Stomach sleeping is widely considered to be the worst sleep position out there. In fact, if you’re a stomach sleeper, you must be familiar with neck pains, back pains, and all kinds of other pains.
You suffer from neck pain while sleeping on your stomach primarily because this position leads to spinal alignment. When you sleep, your body should be in a neutral state with your neck perfectly aligned with the rest of your body. Your neck should be in line with your spine and your hips.
However, when you sleep on your stomach, you generally have to crane your neck to the side, which can lead to neck pain. Furthermore, your neck may also tilt upwards, which throws your entire spinal column off balance, leading to further neck pain.
If you suffer from neck pain, the best thing you can do is simply change your sleep position. Side sleepers and back sleepers are far less likely to suffer from neck pain and back pain. But that may not be possible for everyone.
If you can’t help but sleep on your stomach, you should change your pillow — use one that’s suitable for stomach sleepers. In this article, we’ll discuss how to find the best pillow for neck pain stomach sleepers and we’ll review the best pillows for stomach sleepers on the market.
Will Sleeping with Pillow under Stomach Help Neck Pain?
If you can’t help but sleep on your stomach, you can at least minimize the damage caused by the position. Sleeping with pillow under stomach can help with both neck and back pain. If you place a low-loft pillow under your abdomen, it takes the pressure off your back and elevates your spine to the same level as your neck, thereby taking some of the stress off the pressure points in your neck and spine.
Do Contour Pillows Help Neck Pain?
Contour pillows can definitely help with neck pain, but only for back sleepers and side sleepers. When you sleep on your side or your back, pillow has to cover a bit of distance between your head and the mattress. As such, a contour pillow can cover that distance because of the ergonomically rounded sides, thus keeping your neck and spine perfectly aligned. But if you’re a stomach sleeper, then you should focus on getting low-loft pillows rather than contour pillows.
Qualities of the Best Pillows for Stomach Sleepers
The following are some of the qualities of the best pillows for stomach sleepers:
- You should ideally not use a pillow for your head at all. And if you do use a pillow, it should have an extremely low loft so your head doesn’t elevate much.
- You should also get a low-loft pillow for sleeping with pillow under stomach. This will help maintain neck and spine alignment.
- The best pillows for stomach sleepers are fairly firm to prevent your neck from sinking, thereby affecting the spinal alignment.
- When you’re sleeping on your stomach, your face is pressed against the pillow. As such, the pillow should be well-ventilated and should be extremely breathable, facilitating air circulation, so you don’t sweat at night.
- Ideally, the pillow for stomach sleepers should also come with a smooth removable cover so your face doesn’t get wrinkled while sleeping. However, while this has cosmetic value, it isn’t necessary to avoid neck pain.
What is the Best Pillow for Stomach Sleepers with Neck Pain? Top 3 Picks
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper — Best Pillow for Stomach Sleepers
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper is undoubtedly the best pillow for stomach sleepers on the market because it combines all of the aforementioned factors necessary for stomach sleepers. This is a natural latex foam pillow with an extremely low loft of only 2.75 inches.
Since the loft size is only 2.75 inches, you can rest it under your head or you can also use to for sleeping with pillow under stomach. In either case, this pillow will facilitate neck and spine alignment by keeping your head in a neutral position.
Natural latex foam is a high-quality eco-friendly material that’s naturally firm and doesn’t give under pressure. As such, even if you’re heavy, you can rest assured that your head won’t sink when you sleep, which ensures stability and prevents your neck from getting misaligned.
This pillow has been made with pinhole construction technology, which means it’s ventilated to facilitate air circulation. It also comes with a 100% cotton cover that’s extremely breathable. As such, this pillow facilitates air circulation and keeps you cool through the night.
Coop Home Goods Premium — Best Neck Support Pillow
Coop Home Goods Premium is the best neck support pillow for stomach sleepers and all other sleep positions as well. This pillow is made of shredded memory foam, which makes it highly adjustable.
If you sleep on your stomach, you can remove the memory foam fill to flatten it out and reduce the loft height. However, if you want to try sleeping on your side or your back, you can increase the loft height by adding more shredded memory foam. You can also adjust the loft height by shifting the memory foam within the pillow, making it suitable for those who toss and turn in their sleep.
BioPEDIC Premium SofLOFT — Best Pillow for Side Sleepers (and avoiding Stomach Sleeping)
Do you want to avoid stomach sleeping completely? BioPEDIC Premium SofLOFT is the best pillow for side sleepers but it can also prevent you from sleeping on your stomach. This is a body pillow measures 20 inches by 54 inches, which means you can cuddle with it and have it support your entire body.
If you want to avoid stomach sleeping altogether, you can cuddle with it held against your stomach. As such, even when you feel the impulse to toss and turn and roll on your stomach, this pillow will prevent that. As such, this hypoallergenic fiberfill pillow can also help correct your sleeping position, thereby alleviating neck pain over time.
