What To Consider When Purchasing A Pillow For Neck Pain
Most people dont give much thought to their pillow, beyond choosing a pillow thats nice and squishy for immediate comfort. This means that when we do realize our pillow may be contributing to our neck pain, we may not know how to go about choosing the best pillow. If youre in this position, you may be susceptible to misleading marketing and end up choosing a pillow thats ill-suited for your needs.
To help you get started, weve made a list of the most important factors. Focusing on these factors and having a basic understanding of pillow features and construction can help you find the pillow that works best for you.
Best Pillow For The Most Comfort
The Silk and Snow pillow is a great option for those who are looking for a pillow that will provide them with the most comfort. Its made from a shredded memory foam core that is encased in a microfiber chamber. This offers strong pressure relief for their neck pain and has a plush feel for comfort.
It also has an adjustable loft that makes it a great buy for those who dont have a standard pillow height. The Silk & Snow Pillow has a modest level of support while offering enough padding to cradle your neck and relieve pressure on your spine.
Best Overall Epabo Contour Memory Foam Pillow
EPABO has the best overall cervical pillow for neck support! Not only are customers raving about them online , but they also offer some of the best features for a very reasonable price.
- Best for: Back and side sleepers
- Materials: Memory foam, bamboo rayon/polyester blend
- Price Range: $$
- Warranty: 30-day satisfaction guarantee
Sure, you could pay double the price to get a Tempur-Pedic branded cervical pillow but what is the point when more affordable brands like EPABO offer something just as good?
This memory foam cervical pillow with a cooling bamboo rayon blend case is very firm and takes at least a few nights to soften slightly. It has a dip in the center which is great for nestling your neck into when you sleep on your back. For side/stomach sleeping, move a little to either side for more support.
While most back and side sleepers praise this pillow, stomach sleepers seem to be undecided some love it, some struggle to get the right angle.
Why we like it: on top of being reasonably priced and effective, this pillow is also machine washable!
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How To Buy The Best Pillow For You
What type of pillow is best for solving neck pain?
Moulded support pillows are supremely comfortable for your neck because they support its natural curve, says Gary Jones. “Your neck naturally curves slightly inwards, and contoured pillows help maintain that,” says Gary. “Over the years, that inward curve tends to flatten, especially if you spend too long stooped over your desk. So a moulded pillow with a high bit for your neck lets your body rest in a more natural and healthy position.”
Memory foam is especially well suited to providing the support your neck needs, so we’ve included several memory foam pillows in our rundown. Foam tends to feel quite soft at first, but it firms up as it moulds to fit the natural posture of your body, creating a cradle that supports your unique pressure points while you’re in the land of nod. On the downside, memory foam can feel a little too warm in summer, so some pillows include special cooling layers to offset clamminess.
If youre considering a memory foam pillow, then be sure to check out our dedicated memory foam roundup next.
Feather and down pillows are soft but versatile, giving you the freedom to make them more and less puffy in different areas to lend exactly the support you want. However they quickly lose their “loft” , and feathers can easily become displaced while you sleep, failing to give your head and neck consistent support through the night.
How To Choose The Best Pillow For Neck Pain
- Size of the Orthopedic Pillow: The neck support pillow comes in various sizes to fit your needs. The neck pillow should be large enough to support the head and neck fully.
- Material of the Neck Pillow: Cervical pillows are made of memory foam, natural cotton, polyfoam, buckwheat, latex, etc. Each type of material used inside and outside a neck pillow offers a different benefit, so do your research and choose carefully.
- Shape of the Neck Support Pillow: Neck pillows come in various shapes such as circular, cylindrical, S-shapes, U-shaped, etc. Most cervical pillows are contour shaped, and there are many options for this shape. Some cervical pillows come with a square, circular, or triangular depression for the head, which may benefit those who sleep on their backs or sides differently. Choose the shape that makes you feel more comfortable while sleeping.
- Sleeping position: Before buying the best pillow for neck support, it is important to determine your preferred sleeping position: on the back, side, or stomach. The shape of the neck support pillow greatly varies depending on the sleeping position it is intended to support.
Back sleepers should choose a thinner than the standard pillow with extra neck support. Side sleepers may need higher and larger pillows with neck support. Stomach sleeping is not a good position for neck pain. But if you have to sleep on your stomach, use a thin pillow under your stomach to prevent unnecessary extension of the neck.
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Best Pillow For Severe Neck Pain
If youre suffering from chronic neck pain, you may require an orthopedic pillow that is clinically designed for managing pain and relieving pressure from your spine. The Therapeutic Orthopedic Sleeping Pillow is a good example of such a pillow. It has a highly structured design with a very firm molded foam that helps it serve as a corrective pillow for your sleeping position.
Its advised to consult a doctor before opting for one. Its intended to support your thoracic spine, correct your neck, ease jaw discomfort, and support your head. The pillow may increase your neck pain during your initial few days of use but will definitely help reduce stiffness in your neck in the long run.
Do Higher Pillows Help With Neck Pain
Not necessarily. If your pillow is too high, it can throw your spine out of alignment and create even more pain, Nagle says. Ideally, you want to look for a pillow with a medium height to help you achieve this. If youre unsure if a particular pillows height is right for you, opt for an adjustable pillow.
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Our Neck Pain Pillow Testing Methodology
We put each of the pillows in this guide through several tests, including sleeping on each for at least three nights. When shopping for a pillow, the most important factors to consider are comfort, return policy, and adjustability.
Here are the main attributes we look for and how we test them:
Comfort: I tested each of the pillows for at least three nights. For reference, I’m 6 feet tall and 215 pounds. I mainly sleep on my side but can find comfort in any position. Each morning, I would record how comfortable I felt on the pillow, if I experienced any neck pain, and how well I slept. Since several factors play into pillow comfort, including your body type and sleeping style, the firmness of your bed, personal preferences and more, I also enlisted the help of six neck-pain sufferers on the Insider Reviews team to help me test.
Return policy: The only way to find out if a pillow is truly right for you is to sleep on it for several nights. We gave preference to pillows that had a trial period of at least 60 days and a return policy free of loopholes, like requiring the customer pay return shipping.
Cleaning: I cleaned all of the pillows according to the manufacturers’ directions. Many had removable machine-washable covers. A few, including the MyPillow pillows, were entirely machine-washable. However, it was hard to gauge when they were completely dry. I rated each pillow on how easy it was to clean and how cleaning impacted the feel.
Best Portable Allsett Round Cervical Pillow
This small-sized pillow is perfect for supporting your neck while you travel.
- Best for: Cervical support on-the-go
- Materials: Foam core, bamboo fabric
- Warranty: Amazon return policy
The tube shape fits nicely between the back of your neck and an airplane or car seat, keeping your head upright and preventing that stiff, painful ache in your neck when you wake up.
While its handy for traveling, as it saves you carting around a huge full-sized pillow in your hand luggage, it isnt great as a permanent neck pain solution.
Its also quite firm and the inner foam only compresses an inch or two when you rest on it.
Overall, its a handy cushion to have if youre a frequent flyer . However, you should still have a full-sized cervical pillow at home, especially if youre a stomach or side sleeper, as this mini pillow wont suffice long-term.
Why we like it: At just 13 inches long , this pillow is great for travel on airplanes and car journeys where awkward sleeping angles worsen your neck pain.
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Tempur Original Large Pillow: Best Memory Foam Pillow For Neck Pain
Price: £109 | Buy now from Tempur
Contoured memory foam is the pillow type of choice for people seeking relief from neck pain, and Tempur is the king of memory foam pillows. This classic robust pillow is pricey, but it’s a superb investment if you want to sleep better and wake in comfort.
The raised section supports your neck and helps your head, neck and shoulder muscles to fully relax in their natural posture while you sleep. The Large size is 11.5cm at its highest, which is not actually that high, so while it’s perfect for back sleepers you may need a bit of extra height to accommodate your shoulder if you’re a side sleeper. Luckily the Tempur Original also comes in X Large with 13cm of support, which is ideal for side sleepers. However it’s also worth noting that the pillow will compress and firm up over your first few nights of sleep.
Key specs Filling: Memory foam Cover: 100% cotton cover Sizes: Large is 61cm x 31cm also available in Medium and X Large
Best Memory Foam: Tempur
Why We Like It The TEMPUR-Neck Pillow utilizes proprietary memory foam to support and conform to your neck. It includes two different-sized bolsters to choose from depending on your sleep style and three sizes for different body types.
Its Worth Noting: It may be too supportive for non-side sleepers.
Memory foam conforms to the shape of your neck, so it can enhance the fit of the pillow, says Dr. Shah. We love the memory foam TEMPUR-Neck Pillow because it is ergonomically designed with an extra-firm feel to maintain its shape and two different-sized bolsters for a higher or lower head angle, depending on your sleep style and pain points.
Instead of a head cut-out, this pillow has a slope in the middle for your head to rest on, so itll be most comfortable for side sleepers. Keep in mind that Tempurpedic doesnt offer a sleep trial period, so if you dont sleep on your side, this pillow probably isnt for you.
This pillow does come in three pillow profile sizessmall, medium, and largefor different body shapes, with the large at the highest loft of 4.75 inches and the small at the lowest, of 3 inches.
This Tempurpedic pillow also comes with a five-year warranty to guarantee quality.
Price at time of publication: $119
Product details:
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What Is A Cervical Pillow
A cervical pillow supports your neck in the neutral aligned position and lifts your head to the proper height while you sleep on your back or side. It helps your neck stay in its optimal C-Curve , consistent with the rest of your spine. Both support and comfort are critical for preventing neck pain, healing neck injuries, and healthy sleep.
Cervical pillows can relieve neck muscle and joint strains, neck morning stiffness, neck arthritis, military neck, whiplash injuries, neck spinal stenosis, tension headaches, and more.
BEST Hybrid Mattresses for back/neck pain sufferers
Cervical Pillow For Sleep Apnea
Not many know cervical and sleep apnea are interlinked. OSA witnesses disordered breathing which is a result of damage of the upper airways during sleep. It can be identified with sudden start and stoppage of breathing while sleeping, indicating some sort of blockage or breathlessness. However, the damage to the pharyngeal plexus during cervical can deeply affect the upper airway. Thus, it is also important to stay away from sleep apnea while suffering from cervical. Both of these may join hands to make life miserable. Let us know how can orthopedic cervical pillow help in this regard.
- Choose Cool Pillow for Neck Pain: Pillow can not only help provide relief in cervical but in sleep apnea too. Orthopedic Cervical Pillow by Sleepsia are ergonomically designed, super airy, and hygienic. The memory foam stuffing or the gel-infused filling provides a cooling effect. It calms the mind and gives freshness which doesnt let the user sweat or snore.
- Choose Breathable Pillow: The best cervical pillow for sleep apnea is supposed to be super breathable. Less suffocation, more ventilation, and enhanced air circulation can help the user stay away from sleep apnea symptoms.
Hope Cervical Pillow: What You Need to Know has answered many of your questions. Hope this article has motivated you all to stay away from cervical and take necessary action against it. Hope it has strengthened your mind to be able to buy the best cervical pillow for neck pain.
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Cervical Pillow For Neck And Spine Support: Know The Secret
An orthopedic cervical pillow is something that needs to be placed in your bedrooms. Investing in a good cervical pillow such as Sleepsia orthopedic cervical pillow is the need of the hour. It is because of our worst sleeping patterns, vague postures, continuous laptop work, and other habits that are a cause of neck pain. So, a good pillow will help provide relief and support to the neck and the spine.
- Maintains The Curve: This special type of pillow is prepared to maintain the normal cervical/spinal curve while sleeping at the back. This further helps ligaments relax and remain at their appropriate length. The alignment of the neck and the spine is always beneficial to the person in pain.
- No Bend In The Neck: For those who sleep sideways, these specially designed cervical pillow dont let the neck bend to cause pain in the future.
- Help In Blood Circulation: Such pillow assist the tense muscles of the neck and shoulder region and help in blood circulation.
Sleepsia Cervical pillow for neck and spine support helps the neck pain sufferers miraculously. It is designed in a certain way to provide relaxation and pain-free sleep to the user so that the user can get up rejuvenated and energetic to tackle the new challenges of life.
Acquire Reliable Neck Pain Relief Treatments At New York Pain Care
If neck pain interferes with your ability to sleep, a good pillow can only go so far in helping with mitigating neck pain. Our group of medical professionals at our New York Pain Care facility will create a treatment strategy that will provide you the relief from neck pain you need.
We treat a variety of injuries and provide non-surgical pain management techniques. They can also help with headaches, sports injuries, shoulder pain, and other types of chronic pain. Make a call right away and let New York Pain Care assist you in leading a pain-free life.
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Choosing Right Size Of An Orthopedic Cervical Pillow
The market has many options for cervical pillow. Remember to choose wisely before buying. After all, we dont want no or ill effects after spending on these pillow. Hence, we need to know that a good pillow for neck pain should be of the appropriate loft that it can hold the neck properly.
- Try and look for any discomfort.
- If you feel discomfort in any way, drop the pillow!
- Look for the proper density of the pillow. Check what filling would you prefer.
- Memory foam or something else!
- Your head should not tilt or should not be placed too high. Search for an
- appropriate orthopedic cervical pillow.
- Your pillow for neck pain should add to the benefits and not add to the trouble.
Whats The Best Kind Of Pillow For Neck Pain
Home » Whats The Best Kind of Pillow for Neck Pain?
Having a proper pillow that supports your neck is extremely important to mitigate neck pain arising from injury, post-operative recovery, or strain on your neck. A good neck pillow can help you sleep better, which enhances your recovery time by helping you fall asleep even when youre in pain. The right pillow is integral for patients recovering from neck pain.
So whats the best kind of pillow for neck pain? Generally, a medium soft latex pillow is the most ideal type of pillow to help with neck pain. You should test your pillows firmness, filling, height, loft, shape, texture, and material, so it doesnt add to your neck pain. Consult with your provider to know the right type of pillow for you.
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