Soft Pillows And Neck Pain

If you’ve been struggling with neck pain for any period of time, you may have been trying to figure out what the cause of it was.

There are all sorts of causes for neck pain, and because of that, it’s important for us to figure out what the causes may be.

In some cases, the way that you’re sleeping may play a huge role in your neck pain, specifically because of the types of pillows that you are using.

Let’s take a look at sleeping patterns and how they can make your neck hurt much more than it is supposed to.

Why Does Sleeping Affect My Neck So Much?

Sleeping is something that we all have to do; our bodies require it and if we don’t get enough every night, our bodies cannot heal appropriately and it’s difficult for us to go around and do the daily tasks that we have to do.

Did you know that over 1/3 of our lives is spent sleeping in our beds? That’s a huge chunk of time compared to the other things that we do in a day or a week, which means it makes total and complete sense why it has such an effect on our bodies.

But why does sleeping wreck havoc on our bodies? Mainly, because many of us sleep wrong. Some of us will sleep with pillows in our arms or have our arms draped over a partner or pet.

Some of us will put pillows between our knees in order to reduce the pain that we feel in our lower back.

People sleep on their stomach, on their back, on their sides, all twisted around. It’s no wonder that our bodies are all beat up as a result – we don’t sleep the same way twice, most of the time.

Many of us will wake up in the morning feeling stiff or sore, because we “slept the wrong way” or because we let a part of our body “fall asleep” (go numb) because we were laying on it oddly.

Because of that, it’s important for us to take a look at the way that we sleep when it comes to taking care of neck pain.

The pain in our bodies may be able to be fixed with just a few simple changes, and it’s well worth the time and expense to make those changes because of how much time we end up sleeping in our beds.

Soft Pillows, Neck Pain, and the Way You Sleep

One of the biggest issues that people have when it comes to sleeping is their pillows. And did you know that different pillows are actually better suited for different positions that you sleep in?

As you know, there is usually a way that we prefer to sleep – most people will, at least, start in a particular position when they are sleeping.

If your pillow is too soft, then your neck will likely be in an awkward position and you will end up waking up with a “crick in your neck” or feeling some sort of pain that you weren’t expecting to have to deal with.

So what can we do to circumvent this? How can we make it so that we feel a little less pain?

It may take a bit of an investment and trying out different things, but finding the right pillow can play a huge role in helping to prevent (or at the very least, reduce) any neck pain that you may be suffering from.

Here’s a little checklist that you can use the next time that you are buying pillows that will help your neck pain.

Orthopedic pillows

These pillows are usually the most common solution to neck pain. They’re usually made from foam, and they will shape to how your head and neck are positioned.

Some of them are those “memory foam” pillows that “remember” the way that your head and neck are usually positioned. They can be incredibly comfortable, but for some people, they worry about how firm they are.

People who already have neck problems may notice that they have a stiff neck with certain types of these pillows, but other types work perfectly for their needs.

Water filled pillows

Many people have heard of waterbeds, but not water filled pillows. They basically use the same concept as orthopedic pillows – they allow your head to fall into the appropriate place and make it so that your neck is not strained in any way.

That being said, they’re a bit different because they’re a little more forgiving than the foam orthopedic pillows, thus making it so that your neck is not quite as stiff as it may have been if you were using an orthopedic pillow instead.

Some research suggests they may even be better than orthopedic pillows, especially because it redistributes weight better.

Cervical pillows

These pillows are a bit different. They are shaped like rolls and they allow you to keep the shape of your neck and head, even while sleeping.

That means your neck isn’t going to be bending in some odd position like it may with other types of pillows.

Some people will use them in conjunction with another pillow, by using the standard feather pillow for their head and the roll pillow under their neck. This is best for side sleepers and belly sleepers; it’s not really that effective (or comfortable) for those who do most of their sleeping on their back.

So, if you are struggling with neck pain, take a good look at the way that you are sleeping. Do you need more firm pillows?

Does your mattress play a role in the pain that you are experiencing? What adjustments can you make in order to figure out how to relieve the neck pain that you are feeling on a regular basis?

By looking at these different factors, you will be able to figure out the best ways to relieve that pain in the neck that you’ve been struggling with for so long.