How many types of cervical pillows are there on the market?
There are many types of cervical pillows on the market, each with its specific characteristics, or with the strangest shapes or even with particular materials. This is certainly a first answer that we can give to those who wonder how many there are and which ones to choose. In recent years, the orthopedic anti-cervical pillow market has seen an explosion of products with increasingly innovative functions. The manufacturing companies have indulged themselves in trying to present both generic and super specific products created with increasingly technological and in some cases eco-sustainable materials. Over the years we have moved on from pillows with feathers or other filling materials and visco-elastic materials such as memory foam, latex and motorized pillows. All this combined with a massive advertising campaign has created some confusion among consumers about which path to take.
We will now try to clarify by analyzing a whole series of cushions on the market, also combining them with the specific function they perform, if they perform it.
As always, we start with the usual advice, given that we are talking about health and that every situation is unique, consult your trusted doctor or physiotherapist for a correct determination of the problem and a correct analysis of the path to take.
The first major distinction must be made between night pillows and daytime pillows.
Among the nocturnal ones we have the whole series of pillows in memory foam or latex or feather or other material which are essentially used for sleeping. They differ from the daytime ones, such as the heating and massaging ones or the silicone wave support, which have a purely gymnastic and relaxing but temporary function.
- Memory foam pillows: certainly the best-selling and most used. This material has the ability to adapt to the body making the support personalized and long-lasting. Very high speed of return to its natural position, although variable depending on the construction type. It is a product of chemical composition between several materials whose mix can make it more or less dense and consequently more or less hard. Discovered and still used by NASA, it is certainly the best material on the market today. With this material we encounter different types of pillows with different shapes, the most used is the double wave which perfectly follows the natural curves of the nape and neck. Regular and classic soap shape for those who don't have particular needs. Here we add other strange forms, created in the last year by import companies, for which the therapeutic benefit is still unknown. Here too the advice is always the same to try for a few days and possibly change until you find the best solution.
- Latex pillows : this is a natural material alternative to memory. In recent years it has also had a boom in use, because it is seen as a valid alternative to viscoelastic material. However, this novelty effect has faded over time and many companies have stopped producing it. It doesn't have the same hold, in terms of support, as memory, despite having greater breathability. In theory it is a material that has the same productivity as memory foam and can therefore be injected into any pillow mould, but the low productivity of the companies that deal with it has meant that in the latex pillow market you always find the same shapes or less. more.
- Goose down pillows: we don't know if there are still any on the market, production is certainly very limited due to the simple fact that with the filling you cannot give an alternative shape to the pillow, which becomes a more or less tall mega bar of soap depending on the quality of material. It is difficult to find a double wave filled with feathers, technically it would be very difficult and its shape would be lost in a short time.
- Heating and massaging cushions: these belong to the daytime category, they have a base where spheres heated by a resistance rotate. Do they work? It's difficult to know, it's definitely not a pillow for sleeping, its use is limited to a few minutes a day. Therefore it has a purely gymnastic and relaxing value.
- Silicone wave supports: Super new this year, a very particular tool that has the function of resting the neck trying to stretch its muscles, as a concept it can also be valid if we talk about cervical pain due to accumulation of stress, but also here we are limited to a few minutes per day in use. Its function is the same as massage cushions.
These are the macro areas of the cushions, within which we find the highest, lowest, softest, hardest, most technological and so on.
If you want to delve deeper into the topic and discover which is the best pillow of 2023, we recommend this article .
The article on the pillow purchasing guide is also very interesting.
The neck pillow is designed to fit the shape of your neck and head. This type of device can help prevent inflammation of the cervical area, neck pain and muscle stiffness during sleep. The National Library of Medicine (PUBmed) itself wrote an article on the importance of height and the use of the cervical pillow and its benefits.
Choosing the pillow may seem complicated but it goes hand in hand with your needs and care needs. Investing in your health has become a privilege that should not be lost. Have a good rest everyone!