Is Pillow Really So Important for Good Sleep?

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When it comes to good sleeping habits, all experts agree that sleeping positions are essential not only for good sleep, but also for a good health of our spine. For that reason, many of them think that pillows are crucial. Namely, they advise us to reconsider our sleeping postures and choose the right pillow accordingly. For example, people who mainly sleep on their side need a pillow that adjusts to their neck curve. It should not be too soft nor too firm. For back sleepers, an ideal pillow is the one that supports a neck. Usually, cervical pillows represent the best choice. Experts also suggest taking into account a type of mattress we currently use. For the soft mattress, they recommend thinner pillow because there is small space between our shoulders and our neck, which pillow should fill. On the other hand, firm mattress requires a thick pillow, because it does not allow our body to immerse into it. There are also those experts who think that our body naturally possess the ability to adapt and support it during the sleep. They are more radical and think that we do not need a pillow at all. According to them, the best way to ensure that our body will rest during the night is to exclude a pillow from the sleeping equation. These experts refer to a study that shows that primitive people experience less back and neck pain than modern people. Furthermore, the article “Could Your Pillow Be a Hazard to Your Health?” published by the Harvard Medical School expresses the interesting statement that tries to answer the question: Is pillow really so important for a good sleep?

The shape of the pillow can be important too.

For example if you always wake up with a stiff neck or neck pain, it could mean your pillow is not doing a good job of supporting your neck. A foam contour pillow could help -particularly one made from memory foam – supporting your neck as well as your head whether you sleep on your back, side or stomach.

Shoulder and back pain could mean your spine isn’t aligned naturally during sleep. To prevent this you need to rest in a position that is natural to the alignment of your spine which will not be possible if your pillow is too high or too low. Choose a pillow that keeps your head in alignment with your spine. If you sleep on a very thick mattress, you will reap the best results by sleeping on a thick pillow while if your mattress is thin, then a thin pillow will help you to stay free of pain.

As we have seen, there is more than sleeping posture that affects our health. It is better to have a good sleep whatever posture we choose, than to have the right posture, proper mattress, and a perfect pillow, but poor sleep. Nothing is better for our health than a good healthy sleep.