Best Orthopedic Pillows: Sleep Pain-Free with Proper Alignment

Your sleep posture and your body support influence the degree of comfort you experience through the night. If you find that you toss and turn or wake with pain, chances are you are not being properly supported. Sometimes this has to do with your mattress choice, but many times can be simply solved by the alignment of your body influenced by the pillow you sleep upon.

Neck, back, and upper body pain are common when your spine is not in alignment, creating stress on your soft tissues and resulting in a poor night’s rest. This cervical support is crucial to overall body health, and before you decide to invest in expensive sleep options, first explore what a change in pillow may do to help with these issues. Below are some helpful tips to find an orthopedic pillow to help support you best where you need it whether your condition is caused by poor sleep posture or is a chronic ailment.

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Best Orthopedic Pillows

The following reviews are some of the most popular pillows with consumers. Some are even from our own top picked, personally reviewed choices to help provide you a detailed account of their use.

Body Alignment

Your cervical spine should be in alignment through the night, and much of what influences this is the positioning of your head and neck in relation to the rest of your body. Support of your upper body allows your central nervous system to work as it should and influences a better night’s rest. This allows you to cycle through your sleep, influences your physical and mental health through an increase in blood flow and body rejuvenation.

Pillow Choice and Sleep Positions

The position you naturally fall into each night is personal, and often somewhat outside of your control. Each position requires unique support and can help influence a healthier position as well as a more relaxed one. Because of this, you need to look for a pillow that not only satisfies your personal preferences for comfort, but also one with the ability to support your body in the position you sleep within. Orthopedic pillows are designed specifically for this whether you are trying to solve an ongoing pain problem or simply are looking for better support.

– Back Sleep Position Needs

Thinner or soft responsive pillows help hold the head level between the shoulders and provide enough material to hold the neck in alignment and allow the soft tissues to relax.

– Stomach Sleep Position Needs

Sleeping without a pillow is best for stomach sleepers since the head will always be angled and thus compromise the spine. But if a pillow is needed, look for one that is thin, soft, and flat to help keep pressure off the lower back and hips.

– Side Sleep Position Needs

Higher profiled, firm and responsive pillows are needed to help hold the head between the shoulders and also fill the gap created by the neck. Gusseted pillow choices and well as those designed for this unique support are highly sought after for this position.

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What is an Orthopedic Pillow?

Orthopedic pillows are also known as contoured or cervical pillows. These are designed for specific support of the head and neck for spinal alignment and influence the body to rest in a more natural position. Many of these choices are made from a responsive foam, or shredded foam to avoid compression and to help hold you in a stable position through the night.

Others may use softer materials with specialized construction and even adjustment capabilities for personal preferences. You may find the pillow marketed specifically for neck, shoulder, and even back pain with many available in various sizes to meet the demands of a wide range of customer needs.

Why Choose an Orthopedic Pillow?

Orthopedic pillows are designed specifically to better support your cervical spine. They are a specialized shape and size to help hold your head, neck, and occasionally shoulder(s) in a position that allows for body alignment and soft tissue relaxation. Neck and back pain, migraines, snoring, and other body stresses can all be alleviated when the body is allowed to relax in a healthier position.

Most orthopedic pillows retain their shape so you don’t have to reshape or fluff for comfort. This also keeps them from shifting through the night to allow you to be held securely in one position without creating pressure points if you do move. These types of pillows are also generally highly recommended by chiropractors and other health care physicians that deal with chronic and temporary spinal pain.

Orthopedic Pillow Materials

These pillows use all sorts of materials in their overall design, but the most important is the material filling. As mentioned, foams are most often used as they hold their shape well, reduce pressure points, and are responsive to movement without sacrificing support. Memory foam, latex, and polyurethane are all used as solid and shredded options to provide variables in soft and firm areas of the pillow design.

What to Consider When Choosing an Orthopedic Pillow

Just because you purchase an orthopedic pillow doesn’t mean you have the best one for you. There is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all pillow, and body shape, size, weight, height, and your own personal preferences should all be taken into consideration prior to investing in a quality sleep product. Take into account the following:

• What is your sleep position?

As explained above your sleep position is very influential to your overall comfort and a pillow needs to reflect the amount of support you need. Many of these pillows focus on back and side sleepers as they are the most common slept in, but look carefully over the details of the pillows you are interested in to see what the company recommends for use.

• Do you sleep warm?

Foam has a tendency to retain heat, and since it is generally the main filling choice for a shaped pillow, this could create an uncomfortable sleep situation. Look for those pillows that address this concern with the addition of gel infusions, cooling cover materials, and designs that help with air flow.

• Do you wake with aches and pains?

If you are considering one of these pillows due to existing pain, then you probably already know what types of pillows aren’t working. You also may want to check with your chiropractor or healthcare practitioner to address any possible underlying causes of your pain. Also, be aware that new pillows can take up to 30 days to adjust to.

• Do you snore or suffer from migraines or headaches?

These types of afflictions can be due to poor spinal support and the stress on soft tissues. This often results in poor blood flow as well and since shaped pillows are designed to address poor posture and help alleviate these stressors, you may see a decrease in headaches, migraines, and snoring.

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Conclusion

It is important to remember that there is no true one size fits all pillow, especially when it comes to shaped pillows such as these orthopedic choices. Luckily most companies offer various sizes and adjustability to help you get exactly what you need. If you suffer from restless nights, and discomfort, whether chronic or occasional, you should consider what sort of support your pillow offers. An orthopedic pillow option might be exactly what you need.

Be sure to review your own personal needs and preferences prior to purchase, and don’t be afraid to allow yourself some time to adjust to a new sleep surface. Also, many offer return policies to back their comfort guarantees that are worth researching in advance of your investment.