When going to bed at night, the feeling of having the right pillow to rest your tired body on can be a very comfortable one. However, pillows are not just about ensuring comfort. The right kind of pillows can provide the support that is necessary for the spine and the neck. They even prevent or alleviate various common kinds of back and neck aches
The Importance of Using the Right Pillows
You may not be aware of how important pillows are to your daily life. Pillows can certainly affect how you approach the new day and how well you do your activities. A pillow will determine how well the alignment is between your neck and your spine. A poorly chosen pillow can end up increasing your headaches, place more pressure on your back and make you more restless during sleep. On the other hand, a proper pillow will alleviate these conditions and help you enjoy a better sleep.
A pillow serves two major functions when you are sleeping. They are as follows.
- Support: Pillows provide support to the head, shoulders and neck. Pillows will keep these parts of the body in alignment. In turn, this relives pressure and counterbalances the points in your body.
- Comfort: Of course, pillows tend to make you more comfortable. This allows you to improve the quality of your sleep. You will wake up feeling well rested.
Pillows and the Spine
Pillows are meant to help keep your spine aligned in the natural manner. The human neck tends to curve forward slightly so as to support the weight of the head when you are upright. As such, it is crucial to ensure that this curve is maintained even when you are resting.
If the height of the pillow is too high or too low, it will ruin the posture when you are sleeping. The neck becomes bent to one direction which ends up straining the muscles present in the neck and the shoulders. As such, this position can cause the air pipe to narrow down. As a result, your breathing is obstructed. You can end up snoring which, in turn, affects your sleep.
Pillows for Your Sleeping Position
It is important that you need to find out what kind of pillow will be suitable to your sleeping patterns. After all, the pillow will determine how well you sleep. You should consider the position you use the most during the night while sleeping.
Back Sleepers: If you are more likely to spend the night lying on your back, you should consider using a pillow that is thin and flat. It should support your head as well as your spine. Wedge pillows are a good example.
Side Sleepers: In this case, you will be sleeping mainly on your side. As a result, you will require a contoured pillow which can provide firm support. You may also benefit from keeping a pillow between your legs as it helps keep the spine aligned.
Stomach Sleepers: You will not require much support for your head if you are a stomach sleeper. Opt for very thin pillows as they prevent your head from being raised a lot.
Our next blog is about the rising popularity of the Mermaid Pillows.