You have woken up in the last week with a stiff neck and tight feeling, perhaps even a headache. What could be the cause of this? Let’s take a look at one factor: your neck pillow. What is it doing or not doing for you? Is it the source of your neck pain?

What do you think about when buying a pillow? It is comfortable? That is probably your main concern. You may also ask yourself: will I get a good night’s sleep? Do you need a special pillow because you suffer from a pinched nerve or numbness and tingling? Others might be thinking: okay, I have a king-size mattress, I have to get bigger pillows. There are many things to think about when buying a pillow because it will affect your sleep.

Here’s an important question to ask yourself, which not many people think about first: Does your pillow keep you aligned? This often comes into play with contoured neck pillows. You already know those pillows with a “rolled knot”. They can often keep you in good posture in all sleeping positions. The neck roll helps enhance and maintain that natural neck curve. This is known as cervical spine lordosis. The middle part of the back is the thoracic spine and the lower part of the back is the lumbar spine.

What exactly is good posture or alignment? Imagine a person standing in front of you. From anterior-posterior (front to back), your spine should be straight up and down. From the side view (from the side), it should have smooth flowing curves. A “C” curve in the neck and another in the lower back. The lower back is actually more of an elliptical curve (a wider, longer “C”). With a neck pillow you can align your spine while enjoying a good night’s sleep. to sleep!

One of the most common misalignments is the loss of the curve of the neck. So that “neck roll” built into a neck pillow is very important. Always remember that posture is a window to the spine. This means that if we have a good posture our spine is aligned and vice versa. And if the spine is aligned, the nerves are pressure-free and there is no pain.

Now the question is: will this keep me out of pain? We know that if we keep our nerves free of pressure, then we keep pain and problems at bay. With a properly aligned spine, we have minimal pressure on the nerves. An aligned column also holds the discs in position. The disc is a kind of ‘shock absorber’ and is found between all the bones or vertebrae. This results in minimal pinching. That means you won’t have neck pain, shooting pains, numbness, tingling, or weakness in your upper limb.

So are you sleeping on the wrong pillow? Ask yourself: is it too high? Too low? Is it too soft ?, etc … Too high means that your head may be pushed forward if you are on your back and if you are on your side, you are tilted or tilted sideways. The reverse is essentially true for a pillow that is too low or too soft. This can also be the case with an old or worn pillow that is too soft.

What if the pillow is too firm? The big problem here is that it can be very uncomfortable. You just can’t get used to it. It’s too much for the head and neck muscles. Comfort is really important. This is one of the most important qualities of a pillow: Is it comfortable to sleep on your side and sleep on your back? Getting a good night’s sleep is of the utmost importance, and too hard a pillow can make your sleep difficult. Worse yet, you wake up with pain, discomfort, or a headache.

So next time you’re humming or discussing which pillow to buy, consider all of the above points. The next time you wake up in pain, consider shopping for pillows. It will do your body and your sleep good. I guarantee it.