Pillow Talk – Is my pillow right for me?
Pillow Talk – Is my pillow right for me?
Pain at night or in the morning? You may need to look at what you are sleeping on
Do you have neck or shoulder pain when you wake up? Are you waking up multiple times through the night? Do you have trouble finding a comfortable sleep position? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then Dr. Simon Wang has some pillow talk advice for what you need to look at for the things you’re sleeping on.
Finding the right pillow for you.
Do you spend more time and money picking out a pair of shoes than a pillow? On average Canadians sleep around 8 hours a night. That’s 56 hours a week! Is there anything else you wear or use 56 hours a week? When you put it that way, putting in the time to select the right pillow makes a lot of sense.
What do I need to look for?
SIZE: Make sure the height of the pillow is proper (when sleeping on your side you head should be level), when on your back the support height should flat or slightly elevated.
FORMED OR FILLED: pillows can be formed into a shape or filled with material like down or synthetic fibers. Go for the formed pillow, it will be the same shape all through the night, and week and months to come.
SHAPE: Curved or regular? Although I have patients that swear by their curved/contoured pillow, studies have found no additional benefit from having a curved pillow. Your choice.
MATERIAL: Latex pillows, which are formed, not filled, and water pillows (which can provide semi-customized firmness, have been shown to out perform other pillows (polyester, foam regular, foam contour, foam roll, and feather). Down filled pillows cause the most pain the next morning.
ADJUSTABILITY: Having a pillow that allows you to have one height when on your back and another when on the side has been shown to decrease waking pain. Don’t have a pillow like that? Try no pillow (or small towel) when on your back, leave your pillow beside your head for when you turn onto your side.
If your headache, neck and/or shoulder pain persists, seeing a Chiropractor who can assess and treat the cause would be a wise decision.
Dr. Simon Wang, MSc., D.C. Chiropractor
