You don’t know what you have until it’s gone. Good sleep isn’t missed until you suddenly don’t have it any more. You might have heard about how important it is to have the right bed in order to sleep well.
But you might not know that each part of your bed is crucial for helping you get a good night’s sleep. It’s true that having the right mattress will help you get rest, but having the wrong kind of pillow can derail any good that a mattress can do for your sleep.
The good news is that having the right pillow is an easy fix if yours isn’t helping you sleep well. When you lie down on the bed, the way your bones are supported is important.
Your spine can twist into and remain at the wrong angle without the right pillow. This misalignment during sleep can cause a host of aches and pains. You need a good pillow for proper neck support.
Without it, you end up with a stiff and aching neck and stiff, painful shoulders, too. Without the best pillow for your body, you can toss and turn and have your sleep cycle broken. It can even interfere with your blood circulation if you choose the wrong pillow.
We all have our favorite ways to sleep. Because not everyone falls asleep in the same position (some are back sleepers, while others sleep on their side or on their stomach), you need a pillow designed for your specific sleep style.
Not only should your pillow cushion your head, but it should support your neck and help keep your spine aligned straight. Having the wrong pillow can cause you to have headaches from the strain on your muscles and spine.
What criteria should you base your pillow selection on? Your selection should be based on two factors – how you sleep and what kind of filling you prefer. For those who like to sleep on their side, there’s a gap of space between the head and the shoulder.
That gap has to be filled in with support from a pillow to avoid muscle aches and misalignment of the spine. Choose a pillow, such as a feather pillow, that will allow you to manipulate it to fit that gap.
If sleeping on your back is your preference, remember not to use a fluffy pillow or sleep on more than one pillow because this makes your neck crooked and puts pressure on your spine.
If you have to sleep with your head elevated, it’s best to elevate the head of your bed rather than using extra pillows. For those who sleep on their stomach, using a thin pillow is a good choice to keep the bones aligned and the blood circulation flowing.
