How Good is Your Pillow?
You sleep eight hours a night and wake up with a sore neck, feeling like your get-up-and-go, got up and went! Did you ever think that your pillow might have something to do with it?
While a good night’s sleep starts with a quiet dark room and a comfortable mattress, how you sleep on that mattress really does matter. The muscles that support your neck and back during your waking hours need to get the proper rest to be able to do their job each day. And your pillow can play an important role.
As you might expect, the best position for sleep is lying on your side or in the fetal position because it helps maintain the natural S-curve in your spine. Sleeping on your stomach arches the spine and makes the back and neck muscles work overtime, forcing your head to one side or the other all night long.
Imagine walking around all day, only looking to your left!
Not good.
If you’re a “stomach sleeper” and find it a difficult habit to break, what some have done is sewn a tennis ball or some other lightweight object, mid-torso on the front of their sleeping clothes. It’s not a fashion statement, but it can help break you of the habit.
Then, based on your sleeping position, we can have a little pillow talk on your next visit.
Patient Login
Dr Joel Asks...
