It’s impossible to sleep comfortably without the right kind of bedding. The type of pillows you use makes a massive difference when it comes to your overall health. If you don’t use the correct neck support pillow or contour pillow, for example, you may suffer neck problems from pillow.
You need to ensure that your mattress and your pillow facilitate spinal alignment, i.e., they should align the curves of your body correctly, supporting your neck so it’s in line with your back and hips.
That’s where an orthopedic or cervical pillow comes in — these are the best pillows to align your spine and make sure you sleep comfortably. These are especially useful if you’re already suffering from neck pain and back pain because regular pillows don’t offer these unique benefits.
In this article, we will discuss what is a cervical pillow, do contour pillows help neck pain, and what is the best orthopedic pillow available in 2021.
What is an Orthopedic or Cervical Pillow?
People falsely assume that an orthopedic pillow is only meant for those who suffer from clinical problems like osteoporosis or arthritis. But that’s simply not true — orthopedic pillows, also known as cervical pillows, are ideal for anyone who wants to support their body correctly and prevent neck pain and back pain.
A cervical pillow is designed specifically to support your neck, spine, and head while you’re sleeping. They’re often curved and contoured so they can also support other parts of your body like your knees or legs.
Do Contour Pillows Help Neck Pain?
A contour pillow, aka cervical pillow, is made in a special design. They’re made according to orthopedic guidelines to support different parts of your body. Some orthopedic pillows, for example, may have higher lofts around the corners. Some orthopedic pillows are designed like a basin, with a lower loft in the middle and higher rounded corners all around.
Orthopedic and cervical pillows come in various shapes and forms according to the desired function. You can get a neck support pillow, body pillow, knee pillow, lumbar pillow, and a wide range of other cervical or contour pillows. Furthermore, contour pillows are generally made with heat-sensitive materials like memory foam — pillows that conform to the shape of your body to further support you.
Top Orthopedic or Cervical Pillows
Now that you understand what is a cervical pillow or contour pillow, it’s time to give you a brief overview of the best cervical pillows available on the market right now.
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest is the best orthopedic pillow on the market because of two primary reasons — it’s a cervical pillow and it is made of memory foam. As a contour pillow, it has a curved design with the loft height being 4 inches at the sides and 2.75 inches in the middle.
This contour memory foam pillow is the best pillow for side sleepers and back sleepers. If you’re a side sleeper, you need a high loft to cover the distance between the mattress and your head — this pillow can do that with the high loft corners. As a back sleeper, you need a pillow that can lift your head, which this pillow can do. Furthermore, this pillow ensures that your neck has a comfortable rounded corner for support but your head rests firmly in the crater in the middle.
As a memory foam pillow, it perfectly adjusts to the shape of your body. It has a 12” width so it supports your neck and pressure points no matter on which part of the pillow you lay your head. Furthermore, it’s a medium-firm pillow so it’s comfortable but it doesn’t sink too much when you lay your head on it.
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper isn’t a traditional contour pillow because it’s not curved, but it’s the best neck support pillow for those who sleep on their stomachs. This is a natural latex pillow with a low loft of 2.75 inches.
The low loft is necessary for stomach sleepers because it prevents your head from rising too far up, which would block your air passage. Furthermore, even those the natural latex material is extremely comfortable, it doesn’t give under your weight and doesn’t let your head sink in. This pillow is also perfect for hot sleepers because it’s made with a pinhole construction so there’s perfect air circulation to keep you cool at night.
Sleep Innovations Cervical Pillow
Sleep Innovations Cervical Pillow is the best pillow for neck pain and back pain. It offers therapeutic support to your entire body so you wake up feeling refreshed. This contour memory foam pillow quickly conforms to the shape of your head and neck to offer optimal support in all your pressure points.
This is yet another brilliant contour memory foam pillow in this list because you can choose between the higher loft or the lower loft. One side of the pillow has a high loft and the other has a low loft. Furthermore, in this case, you can rest your head on either side. As such, this cervical pillow is the best pillow for side sleepers, the best pillow for stomach sleepers, and the best pillow for back sleepers.
This pillow also helps relieve chronic neck pain, as testified by one user who said: “This memory foam pillow is not very firm but that’s what I love about this pillow. This pillow wraps around your head and cradles it. I have chronic neck pain that even my physical therapist had given up on treating me because none of the exercises he had me do helped. This pillow did. I’ve been waking up with significantly less pain. I’m a side sleeper and sometimes back sleeper. Works with both positions.”