Archive for the ‘Furniture’ Category
Pillows
While most people put substantial thought into decorating their bedroom to provide the maximum amount of comfort to calm them into a perfect night’s slumber, most do not put any thought into the actual pillow that they are laying their head on. Besides the pillowcase, pillows are actually a second thought to most when dressing their bed. Experts say that your pillow could be the very key to a good night’s sleep. Without the right type or size of pillow you could very well be sabotaging your perfect oasis for catching the essential shut eye that your body needs to function.
Despite what most people think, pillows are not a one size fits all item. More thought needs to be put into the item where we will rest our heads every night. Massage therapist report that they get a lot of clients that complain of neck pain due to sleeping “funny”. The cause of this is oftentimes their pillow, lack of pillow or too many pillows. If you’re having pain and stiffness when you wake up, you might want to consider educating yourself on proper pillows.
Sleeping on your stomach causes strain on your neck and back anyway. It puts the neck in an awkward position for an extended period of time. The joints in your neck are not designed to be in a sideways position for hours at a time. Add a pillow to that scenario and it’s a double no-no. The pillow means that your head is not only rotated, but also bent slightly backwards. If you MUST sleep on your stomach, no pillow or a very thin pillow is best.
If you prefer to sleep on your side, the aim is to have your head in a straight line with your spine. The purpose of the pillow here is to keep your head aligned with your spine and not falling down toward the mattress. The job of this pillow is just to fill the space between your ear and the top of your shoulder so that your head stays aligned. Feather pillows tend not to hold their shape and would not be good for this application. Cheap pillows filled with pieces of foam would also not be good in this case as the chucks would rotate and move and never be in the same position. High quality synthetic filled pillows would be the densest and would hold their shape while a person is in this position. In fact, some manufacturers make specially formed pillows to fit in the indentation made when you sleep on your side. It would be a good idea to test these pillows before purchase to make sure it fits on your body correctly.
People who sleep consistently on their backs need more of a pillow than people who sleep on their stomach, but less of a pillow that people who sleep on their side. This pillow needs to cushion the head without keeping it from moving forward and being misaligned with the spine.
So, if you’re wondering why your back and neck always seem to hurt when you wake up, maybe you should consider shopping for some new pillows that better suit your sleeping style.