by Beth Lee Schlendorf
One of the challenges in getting a good night’s sleep is choosing your perfect pillow. There is no one-size-fits-all pillow. In fact, choosing the wrong pillow can increase headaches, neck pain, numbness in shoulders and arms, or create sneezing and wheezing due to allergens and chemicals.
Your focus should be to find your neutral alignment, where your head sits squarely on your shoulders without bending or reaching. There are several decisions to make when purchasing your perfect pillow.
Most experts say that children should not use a pillow at all since their skeletons are still forming and their little necks are delicate. Although once a toddler leaves his or her crib, a small, lightly filled pillow would be acceptable. Another concern is what’s inside the pillow. Bliss Sleep Center recommends staying away from memory foam and other synthetic fabrics since they can contain numerous chemicals that can lead to many health issues. It is best to find a customizable pillow where you can control the level of filling inside the pillow.
What material inside your pillow works best to support your neck, back and spine properly? Some examples of popular fillings for pillows are as follows:
- Kapok – is resilient, conforms to your head and neck, hypoallergenic, and mold and mildew resistant. Kapok tends to have a soft feel like down pillows, but is much more supportive.
- Organic buckwheat hulls – provide gentle support and will cradle your head and neck perfectly. Great for people with neck and back pain. As an added benefit, buckwheat hulls are hypoallergenic.
- Pure virgin wool – is hypoallergenic, a dust-mite repellant, is body-temperature regulating, and resistant to bacteria, mold and mildew. Pure wool is great for people that sleep hot or cold and also helps prevent allergens.
- Organic cotton – great for people sensitive to chemicals and allergies. Organic cotton is slightly softer than typical cotton and makes for a very comfortable traditional pillow feel.
- Natural latex – is dust-mite resistant, hypoallergenic, mold and mildew resistant, and contours to your neck. Natural latex pillows can be firm or soft depending on the method used to create the natural latex (Dunlop or Talalay) and the amount of fill.
Things to think about are what level of firmness is best for you—soft, medium or firm—and what position do you sleep in—on your side, back or stomach?
- Back sleeper – tends to need a more solid, supportive pillow. A good rule of thumb should be to keep your neck evenly aligned with the rest of your spine.
- Side sleeper – tends to like a pillow that fills the neck- to-shoulder area without overextending the neck. Some things to consider is where do you place your arms when sleeping on your side. Kapok is Bliss Sleep Center’s most popular fill for side sleepers.
- Stomach sleeper – tends to either use an almost flat pillow or no pillow at all. The key is to not put strain on your neck and shoulders. In fact, some people use a small pillow tucked under their stomach to avoid pressure on their back.
The best way to choose your pillow is by testing it out in the position that you sleep in at night. Attention to detail is a must when choosing your perfect pillow.
Source: Beth Lee Schlendorf is the owner of Bliss Sleep Center. For more information, visit BlissSleepCenter.com.
