If the wrong pillow causes tension: You should take this into account when buying a pillow
Created: 07/11/2022, 14:17
By: Juliane Gutmann
If you sleep on your side, choose a pillow that supports the natural shape of your spine.
© AllaSerebrina/Panthermedia
Finding the right pillow: not that easy.
A Swiss sleep expert explains what you should pay attention to - and which mistakes promote tension.
Note to our readers:
This article contains affiliate links.
This means we receive a commission from partners.
This changes nothing for you.
also read
"Shower urinals"?: Why you should now urinate more frequently in the shower
"Helicopter Parents": Children with Behavior Disorders, but Smarter?
studies in comparison
If you make the wrong bed at night, you risk tension in your back and shoulders.
In addition to a mattress that is tailored to your own needs, it is important that the pillow optimally supports your head.
In general, the most important rule when buying a pillow: The product should always be adapted to your personal favorite sleeping position.
Stomach sleepers should avoid using a pillow that is too firm and too thick.
For side sleepers, on the other hand, the pillow should not be too flat.
The Swiss sleep researcher Reto Ruckstuhl explains which pillow is best for which type of sleeper in the knowledge section of Swiss Radio and Television (SRF).
According to him, good pillows should be dimensionally stable and not – like down pillows – lose density and height.
He differentiates between
pillows for stomach, side and back sleepers:
The side sleeper pillow ACAMAR from Third of Life (advertising link) is suitable for side sleepers and side sleepers because its ergonomic butterfly shape and dimensionally stable visco-foam ideally supports the head and thus relieves the neck and spine.
According to Ruckstuhl, pillows for side
sleepers should be wavy in order to be able to fill the cavity at neck level.
The pillow should also be high enough not to break the natural horizontal line of the spine when lying on your side.
According to the sleep expert, back
sleepers should better use a rather flat pillow that does not bed their head too high.
According to Ruckstuhl, the pillow should only fill the space between the neck and the mattress.
Sleeping on your stomach
is a real challenge for the body, because the rotation of the head contradicts the natural shape of the spine.
As a result, sleeping on your stomach can promote neck pain and tension.
If you can't let go of your sleeping position: It's best not to use a pillow at all or only use a very flat pillow.
If you put your head too high, you not only twist it to the side when lying on your stomach, but also upwards.
Preventing tension: This is how you prevent unpleasant neck and back pain
Anyone who supports the natural S-shape of the spine while sleeping and chooses a relaxed lying position can effectively prevent tension.
But in addition to a pillow that is suitable for you, sufficient exercise in everyday life is also important to treat or prevent neck and back pain.
Also a must for people who sit a lot
: make sure that your workplace is ergonomically correct.
(jg)
The right pillow for lying on your side
With the side sleeper pillow ACAMAR from Third of Life (advertising link) you can get a pleasant and restful night: the ergonomic shape means that neck pain and tension are a thing of the past.
