How to Choose the Right Pillow for Sleep

Headaches, back pain, fatigue, and even early wrinkles are very often induced by the poor choice of your bedding. It’s not only a matter of the mattress you sleep on. The right pillow is also important.

Here are the characteristics you should pay attention to while purchasing a pillow for your sleep. They will help you choose an item that will hold your head and neck in the most preferable position for healthy sleep.

What makes a perfect pillow?

Size

The width and length aren’t as important as the height of your pillow. It shouldn’t be too high. High pillow makes your head bend to your chest. This makes your cervical spine flatten, that will make you need chronic neck pain treatment over time. Does it mean your pillow should be absolutely flat? No.

Healthy sleep is possible only if all the muscles are relaxed. Flat surface can’t provide that. The back of your head should be slightly up to give your spine a good rest. A higher pillow is the better choice for people who have problems with breathing—it prevents the tongue from falling back.

Shape

Square and rectangles are the classic shapes whose efficiency has been proven by time. The new trend of ergonomic pillows that are shaped after the human body curves cause mixed feelings. On one hand, such pillows are designed to provide the right position for your head. On the other, this may not work, depending on the position you prefer to sleep in.

Some people believe that special orthopedic pillows help prevent spinal diseases. This is a mistake. Such pillows are designed for people who already have such diseases. In addition, they aren’t meant for constant use. People sleep on them only until they are able to sleep on normal pillows.

Material

It’s the neverending discussion—natural or synthetic? From an orthopedic point of view, synthetic pillows are better. They have an excellent ability to preserve their shape and are not as allergenic as natural materials. Their drawback is poor ability to absorb the discharge from a person’s skin.

Among the natural materials, the safest is buckwheat. However, you’ll need to take special care for your buckwheat pillows not to destroy them and keep them in a decent hygienic condition.

Density

Soft pillows are comfortable but totally unhealthy. They put your spine into an unnatural position and cause neck pain and headaches. On the other hand, very hard devices may not let you sleep properly, and this will also affect your health.

This is how you can check the optimal density. Do you feel the desire to put your hand under the pillow when you lay your head on it? If the answer is yes, that means your pillow isn’t dense enough and your body tries to help you distribute the weight of your head.

Wrap Up

Now you know how to choose the best pillow for a good night’s sleep, healthy spine and excellent mood throughout the day. In addition, as you improve the position of your head during sleep, the condition of your skin will be also improved. The anatomically incorrect position of the head provokes the appearance of additional wrinkles, especially on your neck.

Nowadays, there are even special anti-wrinkle pillows available. They promise to prevent your skin from aging. Their efficiency hasn’t been scientifically proven yet. However, if you want to try one, first check if it fits into the demands of a healthy pillow mentioned above. If it doesn’t, it’s probably not the best option for healthy sleep.