What are the Benefits of Cervical Pillows?

Cervical pillows are ergonomically designed to support your neck in a proper position while you sleep, cradling your head, neck, and shoulders. A cervical pillow holds your head and neck at the right angles when a person is in resting position. The angles and spacing between your body and the mattress vary whether you sleep on your back or side. Thus, it is necessary for cervical pillows to rise where the neck will be and compress where the head rests. Most cervical pillows are made with memory foam to accomodate the compressing and decompressing necessary to contour your neck. This provides optimal support and ergonomic comfort for a good night’s sleep.

You may buy a cervical pillow in the market, but you can try your own old pillow by adjusted it to support your neck position while your sleep and make it like a cervical pillow. But one thing you must remember that daily pillow is sometimes cause discomfort after long hours of use. And if you think your regular pillow is no longer comfortable and the pain of your neck still remains and it is time for you to buy a cervical pillow.

What are the Differences Between Cervical Pillows?

In the past, a cervical pillow had to be specifically measured and designed to fit a specific individual’s needs. Because of this, cervical pillows were expensive and could not be mass-produced. In 1966, however, Thad B. McCarty invented a cervical pillow that would conform to any given person’s cervical composition and could also be inexpensively mass-produced. This pillow was made from layered flexible foam rubber material and gently inclined on the sides and dipped in the center.

A person using the pillow would use the indented center of the pillow when laying in a supine position and then use the raised side portions of the pillow when laying on his side. In the original version of McCarty’s cervical pillow, a user would adjust the measurements of the pillow by inserting or removing layers in the pillow. Today, many cervical pillows simply use semi-customized memory foam to adjust automatically or can be inflated to the proper level. You can still buy a cervical pillow specially customized to your own neck if you want.

Different Types:

Cradle Pillows:

Cradle Pillows help to distribute your heads weight evenly to take pressure of your neck and spine. It helps keep your breathing passage aligned and prevents snoring.

Neck Pillows:

Neck Pillows support the natural curve of your neck whether you are lying on your back or side. They usually come in different sizes accommodating various body types.

Side Pillows:

Side pillows feature a curved edge that is lower in the middle and higher on the sides, to provide proper neck alignment. The front edge is also tilted forward to cradle your upper vertebrae and the frontal curve provides extra room for your shoulder for superior comfort and therapeutic support.

Cervical Rolls:

While also providing you with comfort and support for your neck, Cervical rolls can also be used under the head for proper back alignment, under the neck for proper neck support, under the knees for lower back problems & behind the back for gentle lumbar support.

Comfort Pillows:

Comfort Pillows give you the more traditional experience of a pillow, while providing you with better ergonomic support.

Water Cervical Pillows:

Water cervical pillow allow you to fill the cervical water with nice and warm water, you can feel relaxation sensation from warm water or maybe you can add some fragrant therapy.

Inflatable Pillow:

The inflatable cervical pillow is the most favourite one, because it can be brought wherever you want to go on a trip by deflated it. It is simple and very light to bring with.

How to Choose the Right Cervical Pillow for You?

Those who sleep on their sides benefit from side pillows, cervical rolls, and neck pillows. These pillows provide the sleeper with strong support in the space between their neck and mattress, keeping the spine straight and breathing passage aligned. This reduces any back pain or snoring that may be caused by traditional pillows. Even though this kind of pillow will have different result of relieving the pain, you must consult with your doctor on what kind of cervical pillow will have best result for your neck pain treatment and they will give you some professional advise as to what best materials, size and shape of cervical pillow should you choose.

Cradle pillows, neck pillows, and comfort pillows are the best for back sleepers. They are slightly thinner to accommodate the smaller space between the curve of the neck and mattress. Like the cervical pillows for side sleepers, they keep your breathing passage aligned and your spine straight for healthy ergonomic sleeping.

Neck Pillows come in different sizes. It is important for you to choose the correct size neck pillow depending on whether you are a back or side pillow. If you choose one that is either too small or too large, this will result in crooked alignment and discomfort. Please refer to the size chart below to identify the size that is right for you!