In my practice of spine surgery, I see almost about 50 patients a month with neck pain. The eternal question – “Doctor, Should I use a pillow or not?”. The question seems to be very logical since eight hours of a day we spend in bed; one-third of a day indeed.
To understand the importance of pillow, we should know about relation of our neck and head. Cervical spine is made up of seven bones, which are held together by ligaments, muscles and soft tissues. Two adjacent bones make joints with each other. This assembly of seven bones support head.
Mechanically speaking, the head has to be in line with cervical spine, else the joints are strained and the pain starts. Head forward posture with modern lifestyle of electronics and computers has added to the problem.
Pillows come in various shapes and sizes. Does it really matter, which one to choose?
Yes….it does matter. People sleep in various postures. There are flat sleepers, side sleepers and stomach sleepers. Sleeping flat and sideways requires support to head so as to keep head in line with spine. But sleeping on stomach tends to extend your head backwards over cervical spine. So any extra pillow below chin is going to make the things worse.
It concludes that a pillow is required while sleeping on back or sideways.
How thick?
Practically speaking the pillow thickness is decided by personal comfort. Most of the times back sleepers require a pillow which is about 2-3 inches in thickness. Side sleepers usually require thicker ones; may be about 4-5 inches. Stomach sleepers usually don’t require any pillow or very thin pillow about 1 inch in thickness.
What material?
Multiple materials are available. Each has its own pros and cons. Best choice is fabric pillows, which are neither too firm nor too soft. It should not give offensive chemical odor. The material should not retain heat. The most important aspect is that it should support your head weight in alignment to spine.
Next time you have neck pain, go through your checklist:
- Correction of posture
- Avoid straining your neck muscles
- Give a thought to the efficacy of mattress
- Most important… think about your PILLOW.
- If still things don’t settle down, consult a Spine Surgeon.