Understanding Neck Pain and How a Pillow Can Give Relief
Neck pain problems are widespread among all age groups. Today we talk about neck pain relief pillows. According to statistics, one of three people experience neck pain at least once a year. It does not present danger to your general health conditions. However, chronic pain may cause the inability to perform some of your daily physical activities.
Unfortunately, neck pain often arises after seemingly harmless actions such as sleeping. If you have ever woken up with stiffness in the neck, you should understand what the cause of neck pain after sleeping is.
Commonly, simple sleeping habits may be the reason for chronic neck pain issues. Hence, the sleeping position is one of the main factors. You should not wonder why your neck hurts in the morning if you prefer stomach sleeping. In this position, the muscle strain appears after hours of laying with your neck twisted to one side. This can also affect your back without proper support. The best position for your upper back and to avoid neck pain is on your back or side. It lowers the stress applied to your back and enables the neck muscles to rest overnight.
From other essential factors, different neck injuries in the past are also causing muscles and nerve strain. You may not even remember about a small sports injury you got a few years ago until it starts to remind of itself in the mornings. Unlike the first one, just changing the sleeping position may not be enough. For that, you should consider adequately choosing a pillow that will provide additional neck support.
Equally important is that the pillow itself can cause you neck pain. Too soft or too hard, different cushions provide a varying degree of neck support and may lead to unwilling tension in neck muscles. Therefore, most physicians suggest giving preference to the neck pillows stuffed with feathers or memory foam. These pillows are comfortable for sleep and soft enough; at the same time, they offer extra support for the neck and upper back muscles. If chosen thoughtfully, the pillows will make you forget about neck pain after sleeping.
Neck pain relief pillows come in a wide range of shapes and materials used for manufacture. Depending on the needs and preferences, you can find the right one for your neck and sleep comfortably without any worries when the sun gets up. Meanwhile, you may start by considering the ones we selected for you.
Contour Memory Foam Pillow by Elite Rest
Meant for back and side sleepers, Contour Memory Foam Pillow is justifiably one of the best for its price. It has a symmetrical therapeutic design that imitates body curves and provides excellent support to the neck and upper back.
It is a medium firmness pillow, offering exceptional comfort and softness for peaceful sleep and needed neck support. With the price of just $18.99, the pillow provides an outstanding choice of materials. The premium quality foam used as stuffing is hypoallergenic, dust, and mildew resistant. This makes the pillow a perfect choice if you suffer from respiratory diseases like asthma or allergy. It provides extra protection from harmful microorganisms like different fungi, as well. The foam is durable and does not deform over time.
It comes with a standard-sized outer cover made of 100% cotton. The cover is removable, and you can wash it in a washing machine when needed.
The pillow comes in one size and has contours with a higher contour of 4 inches and a lower contour of 2.75 inches. It provides firm and soft support to upper muscles, effectively releasing tension in neck, back, and shoulders. According to users’ reviews, this pillow will perfectly suit back sleepers.
Sleep Restoration Gel Pillow
Unlike the Contour Memory Foam Pillow, the materials in this one are polyester fibers and gel filling. Having a patented design, it looks like a classic pillow and provides firm and soft neck support while sleeping.
It has a mixed-material stuffing. The fibers make it soft and comfortable for your sleep, and the gel offers additional firmness. It makes the pillow a good option if you are a side sleeper as it prevents bending of neck muscles. The materials are hypoallergenic and mold, dust, and mildew resistant, similarly to the first neck pain relief pillow. Furthermore, they are fade and stain resistant and also feature a machine washing option.
It is more expensive than the first pillow and has a cost starting at $34.99. This model comes in three different sizes: standard, queen, and king. Similar to the first pillow, it includes a removable 100% cotton cover.
As the manufacturer states, the pillow is suitable for all sleepers, not depending on the preferred sleeping position.
Pillowflex Synthetic Down Pillow
With “no feathers to poke you,” the third neck pain relief pillow is 100% synthetic polyester. This pillow is a way bigger than the first two, even in their king’s sizes. It is, however, more massive.
Similarly to the above pillows, this one has hypoallergenic, dust resistant, and eco-friendly materials. As it does not contain any feathers or other animal products, it does not have any smell and still feels like a classic down pillow with a traditional karate chop. The slick polyester used for filling is durable and does not require replacement over time. The pillow is machine washable, the same as the previous ones.
Being a more decorative pillow than therapeutic, it is still the right choice for all sleepers suffering from neck pain. Thanks to its softness and size, it provides additional head support and back alignment, being yet stiff enough.
It is an incredibly soft pillow that will not only release neck pain after sleep but can also add on to your house’s interior. For a reasonable price of $30.19, you will get a big all-purpose fluffy pillow, however, without a cover included.
The Bottom Line
Getting neck pain relief might be as easy as changing your pillow. We included a couple of options for you, and most of them include a money-back guarantee, so you are on the safe side either way. If you still don’t feel neck pain relief after changing your pillow and your sleeping position, it might be time to see the doctor.