Sizing Up Your Pillow
I always engage in therapeutic “pillow talk” with my patients who suffer from neck pain. Which pillow do I recommend? Should they use one pillow or two under their head? What should their pillow be stuffed with?
The conversation, on my part, always begins with asking what position my patient sleeps in. “Side-lyers” will need more support under the head/neck than “back-lyers” do. And if someone tells me they are stomach sleepers, well, they get an ear-full from me about the physical evils of sleeping face down, haha! (For a full explanation, see my Overcoming Back and Neck Pain, Overcoming Headaches and Migraines or Get Healthy for Heaven’s Sake books.)
My second thought is in regards to my patient’s anatomy. A side sleeper with broad shoulders or a back sleeper with a significantly stiff, rounded upper back will also require more pillow support to fill up what I call “negative spaces.” Negative spaces are areas of the body which would not come in contact with the bed surface if only one, standard-sized pillow was used under the head—leaving the unsupported body area literally “hanging” in midair.
As a rule of thumb, sleeping posture for the head and neck area should closely resemble the position one’s head and neck are held when they’re standing with good posture. The earlobe should be lined up with the mid shoulder and the chin should be slightly tucked towards the throat. The bridge of the nose should be in line with breastbone. (For a good pictorial explanation for the side-lying sleeping position click this Free Resources link which will bring you to my website.)
In order to achieve this, you may need to try a number of pillows to find your best fit. Additionally, many of my patients require a small, rolled up hand towel, slipped inside the bottom edge of their pillow cases, to support their necks and fill up that negative space I was speaking of earlier.
All that said, pillows are like shoes: you can’t subscribe to a one-size-fits-all approach. Each individual must try a pillow (or two) on for size, and possibly employ a second party to help you analyze your alignment while you are in your sleeping position of choice…and NO, you cannot choose stomach-lying if you want to have a healthy neck, sorry.