What Pillows Do Chiropractors Recommend for Side Sleepers?

Pillows that chiropractors tend to recommend for side sleepers are usually thick (high loft) and firm. The reason is that most regular pillows are too soft and can’t provide the proper support for the head and neck, which causes side sleepers to struggle the most when it comes to neck pain. In this guide, we’ll show you the detailed structure of chiropractic pillows that are designed specifically for side sleepers and why chiropractors recommend them to their side-sleeper patients with neck pain.

The Design of Chiropractor-Recommended Pillows

Chiropractic pillows often come with two raised sides, one on the left and the other on the right, providing the right support for your neck when you’re side sleeping. These two elevated panels help fill the gap between your head and the mattress that most regular pillows can’t, maintaining your body’s perfect alignment throughout the night. As a result, you reduce tossing and turning at night, enjoy better sleep, and wake up free of neck tension.

These chiropractor-recommended pillows are often made of polyester, memory foam, water, or latex. These materials are able to consistently support the weight of your head during the night, not giving up in the middle of the night like most pillows and straining your neck. The average weight of a human’s head is around 10 to 12 pounds. Traditional pillows aren’t designed to support this weight for long periods of time. If you want to explore more in detail about each of these chiropractic pillows, feel free to check out “Best Pillow for Side Sleepers with Neck Pain.”

Benefits of Chiropractic Pillows

Because a chiropractic pillow maintains the neutral position of your body the entire time you sleep, it allows your body to release all the tension built up during the day and fully recover.

• Perfect Alignment: Keeps your head, neck, and spine aligned with each other, which avoids any unnecessary tension and enables you to enjoy deep, restorative sleep.
• Prevents Morning Headaches: Eliminates the nighttime pinching of upper cervical nerves and muscles, which is a leading cause of waking up with tension headaches.
• Relieves Shoulder Pressure: By fully supporting the weight of your head and neck, it prevents your shoulder from collapsing and cramping underneath you.
• Reduces Snoring and Improves Breathing: Keeping your neck straight and extended prevents your airway from kinking, allowing for smoother, quieter breathing.
• Accelerates Muscle Recovery: Allows the deep stabilizing muscles of your neck and upper back to completely relax and repair, rather than fighting to hold up your head all night.
• Promotes Spinal Decompression: Creates a subtle, natural traction that opens up the spaces between your cervical discs, relieving pressure from compressed nerves.
• Minimizes Nighttime Waking: Eliminates the physical discomfort and alignment drops that force your body to wake up and constantly readjust your pillow.

Give Your Body Time to Adjust

If you’ve been using a regular pillow for a long time, your body probably has already gotten used to the improper support. So, to change from a regular pillow to a chiropractor-recommended pillow, your body needs time to adjust itself. That being said, it’s completely normal to feel weird or uncomfortable when you first sleep on a chiropractic pillow. Some people take a few days to get used to the new support, while others can take up to a couple of weeks, so don’t judge your new pillow too soon.

It’s important not to force your body into the new support either, because doing so is more likely to harm your neck muscles instead of helping them. Just give your body time to slowly go through its adapting phase as naturally as possible. It is recommended that you use your old and new pillows interchangeably to help you speed up the process.

Once your body gets used to the new support, it can make a noticeable difference in your overall sleep experience. You’ll start noticing some subtle changes, such as falling asleep faster at night and staying asleep longer without much tossing and turning. Finally, you wake up in the morning ready to tackle whatever tasks you’re having that day instead of feeling miserable because of the pain in your neck.