Everyone has their favourite sleeping position. Whether you sleep on your side with a pillow between your knees, on your back or on your tummy – every angle requires the right pillow to support you. Quality sleep is imperative for good overall health and wellbeing, and a good pillow is essential for quality sleep.
Do you wake with neck pain, stiffness or headaches?
If you are experiencing restless sleep or waking with neck pain, stiffness or headaches, your pillow could be the cause. A good night’s sleep is dependent on a healthy sleeping position and a good pillow. A good pillow will support your head in natural alignment with your spine. Only a pillow offering good support and adjustability can do this.
What are the Classic Signs of an unsupportive pillow?
Most quality pillows will only last you three to four years before you need to replace them. However, some of the lesser quality pillows may only remain supportive for a few months. The reason is that a pillows internal supportive material breaks down with use and time. Whether your pillow is feather, foam, memory foam, rubber, latex of any other natural or synthetic product, they all eventu- ally disintegrate with time and use. If you are consistently having the following trouble it’s time to change your pillow – waking during the night or in the morning with a stiff neck, neck pain or headache or restless or interrupted sleep with difficulty going off to sleep. Another sure sign is an improved sleep when you visit a friend, borrow your partner’s pil- low or stay in a hotel. If any of these sound like you, it may be time to replace your pillow.
What to look for in a new pillow:
The Australian Physiotherapy Association states that “selecting the right pillow will help ensure you sleep well and wake up feeling rested with- out pain or stiffness”. The ideal pillow will provide enough support to keep your neck and spine aligned while also being comfortable.
Maybe it’s NOT Your Pillow!
Why? Sometimes there is simply no pillow in the world that is best for you. If you have a neck injury, pain or stiffness you may not have the avail- able pain-free range of neck motion to allow you to have a comfortable pain-free sleep. The solution on this occasion is to have your neck professionally assessed and treated. Often just one quality treatment of your neck will solve years of sleeping difficulties.
How often should you replace your pillows?
Whether you are resting your head on it at the end of a big day or swinging it wildly in a bedroom-based war, your pillow is your best friend (and weapon of choice) when it comes to sleep. While the focus is often on mat- tresses, this humble hero is essential supporting the spine and maintaining good alignment and contributing to improved sleep quality. We all love a good pillow, but hanging on to them for years on end might not be the best idea. When your pillow reaches its use-by date, there’s no point fluffing around and clinging on to dreams once had – It’s time to move on.
Why should you replace your pillow?
People often talk about the comfort of their pillow with the belief that they can ‘break down’ over time and fail to provide ample support. While this can be a good motivation for replacing an ageing pillow, the truth is found be- neath the surface. While you sleep, pillows absorb your body’s perspiration, fluids, oils and skin cells over time. This results in an environment that allows nasties such as dust mites, moulds and mildews to thrive.
If you are having difficulty sleeping or are waking with a stiff, sore neck or headaches then callWhittlesea Physiotherapy on 03 9716 2250 as we are able to assist you in optimal pillow selection and can assess and treat the spine, both of which can interfere with a good nights sleep.