Could Your Pillow Be a Health Danger?

Picking out a new pillow is a tough job. We’ve all had that moment in the department store - poking a plastic-wrapped pillow as if we made up our own specially patented squeeze test.

Not all pillows work for everyone. We’re trained to think that softer is better, but there are so many other factors in pillows and our own sleeping habits that influence a good night’s rest.

A pillow’s most important job is to support your head and maintain your body’s natural spinal alignment. Experts recommend pillows should fill a space of four to six inches between the head and mattress to ease pressure points.

Your sleeping position is the most important factor when choosing the design, support and material of your new pillows.

If you’re a back sleeper, you can use most down, memory foam or artificial stuffing pillows, provided that they are of medium firmness. It’s important for back sleepers to lay the pillow between the head and the bottom of the shoulders to support the neck. If you’re trying to reduce back pain, many back sleepers place a pillow under their knees to alleviate lower back stress.

If you’re a side sleeper, use a pillow that reduces the concentration of fibers in the center like a Posturepedic pillow. This allows even support throughout the pillow to cradle the head and neck as it rests at the shoulder line. Side sleepers should use pillows with medium-to-firm support.

If you’re a stomach sleeper, you want to look for something soft and flat, like a memory foam pillow. Stomach sleepers tend to have unnecessary shoulder or neck pain because the head rests at an awkward angle above the body. Memory foam reduces this issue by cradling the head and neck at the shoulder line, providing shallow and soft spinal alignment.

You can make you pillows last up to three to five years if you use a pillow protector. You can wash a pillow, but many people prefer to replace it when it turns yellow from years of collecting dirt and sweat. Always replace lumpy or misshapen pillows.

Finding the right pillow for your sleeping position is important. When you keep your spinal alignment, you can reduce stress, retain energy and improve your overall health. Throw out that old lumpy pillow and start your day on the right side of the bed.