Quality neck pillows provide a wide range of excellent benefits. These pillows can help people with and without neck and back problems, as the benefits extend beyond just chronic pain management.
What Are Uses Of The Cervical Pillow ?
There are many neck pillow benefits, ranging from better sleep to pain reduction and snoring prevention! Reducing neck pain is one of the top cervical neck pillow benefits, but not the only one. People without back or neck pain can still benefit from a quality neck pillow. If you’re curious about the top benefits of a neck pillow, you can read about them below.
Protect Your Cervical Spine
Sleeping is meant to be a time when your spine can relax and uncompress. The gravity that weighs on your spine throughout the day makes you slightly shorter. So, you’re taller in the morning than at bedtime. But while you lay down, your spine can stretch out again, relieving pressure and tension on bones, muscles, and ligaments. Unfortunately, if you sleep in unnatural or unhealthy positions, your spine cannot correctly uncompress, leading to discomfort and pain. One of the top cervical pillow benefits is a more open and supported spine. This added support and alignment allows your muscles to relax, so you don’t wake up feeling sore.
Prevent Cricks in Your Neck
If you wake up every morning and tenderly rub your neck and groan, you could likely benefit from a neck pillow. Waking up with cricks in your neck is frustrating and unpleasant, but swapping out your tired old pillow for a cervical pillow can prevent this problem! The added support of a neck pillow allows your neck muscles and bones to rest, so there is no discomfort when you wake up.
Keep Your Spine Aligned
Many people struggle with poor posture, which can lead to back pain, spinal dysfunction, rounded shoulders, joint degeneration, muscle strain, and even a potbelly. Conditions like scoliosis, sciatica, and kyphosis can be lifelong problems and are often caused by a consistently poorly-aligned spine and poor posture. Whether you use a neck pillow while sitting or laying, it can condition your body to have better posture, lowering the risk of back and spine problems later in life.
Reduce Snoring
Nobody wants to snore, but it’s an unfortunate part of life. Or is it? If you or your partner snore incessantly during the night, the proper neck pillow can help reduce this unpleasant sound. People snore because their airways are obstructed or narrowed, often due to their sleeping position. But a supportive cervical pillow will align your head and neck, opening the airways fully and reducing snoring!
Do Cervical Pillows Cure Neck Pain?
One of the main benefits of sleeping with a neck pillow is reduced or eliminated neck pain. But is a cervical pillow a guaranteed cure? Unfortunately, no. Cervical pillows are not a cure but a tool to ease the pain. For some people, sleeping with a neck pillow has eliminated their neck pain, but this is not true for everyone. For example, if you work in an office and use a poorly-constructed chair with no ergonomics, your neck pain likely stems from this. A neck pillow only solves alignment and support issues at night or when used, but it can’t solve all neck problems if other sources cause the pain.
How To Use A Neck Pillow To Keep Our Neck And Spine Aligned?
If you want to get the most out of your cervical neck pillow, there is a specific way you should use it. Ideally, the neck pillow will support your head and neck at the same height so your spine is not stressed. When using a neck pillow, position your neck so it lays on the raised section of the pillow. Your head should lay on the compressed part of the pillow above the raised section. If you place your head too high on the pillow, your shoulders will land on the raised part, causing your spine to be misaligned. If you rest your head too low on the pillow, it will cause your neck to curve drastically, causing more stress on the muscles and ligaments. A neck pillow can be an excellent tool for reducing pain and discomfort, but it can worsen your symptoms if used improperly.
Where Can I Get a Good Cervical Pillow For My Neck Pain?
There are tons of very good cervical pillows out there that can help ease your neck pain. Of course, we love our own brand Neck-O Pillow which is specifically designed for people with neck pain. You can click here to view our product. But here is a full list of pillows that we think will help you!
- Neck-O Pillow ($22.94)
- The Purple Harmony Pillow ($199.00)
- Osteo Cervical Pillow ($49.99)
There are many more options there but these seem to be the best at each of their prices. Remember, if you are suffering from neck pain, cervical pillows are a tool in helping resolve your neck pain, it's important to pair them with exercises, stretches, and more. If your curious on what else you can do to help improve your neck pain. Check out this post where we go over 7 tried and true tips to improve your neck pain!