Cervical pillow buying guide
A good cervical pillow is essential for a restful sleep and to avoid neck and head pain, thus avoiding waking up with pain throughout the cervical area. There are many different models on the market, so it can be difficult to choose the right one. In this article we will highlight some tips that could be useful for a more informed cervical pillow purchasing guide . So how do you go about finding the most suitable one?
Before starting to choose a cervical pillow , it is important to understand what your needs are, what your nighttime suffering is and understand what caused it. Therefore, a medical consultation is always good advice to start determining the causes. For further information you can also consult this article from the PUBMED national medicine library. Once the origin of the disorder has been identified, proceed with the following considerations:
- Your sleeping position: If you sleep on your back, stomach or side, you will need a neck pillow with a different design.
- Your body size: tall or short, thin or overweight, are elements that guide the choice towards a cervical pillow with adequate height and support in terms of material density.
- Health problems: If you suffer from neck or head pain, you will need a neck pillow that can help improve your posture and reduce pain.
- If the pain is traumatic in nature, some types of additional therapies may be necessary.
Only with a good diagnosis can the problem be best addressed. From there the choice of cushion and on the market we have all types and all materials, each with its advantages and disadvantages. The main types are:
- Memory foam pillows: These pillows are made with a viscoelastic material that adapts to the shape of your neck and head. They are very comfortable and can help reduce neck pain. Their main characteristic is to support the posture and at the same time direct it towards the right correction.
- Latex Pillows: These pillows are made from a natural material that is very elastic and breathable. They are a good choice for allergy sufferers. Their disadvantage is the little propensity to correct posture.
- Feather Pillows: These pillows are made from goose or duck feathers. They are very soft and comfortable, but can lose their shape over time. They support posture very much, they don't correct it at all but if you don't have particular problems they can be fine, even if the duration over time is limited.
- Fiber Pillows: These pillows are made from synthetic fibers such as polyester or polyurethane. They are cheap and easy to clean, but they don't offer the same support as memory foam or latex pillows.
In addition to the material, there is the shape to consider, here too the market has indulged itself. So what is the best form?
We always start from the diagnosis. Once it is clear what the needs are and how to intervene, one form is acquired rather than another. The most popular:
- Double wave: this is the best seller for a simple reason, the two external waves create a depression in the center where the head rests, generally of different heights to better customize the support. They create the right support for the neck by filling the natural arch.
- Soap pillow: for those who do not have particular problems with neck pain and are not looking for an ergonomic and orthopedic pillow, but are just intent on maintaining a comfortable posture with effective general support.
- Lately, slightly stranger forms have also come out as design evolutions of the first two but in essence little or nothing changes and in many cases the change is only worsening.
- Heating and massaging pillows : they are a category of non-nighttime but daytime pillows which have the sole purpose of avoiding compression and stress after a day of work but which have nothing to do with night sleep. They have a gymnastic and massaging function and here too often with poor results.
Once the material and model have been chosen, the testing of the various cushions begins because not all are the same despite having the same material and shape. Many stores, both physical and online, offer free trials, taking advantage of this opportunity is certainly a good starting point to understand which is best for your needs.