Cervical Pillow for Neck Pain that Actually Works!
A cervical pillow for neck pain is designed with two purposes in mind: to help you relieve neck pain and enjoy deep, peaceful sleep at night. If you've been struggling with neck pain and no pillows seem to help, we're confident that after reading this article, you'll have a pretty good idea of what to look for in a cervical pillow for neck pain that can actually deliver results.
The Real Reason Behind Neck Pain
If you spend 8 hours in front of a computer every day, we know exactly why you're searching for a cervical pillow for neck pain. This is only work! What happens after work? We spend countless hours scrolling on our phones or watching YouTube videos, right? These two things alone place a lot of tension on your neck.
Have you ever noticed your neck feeling so heavy after work or playing on your phone? You feel like a heavy rock is being placed on the back of your neck and no matter what you do, that tension doesn't seem to go away. That is because you've overworked your muscles. It's kind of like going to the gym and working out for hours every day on the same muscle.
Another very important reason that many people miss is poor posture while sleeping. You wake up in the morning and feel pain in your neck. What do you usually tell yourself? Probably "I slept wrong; it'll go away soon," except that it won't. The pain clings onto you for days, weeks, months. Finally, you're starting to notice it.
A Cervical Pillow for Neck Pain that Works!
Many people, when they first look for a cervical pillow for neck pain, focus on the brand, the price, or how popular it is, but they don't realize those are not the real factors that decide if the pillow will work for you or not. They go through the cycle of buying and buying and buying just to see which one actually works. This costs a lot of time and money, and more importantly, some even lose their faith in cervical pillows.
A cervical pillow for neck pain is just like everything else: one size doesn't fit all. You have to find the one that fits you personally. By this we mean not only size, but also your sleep position and how firm your mattress is. Consider the 3 categories below before deciding to buy any cervical pillow:
Size
You need to measure the length of your neck (from the bottom of the head to the top of your shoulder). This lets you know what size neck roll you should be buying. Second, measure the width of your shoulder (from the bottom of the neck out to your arm). This gives you an idea of how thick your pillow should be in order to support your head properly when you're side sleeping.
Sleep Positions
Back Sleeping: You want to find a cervical pillow for neck pain with a lower loft, dipped center, and a neck roll. These 3 features help keep your head, neck, and spine in natural alignment, which helps release tension from your neck so you sleep better and wake up without neck pain.
Side Sleeping: You want a pillow with a higher loft so it can fill the big gap between your head and the mattress. If you've slept on your sides before, you've probably experienced your head dropping and straining your neck because most traditional pillows are too soft to support side sleepers.
In addition, the width of the cervical pillow must be wide enough to fill the gap between your head and your shoulders. The edge of the pillow has to be pushed against your shoulder while you sleep so your neck is supported as well.
Mattress Firmness
This is crucial but almost no one pays attention. If your mattress is soft and sinks deeply when you lie on it, then go with a less firm cervical support pillow (take into consideration how deep your pillow sinks). On the other hand, if your mattress is firm, then a firm cervical pillow for neck pain is ideal. This is because a soft mattress with a firm pillow will push your head forward and strain your neck, while a firm mattress and a soft pillow will cause your head to drop, also straining your neck.
Give Your Cervical Pillow Some Time
When you sleep on a regular pillow for so long, your body has already gotten used to it. It is used to the improper support, used to the tension your neck embraces every night. So, when you change to a cervical pillow for neck pain, even though it's good for you, your body needs some time to adjust. Just to give you peace of mind, this is completely normal. Everyone who first makes this switch experiences weirdness and discomfort the first couple of nights. Some get used to the new support quicker while others might take a bit longer.
Many health experts recommend using your old pillow and new pillow interchangeably to help your body slowly adapt to the new support. Take as much time as you need and do not force yourself! Otherwise, it will do you more harm than good.
Once your body is used to the new support, you'll feel like the whole world has been flipped upside down for you. Those late nights where you keep tossing and turning will be no more. You'll be able to enjoy a full night of deep and rested sleep all the way until the morning. And when the sun rises, instead of that nasty neck pain, you'll greet the morning full of energy and ready to take on whatever challenge life throws at you.