Choosing the Right Pillow

Pillows are inanimate objects: true, but as far as inanimate objects go, pillows hold a lot of clout when it comes to your health. An ill-fitting pillow may have made the cut when we were younger and our spines more resistant to stiffness and pain. However, as we grow older and the cumulative forces acting on our spines and, in particular, the neck become more invasive, we need something more sufficient. 

Before you can even reap the benefits of a good pillow you need to establish a threshold of pain that allows you to sleep. If problems with your neck or back are preventing you from falling or staying asleep, give our office in Milpitas a call. We utilize modalities that include chiropractic adjustment, therapeutic massage, corrective exercise and stretching, spinal decompression and traction techniques to help you reduce pain and sleep better. If you have been inspired by this blog, then the next step may apply to you: go pillow shopping. A new pillow could be the best thing you do to change your sleep life from poor or average, to restful and productive. 

• Side sleepers should seek a firmer pillow that fills the space between outer shoulder and neck without propping the head too far up or letting it drop down. 
• Back sleepers want a thinner pillow that assumes the vacuum between neck and mattress, but does not push their head up and out of alignment. 
• Stomach sleepers may not want any pillow at all for the head. To avoid putting the body to far out of whack, place the pillow under the stomach to combat lower back pain. 

The good thing is that the elements of a good pillow are simple, and there is nothing in this blog that would suggest you need to shell out top dollar for a brand-name pillow. Simply shop around and find the one that fits you perfectly and provides you with the support you need to reclaim a good night’s sleep. 

Dr. Gregory Lind, D.C.