What pillow’s should I buy?

 The inspiration for this blog came to me one dreary February Saturday when I decided to get off my couch and head out to replace my pancaked pillows.

As I wandered round the busy aisles of Dunelm I felt an overriding sense of pillow panic...

What shape of pillow to buy?

• What should it be made of?

• Should I buy a firm or soft pillow?

• Are ducks or geese or pigeons better at supplying feathers for pillows?

 So many options….

On removing myself from this section of Dunelm, instead relocating into the soft-furnishings department (my ‘happy place’), I gathered my thoughts and took the opportunity to regroup.

  “If I feel like this and I know a fair bit about spinal mechanics and what to buy, how must my patients feel??”.

 It is estimated that we spend 1/3 of our lives in bed. So, I’m sure you’d agree that ensuring that your spine, and in particular your neck is sufficiently supported to prevent injury, pain and arthritic changes developing. Pillows play a key part in helping to maintain these natural curves in your spine. The pressure to get this right is real and is a question I’m asked in clinic about on a weekly basis.

The answer I provide to this question is probably not what you’d think… I usually advise you buy your pillows based on the position that you prefer to sleep in. All the other bits like shape and plumage generally fall down to personal preference.

Side Sleepers

   If you lie on your side in bed, you ideally want your pillows to measure to the width of your shoulder. This is so that you can lie directly on the outside part of your shoulder with your neck straight. If your head tilts sideways down towards the mattress you need an extra pillow or thinner additional pillow to enhance in propping you up.

 TOP TIP: Lie on your side, pillow in position and feel for the bony bits at the back of your neck. Get a sense of if they are in a straight line from top to bottom.

We also hear that some of our patients consistently tuck their hand under their pillow. If this sounds like you it is likely you need an additional (usually thinner) pillow to support you better. This is also the case if you lie on your side but twist onto the back of your shoulder or twist your belly round onto the mattress.

Back Sleepers

As with side sleepers our aim is to keep your neck in a neutral position as best as possible. To maintain the natural curve that your neck has, a pillow should be of medium depth so that

 TOP TIP: Whilst lying on your back assess whether you could snuggly fit a tennis ball between your chin and your chest. If your pillow is too high your chin will be pushed down too far and if it’s too low you’ll be looking up and back towards the ceiling.

Tummy Sleepers

Generally I’ve found that those in the habit of lying on their stomach can cause strain to the joints, muscles and ligaments of your neck. This is mainly because lying on your tummy requires extreme rotation of your head in order to breathe.

 Can you think of a time during the day where hold a fixed position of rotation in your neck for hours? Probably not… we’re not really designed to do this. If you choose to lie on your tummy a very thin pillow or none at all is all that is required, as anything thicker will cause the above-mentioned rotation but will also extend your neck backwards jamming the tiny joints within the neck.

 TOP TIP: Become a ‘side’ or ‘back’ sleeper if you can! Bolster your torso in with pillows, try a thin pillow between your knees and persevere. It can take months, but eventually it’ll be worth it!

 So, I hope that gives you some pointers of what to check for when you head to bed and check your current pillows tonight! The wrong pillows can affect how mobile your neck is, how likely you are to experience headaches, as well as accelerating degenerative processes such as Osteoarthritis.

 If after carrying out these checks yourself you’d still like some further guidance on what is right for you specifically please call us on 01292 502 292 to arrange a check with one of our CHC Chiropractors!

Have a good night, and a great sleep free of pillow panic!

‘til next time,

Francesca x

Side sleeping picture courtesy of ‘Osteopathy in Harrogate’