What To Know About Choosing The Best Pillows For Neck Pain
All three of our experts agree: Finding the best pillow to support your spinal alignment is highly individual. Dr. Shah recommends spending at least 15 minutes laying on a pillow in your preferred sleep position in the store before buying it if possible. When shopping online, we recommend looking for a pillow with a sleep trial period or no-questions-asked return policy that way, if the pillow ends up not being ideal for your body, you can return it and try another.
If your neck pain is chronic, or its from an injury or condition, consult with a chiropractor, physical therapist, or orthopedic surgeon to find out what kind of pillow they recommend for your specific needs.
But in general, youre looking for a pillow that will keep your head and neck in neutral alignment with your spine. There are two key factors that influence this:
Neck Pillows: Anatomically & Ergonomically Designed Pillows For Cervical Spine Support To Help Alleviate Neck Pain & Headaches
Everyone is different, however, having a variety of quality neck pillows allows everyone to choose one that works best. If your wondering which pillow is best for me? We have some tips and information to help you choose from a selection of pillows that fit your particular sleeping needs and cervical spine requirements.
Benefits Of A Cervical Pillow
There are many reasons you should switch to an ergonomic pillow, but the most common ones include:
- Pain relief. A cervical pillow provides support to areas that need it the most. Itll help ease your headache, reduce muscle cramping and neck stiffness, alleviate neck and back pain, and improve your sleep quality.
- Improved posture. Since cervical contour pillows provide excellent support, theyll prevent you from developing bad posture.
- Greater comfort. The majority of such pillows are far more comfortable than traditional ones because theyre specially designed to conform to your bodys shape.
- Better overall health. As we mentioned, poor or insufficient sleep influences your health. Sleeping on a pillow tailored to your needs will help boost your health.
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Strategy: Combining Neck Pillows
It is not a good idea to use two of the same pillows of the together, however, some may benefit from alternating pillows of different designs, as a strategy to help with neck pain and headaches in difficult cases. This would combine a single surface with a multi-surface functional pillow used according to your symptoms one as a standard, the other as an alternate when the condition changes or gets worse.
Why You Can Trust Us
Our team at Sleep Foundation includes experts and testers with years of experience in the sleep product industry. We have tested over 300 pillows in order to determine which ones are best suited to sleepers with different needs. Our team includes back, side, stomach, and combination sleepers, as well as sleepers of different body types. This allows us to represent as wide an array of sleep preferences as possible in our findings.
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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.
Sleeping Well These Days Is Tough So Here Are 24 Pillows For Every Budget
Sleep is one of the most vital factors in staying healthy. And in these unusual times, it’s evermore so. So if your nights consist of tossing, turning, sweating, and flipping your pillow over every couple hours, you might want to turn your focus to upgrading your bedding.
Everything in your bedroom, down to the pillow you lay on, should promote a good night’s sleep. Otherwise, you’re not doing yourself any favors. That’s why we’ve rounded up 24 pillows to help improve your shuteye. May the z’s be ever in your favor.
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How We Selected The Pillows For Neck Pain
To determine what features in a pillow are best for neck pain, we spoke with three experts about what qualities to look for in a pillow to ease and prevent neck pain. They also shared which products they recommend to patients.
The experts we spoke to include:
- Kevin Lees, DC, manager of auditing and quality at The Joint Chiropractic
- Rahul Shah, MD, board-certified orthopedic spine and neck surgeon based in New Jersey
- James D. Lin, MD, spine surgeon and assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Are Firmer Pillows Better For Neck Pain
Typically yes, because a firmer pillow keeps your head at the same height all night instead of compressing down and moving your neck out of neutral alignment, says Dr. Lin. A firmer pillow is best for neck pain if you sleep on your side, and a firm pillow with a low loft is good for neck pain if you sleep on your back. If you sleep on your stomach, a plush, low-loft pillow is better to keep your spine in alignment. However, sleeping on your stomach can exacerbate or cause entirely new neck stiffness, so if you already have neck pain, you should consider switching to sleeping on your side or back.
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How We Evaluated These Pillows
During the testing process, our team members lie on each pillow for a period of time to evaluate firmness, support, pressure relief, and other performance features that are relevant to sleepers with neck pain. Testers shift around to evaluate the pillows feel and contouring in different positions, and they handle the pillows at length to gauge moldability. We use thermal sensors to measure heat retention and VOC meters to test for off-gassing. The picks above reflect the pillows that out-performed all other models.
What Is Cushion Labs Return Policy
Cushion Lab offers their customers 30 days from the date of purchase to return their item for a full refund.
There are a few steps to take to begin your return. First, email Cushion Lab at with the subject line: return.
Cushion Lab asks that you provide the order number for the item you want to return as well as your full name. Returned packages are not accepted without an email request.
Cushion Lab asks that you send your return order back in its original packaging and that your item is in original condition. Once your return has been approved, you will receive an email with a PDF of a RMA label. All customers are responsible for their return shipping fees. You must print it off and attach it to your return package.
All return orders must be sent to:
UPS eFulfillment CA
16270 Jurupa Ave, Suite 200
Fontana, CA 92337
Once Cushion Lab has received your return order, you will receive confirmation of your refund. It will take approximately 3 5 business days for your refund to be processed in its original payment form.
Exchanges are available as well, but customers need to reach out to the customer support team in order to begin their exchange process.
Any item that has been marked as final sale is not eligible for an exchange or return.
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What Is Neck Pain
The neck is responsible for bearing the entire weight of your head, and its not surprising that this delicate part of the body is highly susceptible to injury. The 2018 US Burden of Disease study found that neck pain is rising in importance as a leading cause of disability among the American population. Most sources estimate that between 25 and 30 percent of people suffer from neck pain every year. While many episodes of neck pain resolve naturally, for some it can become a chronic condition with adverse consequences for their quality of life.
Neck pain can be caused by a number of factors. It may stem from an injury or a chronic condition such as arthritis, or it may arise from daily habits such as poor posture or too many hours of sitting at a computer. While symptoms vary, people with neck pain often experience:
- Neck pain, especially during repetitive activities or long periods of sitting upright
- Limited range of motion
- Poor sleep quality
If you have severe pain or additional symptoms, or if youre not sure whats causing your neck pain, its a good idea to visit a doctor to rule out underlying conditions.
Regular exercise and a healthy body weight are thought to have a positive impact on chronic neck pain. The American Chiropractic Association notes that neck pain often goes hand-in-hand with high stress levels and obesity.
Overview Of Cushion Lab
The Cushion Lab launched in 2018 with the mission to make Americans more comfortable and living with better support, whether at their desk, home, traveling or even in bed with ergonomically designed sleep pillows.
This American company has also vowed to be as sustainable and ethical with their sourcing as possible as their pillows are crafted with 100% recycled polyester taken from recycled bottles. They also only work with organic cottons and bamboo fibers. Every product is designed and shipped out of California with production overseas.
Now that weve covered the background of this American ergonomically designed support pillow brand, lets take a look through some of the highlights in shopping with Cushion Lab.
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Tips For Choosing The Best Pillows For Neck Problems
We define neck pillows as those not just wrapping around your neck, but those the maintain the proper relationship between the head, neck and shoulders when sleeping, based on sound ergonomic principles. Having well designed pillows for cervical problems is one important factor in achieving long term pain relief. Since there is no one pillow designed for every specific neck pain condition, an important consideration in choosing the best pillow is to choose ones according to your specific sleeping preferences. It is always easier to choose from neck pain pillows that conform to the positions you are most comfortable when sleeping.
How Does Your Mattress Effect A Pillow
We have discussed positions depending on your mattress. Here are some pictures to show how the sleeping surface can effect your pillow as well as your posture. This illustrates the side sleeping posture, but goes for any sleeping position. As a general tip, good mattresses should be medium/firm to avoid extreme postures of the neck and back. Preference is personal, just like pillows.
If you have a very plush or soft mattress, you may consider using the lower side of a contour pillow or choose a smaller size of the pillow that come in different heights. The opposite is true of firm mattresses, use the larger side or consider going up a size. Why? Your shoulders will sink further down in a soft mattress, while the pillow remains the same.
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Support For Neck Pillows
Neck pillows provide important ergonomic support of the neck during sleep. Many standard orthopedic pillows for neck pain often lose their support with time. Biomechanically, they offer support to inflamed areas of the neck and the normal relationship between the head, neck and upper back which can work to correct poor neck posture and allow injured parts to heal with less stress.
Scientific research is confirming clinical data that the use of cervical pillows can aid in neck pain treatment. Clinical evidence indicates neck and back posture correcting pillows to be employed for various neck and related issues like: sleep difficulties, headache, neck and arm pain, disc conditions, arthritis, as well as injury related sprains and strains like whiplash.
Because there is no clear choice that benefits everyone, we have articles to learn more about choosing a good neck pillow, please invest some time to read about How To Choose The Right Pillow, which details specific functions of pillow designs. Additionally, there is information on the best pillow for neck pain, pillows for neck pain, geared towards information on which neck pillows may be the bring the most satisfaction to our customers.
Where Can I Buy Cushion Lab Extra Dense Ergonomic Cervical Pillow For Firm Neck Support Orthopedic Contour Pillow For Back Side Sleeper Neck Relief Certi Pur Us Memory Foam Pillow W Organic Cotton Cover Online At The Best Price In The India
desertcart is the best online shopping platform where you can buy Cushion Lab Extra Dense Ergonomic Cervical Pillow For Firm Neck Support Orthopedic Contour Pillow For Back Side Sleeper Neck Relief Certi PUR US Memory Foam Pillow W Organic Cotton Cover from renowned brand. desertcart delivers the most unique and largest selection of products from across the world especially from the US, UK and India at best prices and the fastest delivery time.
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Cushion Lab Sleep Review
Theres nothing better than sinking your head into your hotel pillow at night but what if you could have that same comfort every night at home?
Its important to have the right support for your head and neck and prevent issues. And thats exactly where the Cushion Lab sleep pillows come into play. Lets take a look at their best-sellers.
If you know that theres no better feeling than flipping your pillow over to the cool side but want a bit more support at night, check out the Cushion Lab Cooling Neck Support Contour Pillow.
This firm pillow is ergonomically designed to support both your neck and head during rest hours and it features unique side bolsters to help relieve your shoulders of any pressure as you comfortably go between back- and side-sleep.
The cooling cover is meant to help keep your head and neck fresh as it repels any moisture that might build up during those heated sleep hours.
The Cushion Lab Cooling Neck Support Contour Pillow is priced at $65 .
Do you love the feeling of a fluffy down pillow but need the support of memory foam? The Cushion Lab Adjustable Shredded Memory Foam Pillow offers a balance of luxury that you can sink into without losing the support.
The Cushion Lab Adjustable Shredded Memory Foam Pillow is priced at $52 .
Your Body Size And Body Type
Your height, weight, and shoulder width all come into play for what size, loft, support, and materials are best for you. For example, a small person who sleeps on their side might not need as much loft to put their head in line with their shoulders, while someone with a big frame might need more. Similarly, a small-framed person may be better off with a standard pillow while a person with a larger frame may be better supported on a king-size pillow. People who are overweight may run hotter, so they should opt for cooling materials and stay away from heat-retainers like memory foam.
Then, when youre looking for the best pillow for neck pain, the most important features to consider are:
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Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow
With a shredded memory foam fill and a hypoallergenic rayon bamboo cover, this pillow offers cool, soft support to help you drift into pressure-free sleep. It’s temperature-smart, meaning it responds to your body’s heat and movement, so you won’t wake up uncomfortably sweaty every night. Originally $40, you can get it on sale for just $21.99.
Cushion Lab Promotions & Discounts
If you love a good deal, there are few ways to save money while shopping on the Cushion Lab website:
- They offer free ground shipping on all orders to every state
- You can also shop their sale section to find items up to 33% off the regular price
- If you sign up to receive Cushion Lab newsletters, you will also receive exclusive offers and promotions to your inbox
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Other Tips For Sleepers With Neck Pain
In addition to choosing the right pillow, you can reduce neck pain through lifestyle changes like adopting proper posture, taking stretching breaks, and generally being more active. People who experience neck pain should avoid shoulder bags, slouching, and long periods of sitting at the computer.
- Choose the Right Mattress: Your bodys overall position is influenced not only by your pillow, but also your mattress. Plusher mattresses allow your body to sink down further, meaning youll need a lower-loft pillow. The opposite holds true for firmer mattresses, which will require a higher pillow to maintain proper alignment of the neck and spine.
- Engage in Physical Therapy: From daily habits to more serious regimens, there are plenty of exercises you can do to relax your neck muscles and relieve strain on the neck, shoulders, and upper back. A certified massage therapist or chiropractor may also be able to help. Always consult a health professional before starting any kind of treatment.
- Use Ice or Heat: Many people with neck pain receive instant relief from a hot or cold compress, or from taking a warm shower. This may not cure your neck problems, but it can be a helpful short-term solution.
