Nanny to Mommy

Neck pains can disrupt sleep and interfere with your daily activities. Worse, it could cause a radiating discomfort that spreads toward your shoulders and upper back. Neck and back problems are quite pervasive, making them one of the reasons for healthcare expenses.

Some cases of neck discomfort are not serious. In these instances, non-invasive corrective measures may be done, like using pillows that could provide support and encourage better spinal alignment. If you’re suffering from neck pain or you want to avoid this problem, here are some tips to choose the right pillow to keep you comfortable all night long.

When your neck hurts, you may be deprived of having a high-quality sleep. This problem is usually caused by a lot of factors. An erratic waking and sleeping position could cause undue pressure to any of the muscles, ligaments, and nerves that support your head, which your neck supports 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Generally speaking, the best sleeping positions to reduce or avoid neck pain include sleeping on your side or back. Sleeping on your tummy could exacerbate or cause neck pain because it places your neck and back in awkward positions.

Side sleepers would perhaps benefit from a high-loft pillow, while back sleepers may go for pillows with a low height. Individuals who sleep on their stomach could forgo using pillows on their head and may place a flat one under their stomach.

There are a lot of functional pillow choices available in the market, and these include a pillow for neck pain. You may check out these special pillows and see what’s ideal for you:

- Neck pillow with a curve along the cervical spine: This typically looks like a bump under the neck. This pillow may be ideal for persons who sleep on their backs to help relieve pressure.

- High-loft pillows: Side sleepers could perhaps benefit from these types of pillows, which are thought to encourage better alignment of the head, neck, and spine.

- U-shaped travel neck pillows: These pillows are said to be helpful if you want to avoid waking up with a stiff neck after sleeping upright on a road or plane trip.

- Orthopedic pillows: These are believed to provide better neck support for persons who prefer to sleep on their side or back. These kinds of pillows are said to be ergonomically designed, with raised edges and a depressed center that keeps the head in a proper position.

- Tubular-shaped cervical pillows: These types are supposedly designed to keep the unique contours of the neck while sleeping, offering support for the neck.

- Special pillows with a microwavable heating pad: These special pillows are thought to be more effective when the neck pain has already set in. Individuals with knotted neck muscles, cramps, and headaches are said to benefit from this kind of pillow.

Apart from pillows, there are a lot of pillow fill choices, too. Some are believed to function better than others, depending on what could work best for you. Below are some common pillow materials and how they could affect your neck:

- Foam-filled pillow: Synthetic materials, particularly memory foam pillows, mold along the user’s head and neck shape. They’re said to be helpful in aligning the spine but won’t be able to keep their shape for a long time. Foam fills could sometimes be too dense and firm, which in some cases could exacerbate neck pain. Also, synthetic foam fills may not be so friendly for persons suffering from allergies.

- Fiber-filled pillow: Persons with allergies may perhaps use this pillow instead as it’s said to be more resistant to allergens. Unfortunately, it may not be an ideal pillow for neck pain as it compresses easily and may not offer proper support.

- Feather-filled pillow: Feather-filled pillows are thought to offer better support compared to fiber-filled ones. This type of pillow could offer great support for your neck but are soft enough to provide comfort as you place your head on it.

- Water-filled pillow: A water-filled pillow is not a common option for neck pains, but it may be capable of providing neck support. It could help prevent undue pressure on the neck by distributing the load of the head.

Manufacturers of therapeutic and functional pillows all claim their products to be the best in the market for neck pain. But as with buying any commodity for the first time, you’ll never know how the product fares unless you give it a try.

Choosing the best pillow for neck pain could be easy if you know the right elements to check. Firmness, height, design, materials, and your preference—all these have to be considered when buying your pillow. If you’re waking up with a stiff neck, try to switch to another neck pillow that could offer better support and one that would work best according to your needs and preferences.