Ideally, when you sleep, your body and mind are supposed to be rejuvenated and refreshed. Your expectations are that you will wake up packed with energy, your mind clear as a whistle and raring to go. However, in most cases, that does not happen. There could be many reasons for this, but one of them, and the main one is that we use the wrong sleeping accessories, mostly pillows.
Many people think that we all sleep the same. Thus, a big majority of people buy the wrong pillows. After all, I just want a pillow to support my head and neck. And then they wake up more tired than rested, without knowing the cause.
In this article, we will try to burst the general sentiment that a pillow is a pillow. Some pillows are more equal than others, yeah, just as some animals were more equal than others in the book Animal Farm.
What is your type of pillow?
With so many pillows and other bedding accessories in the market, it can be a tad hard to know the best kind of pillow. However, the best type of pillow for you is one that supports you, irrespective of your sleeping style and habit. Good news is … even if you sleep spreadeagled, there is a pillow for you.
Best pillows for side sleepers
According to research, 63% of good ol’ Americans sleep on their side! The whopping big number there. And the pillow and bedding manufacturers have taken note of this and capitalized on it in a great way. Thus, we have pillows for side sleepers. These are strong and supportive.
When you sleep on your side, you exert more pressure on your mattress. But that is not where the main problem is. The issue is that your head will be elevated too high. Thankfully, there is a befitting pillow for just that posture. With such a pillow, you will sleep comfortably throughout the night and you will not wake up with an aching neck.
You want a pillow that offers just the right amount of support. You do not want one that is too supportive as it may cause neck pain. Thankfully, there is a wide array of pillows for side sleepers in the market such that you will be spoiled for choice.
If you sleep on your side, try hard to make it the left side. When you sleep on the left side, you help your bowels to move more freely because the stomach is naturally to the left side.
Best pillows for back sleepers
If you fall in the midst of the 14 percent of people that sleep on their back in the US, you will need a good pillow to support you. The most important thing is to keep your spine aligned from the tailbone to the neck and to have a good sleep every night.
Luckily, unlike side sleepers, when you sleep on your back, your head is not elevated at all. In fact, that is why you need a pillow, for elevating your head, which can help keep your airways open and clear. In fact, if you choose a good pillow, it may even be able to help with your snoring.
Compared to other sleeping styles, sleeping on your back is the best position. It is the most natural, meaning that it allows the spine to stay aligned, in its most natural position. Thus, you need very minimal elevation. It also helps with the blood flow as the heart has to do less work to push blood to all organs and parts of the body.
Best pillows for stomach sleepers
A good percentage of people sleep on their tummies. Now, this has its benefits and it has cons. If this is how you sleep, sweet dreams to you. Whatever rocks your boat … life is short.
Back to our pillows for tummy sleepers, you want one that will elevate your head, just so you can keep your nose out of the mattress. You may also need a pillow that extends to your stomach area because the spine might curve downwards when you sleep.
Experts say this is a bad sleeping position, but it is not as if we set out to choose our sleeping positions. We just find ourselves sleeping a certain way.