The quality of pillows is one of the most important things that stands between you and your sweet sleep leading to a happy day.
Oh, just how we long for a peaceful undisturbed sleep and waking up well-rested and refreshed. It is said that a night’s good sleep is the secret behind active minds and creative thinkers. We often forget some simple things that help in getting a good night’s sleep. One of the most important things is pillows. If your grandmother told you not to use too many pillows, thank her. Pillows play a vital role in the kind of sleep that we get. Now, let us look at some facts to help us appreciate our bodies.
If you knew that your head weighs 4.5-5.5 kilos, perhaps you would take
better care of it – you will be more careful choosing the right pillow. What’s more, your neck contains seven of the spine’s 33 vertebrae. It is no surprise then that the neck pain, stiff neck and even persistent headaches could simply be the result of poor pillow support while in bed sleeping.
Technicalities
A golden rule while buying a pillow is: a good pillow should hold your head in alignment with your shoulders and spine as if you were standing in an upright posture. A soft pillow may feel good but if it is too soft your head may flop, curving the neck. On the other hand, if the pillow is too hard may give you a crick in the neck.
Your spine, head, hips, shoulders, and neck find support from many intricate bits and pieces that make up the muscles, bones, and joints. When you sleep, a pillow plays a vital role in supporting and protecting them. The kinesthetic purpose of a pillow is to keep the upper body aligned when lying down. It counterbalances the supine position of the body and relieves pressure from joints and muscles. That’s precisely what we are advocating. A good pillow supports the body as it rests and helps to restore it from physical, postural, and nervous pressure that builds up over the day. Without the ability to recover, your spine, neck, shoulders, and more could be at risk of serious disrepair.
If you do not move about and change posture while sleeping then you may not be sleeping right and well – now don’t wake up to see if you are doing so, just relax and sleep and you will be moving about. You do not just get into bed, lie down in a specific position, and then remain there for eight hours. However, people favour a particular position. This position is either on one of their sides, on their back, or on their stomach. Did you know that there are specific pillow types if you prefer one of these postures more?
Sleeping Patterns and Body Weight
For instance, stomach sleepers need a pillow that will not elevate their head too much, to avoid putting a strain on the neck. Therefore, the thinnest pillow is best. Additionally, a pillow under the stomach can help to prevent back pain for stomach sleepers. With or without a head pillow, stomach sleepers can also benefit from a thin pillow placed beneath the hips to help even out the spine. It is, though, generally regarded that stomach sleeping puts your spine and neck out of alignment during your sleep and hence is not advised.
People who prefer to sleep on their side will benefit from a pillow with medium thickness, allowing their head to be raised just enough to keep it aligned with the spine. A contoured pillow will also work well. Such people will find solace in a pillow placed between the thighs.
Back sleepers should pick up wedge pillows or pillows that are medium-thick. For those individuals who do have any position that they spend the majority of their time in or combination sleepers, a pillow with a mix of different types of fillers will likely allow them to adjust the pillow to their needs.
When a back sleeper lies down on an innerspring or firm mattress, small gaps develop between the lower back and the mattress, as well as between the neck and the mattress. Memory foam and contouring mattresses address the space between the lower spine, letting the hips sink deeper down into the mattress as the memory foam hugs the lower back.
With or without a head pillow, stomach sleepers can also benefit from a thin pillow placed beneath the hips to help even out the spine.
Types of Pillows
Mattress and pillow makers have a wide variety of pillows available for you. If you’re a side sleeper, go pick up a firm pillow, and one with an extra wide gusset to help bridge the distance between your ear and shoulder. (Instead of a pillow that has just a top panel sewed directly to a bottom panel, a gusseted pillow has rectangular panels along all four sides that increase its thickness.) You might also sleep with a pillow between your knees to better align your spine.