SLEEP ON IT: TIPS FOR FINDING THE RIGHT PILLOW
Are you constantly waking up through the night flipping and re-fluffing your pillow? Do you wake up every morning with a stiff neck or headache? It might be time to change your pillow, but what is the best pillow on the market? In this week’s blog, we will briefly identify different types of pillows and give our best recommendations.
History of the Pillow
Over the past several years, the pillow market has expanded, and companies have designed specific pillows based on the consumer’s needs. Although the earliest pillows were made of stone or wood, throughout time, the pillow has become softer to make sleep more comfortable. Now they are made of different materials including memory foam, cotton, feathers, wool, buckwheat, etc. Entrepreneurs have designed different pillow shapes such as standard, contour, wedge, body, cervical, roller/bolster, etc., to help increase quality of sleep and reduce pain throughout the night.
What Do We Recommend?
In addition to different materials, shapes and sizes, pillows come in different levels of firmness. Some people prefer a flat pillow whereas others prefer a full, firm pillow. The biggest question is, which option is best?
Here is our best recommendation. A flat pillow will result in an increased cervical curve which will add negative pressure to cervical discs. A too firm pillow will result in a negative loss to the cervical curve and result in a loss of range of motion and daily headaches. Finding a pillow in the happy-medium range between flat and full is our best recommendation. This allows the cervical curve to maintain a correct alignment, reduce headaches, and improve the quality of sleep.
Another thing that patients ask about is our recommendation on a pillow brand. There are many pillow brands on the market. Some are good and some are bad. In the chiropractic community, there are two popular pillow brands. One is new and we don’t know much about it at this time. The other brand is called Chiroflow. Chiroflow is a water-based pillow that has been the #1 best-selling chiropractic pillow for 30 years. Water is added to the pillow and is filled to patient desire based on ideal firmness. The water added to the pillow allows for constant motion and maintains a healthy cervical curve.
Another pillow brand that consumers can buy online is Coop. Coop is the brand that Dr. Steinert uses. When a Coop pillow is purchased, it comes with the sheet, pillow, and microfiber stuffing that is filled to patients’ desired firmness. The nice thing about this pillow is that over time, when the pillow breaks down, stuffing can be removed and replaced with new stuffing. After two years, the pillows are still in great shape.
Regardless of the brand pillow that is purchased, plan to spend some money. If you are looking for a good, comfortable pillow for pain reduction and better sleep, plan to spend $70-$150 per pillow. Yes, they are expensive, but most of these pillows have a lifetime warranty and will last a lifetime, if cared for properly. Pillows are well worth the investment.
If you have any questions about sleep, please call us at (724) 547-3377 and check out our website at www.laurelmountainchiro.com for more content.
Yours In Health,
Brian M. Steinert, DC
Larry E. Wilkins, DC