The Correct Pillow and Your Body

All I was trying to do was stretch my body in peace when suddenly I became a human pillow. Deemed by Pearl, to be the most comfortable spot in the house which needed immediate occupancy. But come to think of it, that's what pillows do, right? Like sirens, they lure you in from afar singing, “come to me and rest your weary head". Poor Pearl, she didn't stand a chance. ;)

How about your pillows? Do they still lull you to sleep and keep you asleep? Or (upon opening your peeps) are you greeted with a headache, achy neck, shoulder, back or hip? If the latter, it may be time to make a change because those telltale signs can have long term consequences. So, what to do next?

First, determine what position you sleep in the most. Side, back or tummy.

Next, get three, four or five towels, fold them into squares and stack them. See how they feel. The value of using towels is they won't collapse on you, you can alter their height and they can be tested for awhile for continued comfort. Of the pictures below (courtesy of Dr. Scott Barbary) your goal is to look like the top image (Column A). Or, like the bottom image (Column B). Or a combination of both.

Column A

Column B

If you're a side sleeper you will need a higher pillow. And a special note to my dear side sleepers when doing the towel test please, do not tuck your hand/elbow under your head as it doesn't belong there to begin with, (and is more of a sign that your pillow is too low). Once you have your new height and design figured out then you can go pillow shopping with a clear understanding of the style, dimensions or firmness you're looking for.

I'll leave the choice of material up to you to decide. Latex does heat up and a "hot head" might wake some of you (which does defeat the point of sleep). That being said, if you have long term cervical spine issues there has been research suggesting that the correct latex pillow will decrease pain "with time" because the intervertebral discs (the discs between your vertebrae) aren't compressed and get time to rehydrate.

Sleep well gang.

xo
Kathryn
A Happy Balance