Why You Need a Posture Pillow NOW
Why You Need a Posture Pillow NOW
You spend approximately one-third of your life in bed, so what you’re sleeping on is more important than many people realize. It follows logic that the five to eight (or more) hours a night you spend lying down can add up to immeasurable damage to your spine’s alignment if that entire time is spent in the wrong position.What constitutes the wrong position? For starters, sleeping on your stomach is the absolute worst; your head is twisted and tilted at all sorts of odd angles which can result in shoulder pain, upper back pain, restlessness, insomnia and numbness in the fingers.When it comes to getting some quality shut-eye, the best position for sleeping is on your back or your side. Lying on your back with your head cranked forward, however, or on your side with your neck bent at a severe angle can be just as detrimental as stomach sleeping.A good pillow is key to helping you find a posture that is healthy and will provide the most restful night’s sleep. Ideally, your pillow will support your head in natural alignment with your spine—described as a "neutral" position—rather than bending it up or to the side. This means that the normal, slight curve of your neck remains unchanged.
Signs of an Unsupportive Pillow
Good quality pillows will only last three or four years before needing to be replaced. Lower quality pillows may only remain supportive for a few months. If you have restless sleep or wake up with stiffness, neck or shoulder pain, or headache, chances are good your pillow is to blame. Another sure sign of a bad pillow is having a noticeably improved night’s rest when you sleep somewhere other than your own bed or borrow a friend or partner’s pillow.A pillow’s internal supportive material breaks down with use and time. Whether your pillow is feather, memory foam, rubber, or latex, they all eventually disintegrate. But even a brand new pillow can cause problems if its not the right fit for your body.The repercussions of this go beyond the seemingly obvious neck pain. Years of sleeping on a bad pillow can contribute to sleep apnea, TMJ (pain in and locking of the jaw), lower back pain, restless leg syndrome, and clogged sinuses. Your pillow needs to be firm enough to support the weight of the head, allowing the neck muscles to relax, while simultaneously being flexible enough to let proper blood circulation take place. Without proper blood flow, the by-products in the body can’t be flushed from the system and can result in morning wrinkles and unnecessary fatigue of the facial muscles.So many of my clients believe that owning a Tempurpedic pillow eliminates the possibility that they have poor sleeping posture. While a Tempurpedic pillow might be a drastic improvement over a feather pillow, that fact alone doesn’t make it right for everybody. The truth is, you need to be fitted for your pillow, an option a lot of consumers don’t even realize exists.I believe that, without exception, everyone needs a customized pillow. Simply attend one of our monthly posture parties at our office, and you’ll go home with a high-quality, custom pillow the very same night. Call 310-477-3335 to reserve your spot at our next posture party on August 9th at 6:30 pm.After setting you up with a customized neck pillow, there are a few more steps you can take to ensure a tranquil night’s rest. If you’re a side sleeper (or if you’re pregnant), a full-length body pillow to support the upper half of your body (or your growing belly) will make a big difference in your posture in the morning. In fact, stomach sleepers as well can benefit from using a body pillow to provide the stomach pressure they’ve gotten used to, while helping to maintain a side-lying position. Furthermore, people used to sleeping on their backs can find relief from placing a small pillow under their knees to support the lumbar region.Let In8Love Chiropractic help you find your perfect sleep posture today and feel the increase in well being a blissful night’s rest can bring.