Reduce Neck Pain By Sleeping on The Right Pillow!
How Does Your Pillow Stack Up?
I am always asked by patients, “What pillow do you recommend?” or “What is the Best Pillow that can help me wake up without a stiff neck?”
Sleep is by far one of the most important things for health and well being! However if the spine is not supported properly during the large amounts of time spent sleeping in a bed, neck and back pain can result.
I find that most of my patients are not supporting their spines during sleep. They are either propping their heads up with too many pillows when sleeping on their backs or are not giving themselves enough support when sleeping on their sides. The reason for this is that most “regular” pillows just don’t cut it.
It is recommended that you either sleep on your back or on your side. Stomach sleeping isn’t really recommended due to the neck rotating too much. Sleeping on your stomach frequently can increase your chances of having neck pain and neck problems.
There are many different neck pillows on the market. All have claims about how wonderful they are and how you will achieve blissful sleep if you purchase them. The most important thig to consider when selecting a pillow is if it can support proper spinal alignment when sleeping on your side and on your back. There is only one pillow that I have found that is able to do both and is comfortable.
Proper Spinal Alignment When Sleeping on Your Back.
My pillow of choice is the Therapeutica Pillow. I have been personally sleeping on this brand of pillow since 1998. The pillow doesn’t look like your average cervical pillow, because it is designed to accommodate both side sleeping and back sleeping. You can see in the picture that is has two larger blocks on either end with an area in the middle that is cut out so the neck can be properly supported when lying on the back. The ends are larger to support the spine when in a side lying position. When sleeping on your side it is important to have a pillow that is as big as the distance from your shoulder to your neck. We measure this distance to match you up with the correct size.
I recommend you check your current pillow to see if it supports your spinal alignment as shown in the pictures. Most people are propping themselves up with multiple pillows or bending a pillow in half to try to get comfortable. If you are not sure if your pillow is doing the job and want to get our opinion, we are happy to help. Bring your pillow in and we will put it to the test.
If you have any more questions please give one of our Three Synergy Institute Locations and we can help get you sleeping better. Stop wrestling with your pillow every night and let us help you get some rest!
If you are suffering from neck pain it may also be a good idea to get a check up to see if there isn’t something more going on that would need to be addressed. Proper spinal support during sleep is a great start but is never a substitute for proper care. Find out more about our Natural Treatments for Neck Pain available at our Naperville Pain Relief Clinic. We offer many different treatments that can help relieve neck pain and headaches.
Proper Spinal Alignment When Sleeping on Your Side.
