How to Choose the Right Neck Pain Pillow

Are you experiencing neck pain during sleep?

If you are one of the 50% of Americans who experience neck pain every day, you may be surprised at one of the most common reasons people suffer from acute and chronic necks pain:

Improper head and neck support while you are asleep.

Between 80 and 85 percent of the stabilization of the neck is through the strength and activation of your neck muscles. However, during REM sleep, these critical stabilizers are shut off neurologically by your brain to inhibit you from acting out your dreams.

In any position you sleep, you need to have a pillow that automatically supports your head and neck. This requires a foam support that you do not need to fluff up to create the proper support. Foam pillows are much more superior for the support of the head and neck than down or other fiber filled pillows.

Let’s get into more specifics. If you lay on an average pillow, your head is simply lifted, sometimes over four inches as you lay on your back. This causes neck muscle tension and abnormal disc pressure which oftentimes leads to disc injury and subsequent nerve pain.

When you lay on your side and don’t have the proper pillow, you can cause compression of the “windows” where the nerves exit the sides of the spines (the foramen) which also can lead to neck and arm pain. And finally, for the worst position.

If you lay on your stomach, your neck of course needs to rotate in order for you to get oxygen through your nose and mouth causing tremendous stress on the discs, muscles and tendons. So finding the right pillow for you and your sleep position is critical to getting a good, restful, rejuvenating sleep. This is why we’ve created the following guide to simplify the process for you.

Pillows are designed to hold the head in the proper position while sleeping. Each kind of pillow has its own specific function.

Side-sleeper pillows – These pillows are designed specifically for side-sleepers to relieve pressure and reduce snoring. Orthopedic or Cervical pillows – these pillows are designed to provide ergonomic support and relieve neck pain.

Back and Side Sleeper Pillows- These are best for people who like to sleep in both the side and back positions. Very few pillows on the market have ever come close to meeting this demand as it takes two very separate shapes to accommodate the head and neck during both positions.

The neck needs to be supported in the half-cylinder position to maintain the cervical “lordotic” curve during back sleeping. The head needs to be supported in the same plane of the spine (parallel) when in the side posture position to reduce any lateral stress. Only ONE pillow on the market serves this particular feat and task and that is PILLO1.

Stomach-sleeper pillows – These pillows designed for stomach sleepers tend to prioritize hypoallergenic concerns and tend to be thinner to allow for easier breathing.

Consider your needs and sleeping preferences when choosing a cervical pillow. It is not a one-size-fits-all proposition and you will want to select options that fit your sleep-style and physical needs in order to sleep well and avoid neck pain.