Creator’s advice
Did you understand that the pillow you utilize to sleep can influence your health? Consider its material, its shape and even your weight and size to decide on probably the most suitable one.
Getting a superb night’s sleep is crucial to your health and well-being, and the pillow you utilize has quite a bit to do with this. A neck pillow can allow you to improve the standard of your sleep and forestall or relieve neck, back, and headaches. But how do you select the perfect one to your needs?
In this text, we’re going to inform you every thing you have to know to search out the reply: what varieties of neck pillows there are, who should use them, and the way they differ from normal pillows. As well as, we’re going to offer you tricks to allow you to make the correct selection when buying one.
What’s a neck pillow?
A neck pillow is designed to adapt to the form and curvature of the neck, maintaining an accurate and aligned posture of the spine during sleep.
They are usually not only helpful for people that suffer from neck pain but additionally for many who wish to improve the general quality of their sleep and forestall future discomfort.
What’s the difference between a standard pillow and a neck pillow?
The difference between a standard pillow and a neck pillow is that the previous has a flat and uniform shape, while the latter has a curved and variable shape. Which means that the traditional pillow doesn’t adapt to the contour of the neck and could cause a forced and uncomfortable posture.
What varieties of neck pillows are there?
Probably the most common materials for neck pillows are the next:
- Latex: that is natural, elastic, and resistant. It adapts to the contour of the neck and offers good support.
- Viscoelastic: an artificial material that reacts to heat and body pressure, molding its shape.
- Fiber: soft and resistant, it may be easily washed. It offers good conformability, but may deform with continued long-term use.
Who should use a neck pillow?
A neck pillow is beneficial for anyone who wants to enhance their sleep and forestall or relieve neck pain. Nonetheless, there are some cases by which its use is particularly indicated:
- Back or side sleepers: these positions require greater height and support from the pillow to maintain the neck aligned with the remaining of the spine.
- Individuals who snore or have sleep apnea: respiratory disorders may be improved with a neck pillow that elevates the neck and facilitates the passage of air through the airways.
- Migraine or tension headache victims: many headaches are related to poor neck posture resulting in muscle contractures.
Why is a neck pillow helpful?
Although the indications we’ve got already mentioned are specific, there are also some advantages of use for individuals who don’t have sleep apnea or migraines. That’s, for many who don’t have any underlying disease.
Neck pillows could improve the standard of anyone’s sleep. By sleeping with proper posture, restorative sleep is facilitated, which translates into greater physical and mental performance throughout the next day.
It might also prevent future neck pain. By supporting the neck appropriately, neck muscle tension and concomitant inflammation is prevented, which reduces the danger of contractures.
Based on a 2007 study, using a neck pillow can have a positive effect on neck pain, nighttime sleep, and headaches. In that study, three varieties of pillows were compared: butterfly-shaped neck pillows, regular rectangular pillows, and roll-up pillows. The outcomes showed that the vast majority of participants using the butterfly neck pillow reduced their neck pain, while only 41% of those using the regular pillow achieved less discomfort.
Finally, blood circulation to the brain is also improved. Keeping the neck aligned makes blood flow to the pinnacle more efficient. Due to this fact, disorders related to poor circulation, equivalent to dizziness and vertigo, are less more likely to appear.
The perfect suggestions for selecting the best neck pillow
Now that you understand what a neck pillow is, what it’s for, what types exist, and why it’s helpful to make use of one, listed here are some suggestions for selecting the best one for you:
- Try different options: it’s best to try several neck pillows before buying one. Check which one most closely fits your neck and posture. Try reviews on the web.
- Consider your height and weight: this influences the dimensions and firmness of the neck pillow which will likely be ideal. The option to know if the pillow is the correct height is to see in case your head, neck, and spine form a straight line whenever you sleep in your side or in case your chin is parallel to the ground whenever you sleep in your back.
- Consider your mattress: the variety of mattress you utilize also affects the selection. It’s because the mattress influences how much your body sinks and, due to this fact, how high your neck must be aligned.
- Select the fabric you want best: each has its benefits. Viscoelastic is sort of all the time probably the most beneficial since it adapts to the contours of the neck and offers comfort and pressure relief. Fiber is light, soft, and breathable, but can deform over time.
- Find the form that appeals to you: there are different shapes for neck pillows, equivalent to rectangular, butterfly, or cylindrical. Every one has its advantages, so you need to select the one which suits you best based on your posture.
Do you already know what your ideal pillow is?
Change your pillow every two years. It’s beneficial to accomplish that whenever you notice that it deforms or sinks.
This time will likely be fulfilled should you care for your pillow properly, following the manufacturer’s instructions. As well as, you need to wash it continuously, air it, and protect it with a canopy.
Selecting a neck pillow just isn’t so difficult should you follow the following tips we gave you. But there isn’t a magic here. To cut back neck pain and get a more restful rest, you furthermore mght should have good sleep hygiene, perform exercises for the neck and spine and, in fact, seek the advice of a health skilled if the pains are persistent or intense.
An excellent pillow could make the difference between a wonderful and a lousy night’s sleep. So don’t hesitate any longer and begin having fun with the advantages of a neck pillow – your health will thanks!
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to make sure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this text was considered reliable and of educational or scientific accuracy.
- Persson, L. (2006). Neck pain and pillows–A blinded study of the effect of pillows on non-specific neck pain, headache and sleep. Advances in Physiotherapy, 8(3), 122-127. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14038190600780239
- Shields, N., Capper, J., Polak, T., & Taylor, N. (2006). Are cervical pillows effective in reducing neck pain?. In Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE): Quality-assessed Reviews [Internet]. Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (UK). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK73379/