I have the best patients! I had one of our great patients tell me the other day, “Doc, you should sell more pillows. You could make a lot of money.” He’s right! But…
It wouldn’t necessarily help more people. You see, everyone thinks their pillow is at fault for that nasty headache they wake up with or that stiff neck that takes 20 minutes to loosen up. But in reality it is probably more likely the position you sleep in rather than the tool you use to sleep.
Instead of going into a clinical lecture on proper sleep biomechanics, let me break it down into the easiest way I know possible. Here are my three pillow suggestions to try to use that can limit your body’s strains during the night:
- When sleeping on your side, make sure your nose is lined up with the middle of your chest. If there is a kink, it will strain your lower neck muscles causing problems. See the first picture.
When sleeping on your back, make sure you ear is lined up with the front of your shoulder. One of the biggest problems is forward head carriage. If your ear is higher than your shoulder, you will suffer neck strain. See picture #2.- This one is the simplest yet hardest one to follow. AVOID SLEEPING FACE DOWN. No way around this one, if you sleep face down it will eventually lead to neck and lower back problems. Sorry to give you that bad news you belly-sleepers.
Now, you just might need a cervical pillow (BTW, we do sell a lot of them at the low price of $40. Hey, I do have to pay the rent you know, lol). And most people could benefit from one. But why not try some of these suggestions first. I know this sounds basic but it can really go a long way in minimizing the stresses your body feels during the night. This won’t fix all your problems but may just keep you from shelling out $100 at the mall for that spur of the moment pillow purchase that you think will fix it all…
