What Orthopaedic Pillow Is Right For You?
Orthopaedic pillows come in all shapes and sizes. To benefit from having a pillow, you need to make sure you choose the right one for you.
A range of health conditions can be improved by nightly use of a memory foam pillow or orthopaedic cushion.
Health conditions that benefit from the use include the following:
● Sleep apnea
● Whiplash
● Stiff neck
● Traumatic neck injuries
● Snoring
● General neck discomfort
● Headaches
● Migraines
● Dizziness
● Nausea
● Vertigo
What Happens To Your Neck When You Sleep At Night?
Believe it or not, the neck is often the body part that comes under the most strain at night. Most of us buy cheap pillows that do not help us to sleep better. As we normally spend a lot of time in bed, ideally 8 hours per night, buying a good quality pillow is much better.
During the night when you sleep, an orthopaedic pillow works as an orthopaedic posture corrector.
A good quality pillow should hold your neck in place, support your head and your upper back at the same time. It is a pretty tall order for your average store bought pillow.
Where Can I Buy The Right Pillow For My Neck?
The best place to buy an orthopaedic type of pillow is online. The choice is better online and buying pillows online is often cheaper. If you have never bought a pillow to help correct your posture while you sleep, there are a few things you need to know.
Neck Stretching pillow – This kind of pillow is the right one when you are suffering from sleep apnea. Although sleep apnea is a complex medical condition, most of the time you will find relief when you use a pillow that stretches your neck.
A neck stretching pillow will help to keep your airway open while you sleep. A closed airway is the most common cause of the problems associated with sleep apnea such as breathing problems and continuous neck ache.
Memory Foam Pillow – Pillows made from what is known as memory foam have been around for a long time now. Still, many of us underestimate the health benefits of using them. People who suffer from headaches or migraines often say that their condition improved when they bought a pillow made from memory foam.
What happens? When you sleep, memory foam pillows help to support circulation in your upper spine, neck and head. Improved circulation means that you are much less likely to suffer from morning headaches and recurring migraine attacks.
Contour Pillow – When you have experienced a whiplash type injury, a contour pillow can work wonders for you.
What do contour pillows do? They are designed to keep your head in a particular position during the night. You can still turn from side to side, or sleep on your back. It is the job of the pillow to keep your head and neck correctly aligned. In other words, they provide contour and help to maintain the curve of the upper spine.
Wedge Pillows – Wedge pillows are specifically designed to be used together with your regular pillow. They will help to elevate your entire upper spine and lift the head. You can comfortably turn from side to side when you sleep.
Wedge pillows are larger than other pillows and look like a wedge. Not only are they great when you suffer from neck pain. They will also help to relieve upper back pain and improve spinal alignment. If you have a problem with snoring or other breathing problems during the night, they are a great way to get a good night's sleep.
If you suffer from a neck injury caused by trauma, you will find that a wedge pillow will help you a great deal to sleep comfortably.
Can Neck Pillows Fix Posture Problems?
Neck pillows can certainly contribute towards improving posture problems.
When we go to bed, we often forget about our posture problems. We brush them aside and think that they are not going to cause a problem when we sleep.
In fact, what we are doing is making it worse by neglecting them at night. Sleeping in the right position is just as important as sitting or walking in the right way. Many of us use some kind of posture support during the day, but think that they are less important during the night.
If you do suffer from any problems related to poor posture, or weight issues, you will find that buying a night-time orthopaedic posture corrector, will help to improve your condition.
Should Your Shoulders Be On Your Pillow When You Sleep?
In general, it would be right to say that your pillow is meant to support your head and neck when you sleep.
But as we are all unique, you may find that your shoulders benefit from support. Many who have conditions such as vertigo, dizziness and nausea, find their condition improves when their shoulders are supported.
Can You Correct Forward Head Posture While You Sleep?
This is a medical condition called kyphosis. Someone with the condition would also normally have rounded shoulders and constantly lean forward.
Sleeping with an orthopaedic pillow will help. However, you do need to see a chiropractor or physiotherapist to get the condition corrected.
Is It Too Late To Fix My Bad Sleeping Posture?
It is never too late to try to fix your sleeping posture. It goes without saying that the older you are, the more difficult it becomes to help to improve sleeping posture.
Most of us who do have a bad sleeping posture, will find relief when we use the right kind of pillow that supports our posture while we sleep.
When you shop for a posture correcting pillow, bear in mind your symptoms. If they are severe or get worse, it is important that you seek immediate medical advice from a doctor or chiropractor.
