensity of the magnet. Nobody knows what level, if any, might be beneficial, or whether there is any point in orienting magnets in a certain direction.
We seriously question the claims of manufacturers that these gadgets can alleviate pain, cure insomnia, or reduce high cholesterol. The ads often allude to "scientific investigations," but rely mostly on testimonials. The few published studies on this subject have been small, inconclusive, and/or problematic. Could magnetic fields be harmful? Probably not, but the mattress salespeople don’t seem to have considered that idea.
One known risk: Some magnets may temporarily deactivate pacemakers or implanted defibrillators, according to Dr. Thomas Mattioni of the Arizona Heart Institute. So avoid magnetic sleeping gear if you have one of these devices.
Bottom line: There is no good scientific evidence—or any logical reason to believe—thatmagnets can relieve pain.
UC Berkeley Wellness Letter, March 2002
