Which Pillow Is The Right Pillow For Me?

One of the key ingredients to getting a great nights' sleep is using a pillow that supports not only your head and neck, but your sleep habits and body style as well. Deciding which pillow is the right pillow for you can be as confusing as programming your VCR (remember those?) or setting up a new PC.

If you choose the wrong pillow, you will have to endure night after night of discomfort, frustration and sleeplessness. However, getting the right pillow can put you well on your way to lower stress, higher energy and great health thanks to night after night of beneficial sleep.

So, with literally hundreds of different pillows available on the market today, how do you make certain that you get this critical decision correct? And, is buying an expensive pillow worth it?

Know what kind of sleeper you are: Are you a back sleeper, a side sleeper or a stomach sleeper? Do you prefer firm or gentle support? A thick pillow, or a flat pillow? Before you make any changes in your sleep environment, especially rushing off to buy a new pillow, it is a good idea to first take inventory of where you are at right now. Even if your sleep habits are terrible, you need to know what, if anything, is working for you right now.

Avoid radical changes: The first step in picking the pillow that is right for you is to consider what kind of pillow you are using right now. If you are using a pillow that is flat and uniform throughout, you will have to ease yourself into a contoured or ergonomically shaped pillow. Going from a soft, squishy pillow to a firm foam or fiber pillow may be rough on you while you get accustomed to it.

Decide which type of support you need: If you are looking for your pillow to help relieve pain or discomfort, you will need an accommodating pillow which conforms to your body. Corrective and maintenance pillows help treat the cause of your problem by supporting the natural curve of your neck as you receive corrective care from a chiropractor, physical therapy or osteopath. While a few exceptions exist that serve the needs of all three categories (Accommodate, Correction and Maintenance), the majority of pillows will fall in only one or possibly two of these categories.

Identify the style of pillow which will serve you best: Once you have determined which type of support you need, you can narrow down the style of pillow that will serve you best. Memory foam, water pillows and air pillows are a perfect fit for those looking for an accommodating pillow which will conform to your body to help ease pain and discomfort. Most fiber pillows and foam pillows serve the needs of those who seek Correction or Maintenance support from their pillow.

If you need support for your shoulders, arms, hips and/or legs in addition to head and neck support, you will want to direct your search towards body pillows in addition to or in place of a head and neck pillow.

Get the size that is right for you: You can find the right type of pillow but still not enjoy a great quality of sleep, especially if your pillow isn't sized right for you. Some pillows come in a variety of sizes, while others come in only one or two but are designed so that they you can use different portions of the pillow to find the size that fits you well. Pillows which are adjustable, such as air pillows and water pillows, fit a variety of sizes and body builds.

Match your pillow to your sleep habits: If you are a side sleeper, you will want your pillow to give you enough support to keep your head and neck perpendicular to your shoulders, but not so much support that your head is pushed away from the bed into an unnatural position. Back sleepers will prefer pillows with thinner support behind the head and slightly thicker support behind the neck. Some pillows are designed only for one style sleeper or the other, while several will provide excellent support in either sleeping position.

Don't take their word for it: While a personal referral is a great way to find a hair stylist or a mechanic, it doesn't typically apply to the realm of pillow selection. If someone tells you that they love a particular pillow and that they get great results sleeping on it, don't blindly follow and expect to get the same results. Identify if your sleep habits are similar and if your needs are the same. Better yet, try theirs out first to see if it feels comfortable and supportive.

Price isn't everything: A majority of problems with pillows starts in the area of price. Don't think that just because a pillow costs a lot of money that it will give you a great nights' sleep. On the flip side, while getting a bargain is always nice, you don't want to skimp on your pillow nor your bed. Most of us spend about a third of our lives in bed, so it is best to give our bodies the greatest support that we can afford.

Look at the warranty: After going through the painstaking process of finding the right pillow for you, the last thing you want is for your new-found love to only last a few weeks or months. Look for manufacturers that warranty their pillows and stand behind their product. You should be able to get at least two years out of a good pillow, depending on how well you take care of it. The manufacturer should be willing to stand behind their pillow for at least a year if it is a quality product.

You can (and should) take it with you: Once you have found the pillow which consistently helps you get quality sleep, take it with you no matter where you go. If your pillow is too big and bulky to travel with you, then be sure to get a travel sized version of your pillow that you can keep with you. Away from home is not where you want to experience health problems from poor sleep.

Keep in mind that your pillow might not be the only factor keeping you from dreamland. If you are experiencing health problems that keep you from sleeping well, don't wait to get them taken care of. There are few things that are more important than sleep which will help your body return to and stay healthy.

Carlos Velez is the President of WisdomAndHealth.com, a leading provider of information and products for health, nutrition, fitness, and wellness. The company offers an array of products for the prevention and treatment of conditions such as pain and inflammation, sleep deficiency, and many others. Our products are well researched by our team to make sure that what we sell is high quality, safe, and effective.

Visit us at http://www.wisdomandhealth.com/ for all of your health and wellness needs.

Original article

Tips for Choosing the Right Pillow for Better Health

Choosing the right pillow can become a real chore if you don't know how to select the best one for your health and sleeping needs. If you're like many people, you probably just grab the first pillow off the rack that feels relatively comfortable, and then expect to sleep well on it. However, there is more to selecting a healthy pillow than most people realize. If you've suffered night after night with insomnia, headaches, or stiff neck and shoulders, it may be that you need to choose a better pillow on which to sleep.

Sleep experts have outlined several things to consider when choosing the right pillow. Two of the most important things to be aware of are your health needs and your particular style of sleeping.

What are your health needs?

If you suffer from issues such as allergies or fibromyalgia, for example, your pillow can be of real importance in alleviating some of the symptoms that you notice upon arising in the morning. Allergies to dust mites, synthetic materials, mold or mildew can trigger allergic reactions while you sleep and you can wake up with a stuffy nose, headache and general tiredness. Those with fibromyalgia who sleep on the wrong pillow will notice pain at pressure points such as the upper shoulders and neck. These are just some of the health problems that can be complicated by the wrong sleep accessory.

What is your sleep style?

Are you a back sleeper or a stomach sleeper? Are you a side sleeper? The answers to these questions significantly impact the type of pillow you should choose for a good night's sleep. In a nutshell, a back sleeper should choose a thinner pillow that has a bit of loft or plumpness in the lower part of the pillow, so as to keep your neck supported while sleeping.

A side sleeper should generally choose a firmer pillow that provides adequate support from the head to the shoulder region that stabilizes the spine. Stomach sleepers, on the other hand, should choose a very thin pillow or even no pillow at all, so that the spine will remain in a neutral position while sleeping. Your sleep style is especially important in helping you choose the best pillow.

There are, of course, other things to consider such as filling and cover material, as well as the quality level of this sleep accessory. Remember, when choosing the right pillow, it's important to put your health and sleep needs above even the price of this very important bedding accessory.

Visit http://www.downmattresstopper.net/ to get more sleeping tips about how to select the perfect pillow.

Original article

Avoiding Neck Pain During Sleep by Choosing the Right Pillows

People constantly want to feel very relaxed and at ease when sleeping. Unfortunately, using the wrong kind of pillow will not get that person the sleep he needs. Below are some head and neck support pillow types that are designed to bring about a good night's sleep.

One type of pillow is the orthopedic pillow. They come in different shapes and sizes but they all aim to help support the neck area of the person using it. An orthopedic pillow normally is shaped with a dip in the middle where the head of the person will lay. The ends of the pillow are arched such that it takes the shape of the neck. This should come in different sizes because it will make a small person uncomfortable when using a pillow with a big arch.

Similar to orthopedic pillows are memory foam pillows. The only difference is that they might be shaped in a different way and they mold according to the user. This is not a neck pain pillow because it contours itself to the head and neck area of the person. The result is a customized pillow that hugs and supports all the surfaces of the head and neck of the person in contact with the pillow.

Contrary to belief, old-fashioned feathered pillows actually support a person's head and neck. In some cases, they are the best kinds of pillows to use for neck support. This is because of the softness of the material used that they move around inside the pillow and takes the shape needed. It offers very little resistance and as long as the user is not allergic to the fabric and feather, it remains to be a very important pillow to use.

Cervical pillows are also available as an alternative for neck and head support when sleeping. They are roll-shaped pillows that a person can place behind his neck, beside another pillow, for full support for the neck area. They are usually a little longer than a normal pillow so they can still support the person even when he is moving around.

Finally, water-filled pillows are available and are actually used to support the neck and head. Popular with the children, they help ease the head and neck by redistributing the weight around and absorbing most of the shock and pressure. Because of the water, there is little to no resistance in moving.

These are examples of some pillows that support the neck and head of a person. The only thing that is left to do is decide on which is the needed neck support pillow for the person using it. It might look different and feel different, but the results are undeniable.

For more details, search neck support pillow, neck pain pillow in Google for related information.

Original article