With the birth of the internet, smartphones coming to prevalence, desk jobs and not to mention people getting older (which is a good thing!) there are more and more ways in which people of all ages can develop neck pain.
One of the most common questions we get quizzed on by patients is on pillows. How many should I use? What kind of pillow is best? What’s the best sleeping position in bed? Below are a few top tips for keeping on top of your neck pain through appropriate use of pillows:
Number of pillows
In short it depends. Perhaps not the answer you wanted to hear but the one you expected. We all have different postures and curvatures in our spine so some people may need more pillows than others. The most important thing to make sure is that your spine is in a neutral position when you’re sleeping.
Type of pillow
An awful lot of different opinions are out there regarding the type of pillow to use but again this all comes down to preference and comfort. Providing that your spine isn’t sinking into your lovely new thick duck feathered pillow and causing an unnatural curvature in your spine, or that firm orthopaedic cervical pillow isn’t propping your head up too much, then the type of pillow that you use shouldn’t make all that much of a difference.
Sleeping Position
Generally speaking sleeping on your side, particularly if suffering with neck pain, is usually the most comfortable position. This is also the best position to keep snorers quiet!
Other Top Tips
Moving away slightly from pillows- when you do go to bed; make sure not to be on your phone before trying to get to sleep. Not only can using your phone before bed have a negative on your sleep, it can also aggravate neck pain. The muscles in your neck can become fatigued from having to hold your head up whilst on your phone all night. This in turn could lead to muscle and joint pains in the upper back and neck.
If all else fails feel free to bring your pillows along with you when having a consultation- one of our osteopaths will be more than happy to help!
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