Are you suffering from back pain? Have you tried changing your mattress? Have you changed your sleeping position? Do you still have back pain despite taking these measures? If so, the root cause of back pain may just be the pillow you’re using.
The primary function of a pillow is to support your head and back and provide spinal alignment. It should hold your head up so as to take the pressure off your back. But if your pillow isn’t serving that purpose — it’s possible that you’re using the wrong pillow for your sleeping position.
If you still have back pain after waking up, it’s time to go looking for the best pillow for back pain. Our leading pain specialists and doctors have vetted some of the best pillows for back to determine which pillow you should be using for different sleeping positions.
In this article, we give you an overview of the best pillow for back pain and we discuss the best sleeping positions to relieve back pain.
How Can the Best Pillow for Back Pain Help Me?
Before we discuss what is the best pillow for back pain, it’s important to address why pillows are so important. A good pillow should align your spine in a neutral position so that your neck, upper back, and lower back are perfectly aligned. If your neck is above or below the correct position, the pressure will go down to your lower back, thus leading to chronic back pain. The best pillow is one that’s suitable for your specific sleeping position and aligns your neck with the rest of your body.
Qualities of the Best Pillow for Back Pain
When you’re looking for the best pillow for neck pain or back pain, you should consider the following factors.
- Support: The pillow should be soft and comfortable, but not at the expense of support. It should be firm enough that your head doesn’t sink into the pillow. This will affect spinal alignment.
- Comfort: The back pain pillow should also be comfortable and soft. Furthermore, it should be hypoallergenic so it doesn’t trigger your allergies, it should facilitate air circulation to keep you cool, and it shouldn’t have any foul odors.
- Shape: Contoured pillows are the best for back pain and neck support. They have an indent to hold your head up and also support your neck.
- Cover: The best pillow should also come with a breathable and machine-washable cover.
- Material: Finally, the back pillow should be made of a material that’s comfortable, hypoallergenic, and offers support. Memory foam and latex foam are two of the best materials for back pain pillows because they’re soft and conform to the shape of your body.
Best Pillows for Back Pain in 2021
Elite Rest Contour Sleeper — Best Pillow for Side Sleepers
Elite Rest Contour Sleeper is the best pillow for side sleepers and back sleepers. This is a memory foam hypoallergenic contour pillow. It has a width of 12 inches so you can twist and turn comfortably.
In terms of loft height, it’s 4 inches at the top and 2.75 inches at the lowest contour. As such, you can rest your neck on the rounded corners of the pillow to support your neck. The elevation helps cover the distance between the mattress and your neck so it’s perfectly aligned with the rest of your body.
Furthermore, this back pain pillow is also hypoallergenic so you don’t need to worry about allergic reactions. It’s dust mite and mildew resistant. The pillow also comes with a removable and machine-washable 100% cotton cover that’s highly breathable and regulates heat retention well.
Coop Home Goods Premium — Best Pillow for Multiple Positions
Are you unsure of which sleeping position you use? Or do you change your sleeping positions often? If so, you need a back pain pillow that can be adjusted according to your sleeping preference. That’s where Coop Home Goods Premium comes in.
This is a premium adjustable shredded memory foam pillow. The memory foam ensures that the pillow conforms to the shape of your body and provides a neck support. But this is shredded memory foam, which means you can manually remove or add memory foam from the pillow to change the loft height.
As such, this pillow can serve as the best pillow for side sleepers, best pillow for back sleepers, and also for stomach sleepers. If you’re sleeping on your back or side, you can add memory foam to increase loft height. If you’re sleeping on your stomach, you can remove memory foam to flatten it out.
Sleep Restoration Gel Pillow
Sleep Restoration Gel Pillow is made of polyester fill with plush gel fiber. This keeps the pillow fluffy yet firm, ensuring you have support and comfort but doesn’t allow your head to sink in. This pillow has a no-shift construction that prevents the filling from moving around inside, so you don’t have to constantly readjust it. This pillow is also stain-resistant and resistant to dust mite and mildew.
Best Sleeping Positions to Relieve Back Pain
The following is a brief overview of the sleeping positions you can try to relieve upper back and neck pain:
- If you’re a side sleeper, you can use the fetal position by tucking your knees into your chest. This prevents disc herniation.
- While sleeping on your side, you can also tuck a pillow between your knees to facilitate spinal alignment.
- While sleeping on your back, you can tuck a pillow under your lower back to keep it aligned.
- If you’re a stomach sleeper, you should tuck a low-loft pillow under your abdomen to take the pressure off your back.
If you follow all the sleeping position recommendations and choose the correct pillow for back pain according to your sleeping preference, you won’t have to deal with chronic back pain anymore. We hope this article helps you get a good night’s sleep!
