Why Sleeping With the Right Pillow is Essential to Prevent and Stop Neck Pain
To start, how does one get neck pain to begin with? The answer is pressure on the nerves.
There are a couple things that may cause pressure on the nerves in the neck.
First, misalignments in the neck spine are the biggest cause of nerve pressure and therefore neck pain.
Misalignments put direct pressure on nerves or they create stress and tension in the muscles causing inflammation.
The inflammation and taut muscle fibers then put pressure on nerves.
Your sleeping habits can be one of the biggest causes for neck misalignments.
Your spine should be perfectly vertical when looking at it from the front or back.
When analyzing your spine from the side it should have a smooth curvature.
The neck has a "C" curvature with the opening of the "C" facing the direction of your back.
Now, think about how you sleep.
Some individuals sleep on their stomach, some sleep without a pillow, some sleep with two pillows.
Do any of these positions keep your spine in that normal healthy position just described - Straight from the front or back and properly curved from the side view; NO! There is a solution however...
Sleeping with a good neck pillow.
The right neck pillow keeps your neck in a normal healthy position without pressure on the nerves.
The right pillow keeps your head level when you sleep on you side.
Keeping your head level keeps your spine straight and even.
Think about not using a pillow at all or using a pillow that's too thin; your head may tilt down toward the mattress significantly.
It's the same for a pillow too thick or someone that is using multiple pillows; your head will be tilted in the opposite direction.
If your spine is in this position for only a few minutes it will correct itself, but imagine what happens when you're sleeping...
Your neck may be in an awkward position for hours.
This causes muscle strain and pulls your spine out of alignment causing nerve pressure and neck pain.
A good pillow also keeps the curvature in your spine when you're on your back.
A pillow too flat, or using no pillow when you sleep, will flatten your neck curve.
Using a pillow too thick or using more than one pillow flattens your cervical curve also and it pushes your head forward as well.
There are a couple things that may cause pressure on the nerves in the neck.
First, misalignments in the neck spine are the biggest cause of nerve pressure and therefore neck pain.
Misalignments put direct pressure on nerves or they create stress and tension in the muscles causing inflammation.
The inflammation and taut muscle fibers then put pressure on nerves.
Your sleeping habits can be one of the biggest causes for neck misalignments.
Your spine should be perfectly vertical when looking at it from the front or back.
When analyzing your spine from the side it should have a smooth curvature.
The neck has a "C" curvature with the opening of the "C" facing the direction of your back.
Now, think about how you sleep.
Some individuals sleep on their stomach, some sleep without a pillow, some sleep with two pillows.
Do any of these positions keep your spine in that normal healthy position just described - Straight from the front or back and properly curved from the side view; NO! There is a solution however...
Sleeping with a good neck pillow.
The right neck pillow keeps your neck in a normal healthy position without pressure on the nerves.
The right pillow keeps your head level when you sleep on you side.
Keeping your head level keeps your spine straight and even.
Think about not using a pillow at all or using a pillow that's too thin; your head may tilt down toward the mattress significantly.
It's the same for a pillow too thick or someone that is using multiple pillows; your head will be tilted in the opposite direction.
If your spine is in this position for only a few minutes it will correct itself, but imagine what happens when you're sleeping...
Your neck may be in an awkward position for hours.
This causes muscle strain and pulls your spine out of alignment causing nerve pressure and neck pain.
A good pillow also keeps the curvature in your spine when you're on your back.
A pillow too flat, or using no pillow when you sleep, will flatten your neck curve.
Using a pillow too thick or using more than one pillow flattens your cervical curve also and it pushes your head forward as well.