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Even if you haven't been particularly interested in bedding before, if you frequently wake up in the morning with pain or stiffness in your neck or shoulders, you might start thinking that your pillow isn't suitable and consider buying a new one. However, the problem might not be the pillow itself, but rather "how you use the pillow."
This article provides a detailed explanation of the correct way to use a pillow for different sleeping positions, such as back sleeping, side sleeping, and stomach sleeping. Before you consider buying a new pillow, try using it correctly first.
Usage Varies by Sleeping Position
Pillows are meant to support not just your head but also your neck, and to help maintain an ideal sleeping posture. If a pillow isn't used in the correct position, your sleeping posture can become distorted, putting a strain on your neck and body.
An "ideal sleeping posture" means maintaining a spinal alignment similar to a straight standing posture (normal upright posture). Therefore, the correct way to use a pillow differs depending on your sleeping position, whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach.
Fundamentals of Correct Pillow Usage
Because the human body has curves, when you lie down, a gap forms between your mattress and your neck. It's important to fit the pillow into this gap to support your neck. Therefore, the correct way to use a pillow is to rest not only your head but also your neck on it. This holds true regardless of the pillow's material, whether it's high-resilience/low-resilience urethane, feathers, beads, buckwheat hulls, or other materials.
A human head is said to weigh about 10% of body weight. Without using a pillow for head pressure distribution (spreading the weight of the head over a wider area), the burden concentrates on a part of the back of the head, which can lead to poor blood circulation or numbness.
However, if you use a pillow that is not the right height or firmness, it won't be able to properly support your head and neck, forcing you to maintain an awkward posture for a long time. This can place a significant strain on the muscles around your neck and shoulders during sleep, leading to stiffness and pain.
For example, using a pillow that is too high can lift your head, putting a strain on your neck and shoulders, and continued use can lead to headaches and text neck. Conversely, a pillow that is too low can create a gap between your neck and the mattress, causing your head to be supported only by your neck. This can not only lead to shoulder stiffness but also neck pain and difficulty breathing.
Also, since the way your body sinks into the mattress or futon varies, the compatibility between your pillow and mattress is important for any sleeping position.
How to Use and Position a Pillow When Sleeping on Your Back
Place your head in the center of the pillow so you can turn from side to side easily.
Once your head is on the pillow, lift your head slightly, grasp both ends of the pillow, and pull it towards your shoulders. The key is to make sure the pillow touches your shoulders, creating no gap between your neck and the mattress. When your entire head, from the back of your head to your neck, rests on the pillow, it properly supports the curve of your neck, reducing neck and shoulder stiffness.
Also, the ideal sleeping posture when lying on your back is said to be when the angle of inclination from your neck to your head is 10-15 degrees, and your chin is about 5 degrees lower than your forehead. A pillow that allows your cervical spine to maintain a gentle S-curve, similar to a correct standing posture, is recommended.
How to Use and Position a Pillow When Sleeping on Your Side
To prevent your head from falling off the pillow when you turn over, place your head on the left edge when sleeping on your left side, and on the right edge when sleeping on your right side.
Similar to back sleeping, once your head is on the pillow, lift your head slightly, grasp both ends of the pillow, and pull it towards your shoulders. The key is to make sure the pillow touches your shoulders, creating no gap between your neck and the mattress. Just like in a correct standing posture, when the bones from your head to your back are straight, you can reduce the strain on your neck and shoulders.
In a side sleeping position, your head and neck are further from the mattress due to your shoulder width, requiring a higher pillow. Therefore, the optimal pillow height differs for "back sleeping" and "side sleeping."
Recently, there are various types of pillows available, such as three-dimensional pillows with a lower center and higher sides, or pillows with firm sides that prevent your head from sinking too much. If you tend to toss and turn a lot, you might want to try these.
How to Use and Position a Pillow When Sleeping on Your Stomach
When sleeping on your stomach, you generally turn your face to the side. If the pillow is too high, it can create an unnatural angle for your head, straining your neck. Therefore, a low and soft pillow is recommended. While there are pillows specifically designed for stomach sleepers with a depression in the center, if you're using a regular pillow, try hugging it to avoid creating a gap between the mattress and your body.
However, stomach sleeping often involves twisting the spine and neck, which has many disadvantages, such as an increased risk of neck pain and stiffness upon waking, facial and dental misalignment, and temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ). Therefore, while it may be acceptable for short periods, like when falling asleep, it is not recommended as a prolonged sleeping position.
Main Symptoms Caused by an Unsuitable Pillow
Here are four symptoms that can occur when your pillow's height, firmness, or size is unsuitable.
1: Decreased Sleep Quality
Sleeping with an unsuitable pillow can prevent you from turning over smoothly, or conversely, make you toss and turn excessively due to discomfort, leading to a decrease in sleep quality. If you feel tired despite getting enough sleep, your pillow might be the culprit.
2: Cause of Snoring
While snoring can have various causes, using a pillow that is too high can cause your jaw to drop and compress your airway, making you more prone to snoring.
If you are using a pillow that is 7cm or higher, check if you are maintaining a correct sleeping posture. Especially for women and petite individuals, a lower pillow is recommended.
3: Leads to Shoulder, Neck, Back, and Head Pain
If the pillow's height or firmness is unsuitable, it can lead to an unnatural sleeping posture, putting a strain on your neck and shoulders, and causing pain.
Furthermore, the muscles around your neck and shoulders can become tense, leading to neck stiffness. As a result, blood circulation can worsen, and the fascia of the skull can also be adversely affected, potentially causing a tightening or pressing pain throughout the head or in the back of the head.
Moreover, since the neck and lower back are connected by the spine, strain on the neck can affect the lower back. It is especially said that people with less muscle supporting their body are more prone to lower back pain when using an unsuitable pillow.
4: Cause of Text Neck
Text neck refers to a condition where the neck, which normally forms a gentle S-curve, becomes straightened.
While it is caused by prolonged forward-leaning postures from smartphone use or desk work, using a pillow that is too high is also one of the causes of text neck.
A pillow that is too high lifts the head, placing a strain on the neck and shoulders. To prevent and improve text neck, it's important not only to correct your posture during the day but also to use a pillow that can reproduce the natural curve of the neck when sleeping on your back.
Main Reasons Why Your Pillow Might Not Be Right
When choosing a pillow, height, firmness, and size are important.
1: Height
A pillow that is too high or too low is not good. If the back of your head is too high, your neck can be compressed, leading to neck and shoulder stiffness, pain, and snoring. Conversely, a pillow that is too low can destabilize your head and put a strain on your neck and shoulders. Therefore, choose a height that allows for easy breathing and turning over.
Generally, the ideal sleeping posture is considered to be when, while lying on your back, the angle of inclination from your neck to your head is 10-15 degrees, and your chin is 0-5 degrees lower than your forehead.
Furthermore, to maintain an ideal sleeping posture even when turning to your side, a three-dimensional pillow with a lower center and higher sides is ideal.
2: Hardness
If a pillow is too hard, pressure is not evenly distributed but concentrated on the back of the head, and your ears may hurt when you lie down or turn over. Conversely, if a pillow is too soft, your head sinks too much, becoming unstable, which puts a strain on your neck and shoulders and makes it difficult to turn over.
The firmness varies depending on the material, such as highly cushioned urethane foam, soft and elastic polyester cotton, highly durable, breathable, and elastic pipe material that can be fully washed, or moderately firm buckwheat hulls. Choose a pillow with a firmness that suits you.
3: Size
To make it easy to turn over, you need to pay attention to the size of your pillow.
Although it varies depending on body type, generally, choose a pillow that is at least three times the width of your head so that your head doesn't fall off the pillow no matter which side you turn to. Furthermore, you need enough depth to cover your shoulders, so an ideal size is a width of 60cm or more and a depth of 35cm or more.
Countermeasures When Your Pillow Isn't Right
Here are three countermeasures you can try if you feel your current pillow isn't right for you.
1: Try Adjusting How You Position Your Pillow
It is crucial to avoid creating a gap between your neck and the mattress. So, once you've rested your head, lift it slightly, grasp both ends of the pillow, and pull it towards your shoulders until it touches. Simply pulling the pillow right up to your shoulders can lighten the load on your neck, preventing neck, shoulder, and back pain.
2: Try Adjusting the Height
If you're using a pillow that isn't the right height, adjust it with a bath towel.
For back sleeping, the ideal posture is when the angle of inclination from your neck to your head is 10-15 degrees, and your chin is about 5 degrees lower than your forehead. For side sleeping, it's when the bones from your head to your back are straight.
If the pillow is too low, place a folded bath towel under it. If the pillow is too high, place a bath towel under your body and make fine adjustments.
However, towels often shift during sleep, so consider this only a temporary solution.
3: Replace Your Pillow
If your pillow just doesn't feel right, consider purchasing one that suits you. It's important to use a pillow that matches your body type and sleeping posture, so instead of choosing based on design or affordability, opt for a pillow developed to provide quality sleep.
The Right Way is to Use a Pillow That Suits You Correctly
Even if you try to use your pillow correctly based on these tips, it's all for naught if the pillow itself isn't suitable for you. Sleep, which is said to occupy one-third of our lives, is a crucial time for healing daily fatigue and recovering both mind and body. Therefore, use a pillow that matches your body type and sleeping posture correctly to achieve comfortable sleep.
