A good nights sleep is essential to our physical and mental wellbeing; immune system, growth, brain processing all happen while we sleep, no wonder we spend nearly a third of our lives in a sleep state.
Why do we use pillows? Whether you sleep on your back or on your side the purpose of the pillow is to fill the void between your body and your mattress so that your head and neck are supported and kept in line with the rest of your spine.
At Core and Spine I am often asked about which pillow is best. The honest answer to that is simply that there isn't one 'wonder pillow' which works for everyone, we are all different. Fortunately there are many pillow types out there; from feather and down and synthetic types we are all familiar with to micro-bead and water pillows with others in between, so you are bound to find something which works for you.
To determine what your sleep position is like, find an extra set of eyes and use these images as a guide to identifying whether your pillow is too high/low and to see if your neck is supported. For you front sleepers, my recommendation would be to make a concerted effort to get out of that habit and become a side or back sleeper.
The short-term consequences of poor head and neck support can range from torticolis (cricked neck) to cervicogenic headache, in the long-term, you may be predisposing some of your neck joints to more wear-and-tear.
To check if your feather or synthetic pillow needs replacing, fold it in half and squeeze out the air as much as you can, if doing a hollow fibre pillow sit a paperback book (300g) on top to weigh it down a bit. A pillow in need of replacement won't spring back but perhaps just creep back into its unfolded state.
For further help and advice about choosing the right pillow, please visit www.pillowadvisor.co.uk or about sleep hygiene generally: www.sleepcouncil.org.uk
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