I get this question a lot on the neck pain support blog from patients who are having trouble sleeping at night because they suffer from neck pain. The neck pain may be due to a whiplash type injury, a herniated or bulging disc, a neck sprain/strain or because of bad neck posture during the day or at work.
In this post I want to go over some best practices regarding contoured neck pillows and sleep, that will help you if you suffer from neck pain.
- Your neck posture while sleeping with a proper pillow is VERY IMPORTANT! Sleeping positions that are recommended include: lying on your back and both sides. Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended as it causes rotation in the neck.You want to get a pillow that allows the neck to remain “neutral” or, maintain its normal curve that is present when standing. The pillow should not be too thick or too thin. Too thick and your head is going to be jutting forward, and too thin, you are not going to get the support that you need in the cervical spine. Since the neck is generally skinnier than our head, a “neck-friendly” pillow should be thicker on the edge so that it fills in the space between the neck and bed and thinner under the head. This is true whether we lay on our sides or back but the amount of space varies with age, gender, and your body type: thin, medium or heavy-set. Here are some contour pillows you may consider:
- Arc4life’s Cervical Linear Traction neck Pillow
- Linear Gravity Neck Pillow (available in small, medium or large size)
- The Tri Core Orthopedic Neck Support Pillow– This one comes in a gentle or firm (standard). Keep in mind that they pillow is more firm overall (both the gentle/firm) than the cervical traction neck pillow. So if you are looking for a more firm pillow, go for the tri core family of pillows. The tricore family of pillows also include the midcore support pillow and also the petite core pillow.
There are many contoured or “shaped” pillows available that are thicker on the outside edges and thinner in the middle. Some of these include foam pillows of different densities, air pillows, water pillows, memory foam pillows, feather pillows, and others.
The Neck Pain Relief Shop even carries a pillow based on the measurement between the neck and the point of the shoulder. This allows an individual to pick the pillow size best suited for their neck size. The Cervical Alignment Neck Pillow is available in three lobe sizes to perfectly fit the size of your neck. You can measure from the bottom of your ear to your shoulder with a standard ruler or tape measure to determine which size provides the best personal fit for you.
- Measurement of 4″ or less, use the 5” Lobe
- Measurement of 4 to 5″ = use the 6” Lobe
- Measurement of 6″ or more= Use the #7 Lobe)
It’s important to note that it can take about a week to get used to the “new shaped” pillow so, “BE PATIENT!” Since we spend 6-8 hours of time in bed sleeping (that’s 1/3 of our life is spent sleeping!), neck pain may be PREVENTED by using a proper contoured pillow and, it’s easier to get used to the new shape when you don’t hurt so take advantage of getting a contoured pillow when you are feeling good.
- Avoid caffeine at least 2-3 hours before bedtime
- Exercising too close to bedtime is not helpful.
Source:Glastonbury Chiropractor Dr. Bellingers October 2010 Newsletter
Picture Source: Wellness.Weblog.com
Additional Reading:
- When Lack of Sleep Can Be Deadly
- The Cost of Not Getting A Good Nights Sleep
- Which Sleeping Position is Best for You?
- Which Neck Pillow is Right for my needs
- Neck Posture
Thanks for the great post! Poor posture at a computer is causing an epidemic of neck pain.
Dear Margodevine, thank you for posting to our Neck Pain Support Blog. These days people spend HOURS on the computer, whether at home YouTubing or at work. Using proper ergonomics while in front of the computer is more important than ever.
Neck Posture While on The Computer
http://www.neckpainreliefkit.com/neckposture
Are you facing problems in gaining sleep at night? Do you feel tired at the end of the day and yet do not attain sleep? You should not resort to popping pills to gain sleep but you should think of natural ways on how to get to sleep.
One of the best ways to get sleep naturally is to mentally prepare your self to sleep. This is important as you are conditioning your mind to do so. You should witch on the idiot box and look at it so that your eyes feel a little heavy and in some time drowsiness takes over. This is way better than popping pills. In fact if you are an avid reader you could also read a book as this makes most of the people very sleepy.
You should follow a healthy sleep routine and not sleep at erratic hours as this disturbs the schedule. You should sleep for at least six hours so that you are fresh and energetic in the morning.
One of the most effective tips on how to get to sleep is to say no to stimulants. You must ensure that you do not consume any form of caffeine at least four hours before the sleeping hour. You should consume a cup of tea or coffee and do not smoke as all these products have varying amount of caffeine. This is one of the most easy to follow methods yet ignored by most people.
Did you know that your daily impacts your sleep? Well you must have healthy and nutritious food so that your health remains fine and you get sound sleep at night. You must say no to fat, preserved foods and carbs. You must ensure that you take in lots of fluids especially lots of water as it will help in cleansing the system.