Julia helped me learn that I’ve been misusing a pillow for a long time.
The correct use of a pillow is to pull it right in against the shoulders, but not under the shoulders.
Isn’t it funny? I didn’t know how to use a pillow.
Like so many things that I take for granted I never thought about it.
Julia pointed out that often I have the pillow under my shoulder, and this doesn’t support the neck in a pillowy way.
Now that I have noticed it, I’m pulling the pillow into my shoulders, but not under it, and enjoying the support of my neck.
Julia has such amazing attention to detail. It compliments the areas where I’m detail oriented, and I think often the details Julia cares about are the more important ones.
Off to bed and a good night sleep.
Possibly Related Classroom Projects From
DonorsChoose.org
- A Little (Violin) Shoulder Lift
- Please Don't Shirk our Shoulders Shelf
- Shoulder Rests For Middle School Violinists
16 Comments
Yes that sounds right. I went for a check up with a specialised spine advisor. And they said because i sleep on my stomach i would be best supported with a really small pillow. Pillows are really important, so they shouldn’t be misused.
She should have filed a bug.
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Go to sleep.
Expected Result: Pillow situated next to the shoulder.
Actual Result: Pillow is under the shoulder.
Wow, I didn’t know that there was a correct way either! Though I’ve been sleeping on a hardwood floor the past week with a humongous floor pillow (like the kind you kick back and lay down on while you watch hockey), it would definitely explain the sore neck!
Having fairly broad shoulders, I have other tips for using pillows: If you’re having neck pain and your pillow isn’t giving you proper support even when butting up against your shoulder, fold it over to make it thicker and fill the natural gap between your neck (in a horizontal position) and the bed. This works for me when I’m sleeping on my side. You don’t want to roll the pillow enough to angle your neck upward, though.
Often when I’m having spine and neck pain, I’ll also turn my pillow the long way under my back so that the end of the pillow reaches my neck but not the back of my head. This allows my neck to flex backward a bit, and this eases pain for me. It may not be chiropractor-approved, but it often helps me sleep in spite of pain.
Clearly I need to go see a bone doctor.
Perhaps someone should start offering sleeping classes. No one knows how to do it properly, apparently (especially not me). Personally, I scrunch and fold my pillow and lie my right cheek in the middle of it. I know that’s probably not good from an orthopedic viewpoint
I end up sharing my pillow with my baby girl a lot of the time (from about 3 am onwards), so I don’t really get to put it exactly where I want to. In fact, some of the time I don’t get to use much of it at all.
You should prepare for that.
But the theory sounds good.
If I happen to fall asleep with my neck not straight? I don’t walk the next day. (Not j/k … pranged something high in my back cutting pulp. Ahhh the days of chain-saws and freezing rain!)
They let you sleep?
I’m going to have to talk to Matt about that…
I’m actually in search of a new mattress because of pain I get from sleeping. I’ll try this tip.
Im concerned about the damage i have done to my neck, without knowing about this. Im pretty anxious about it. I hope the impacts on my spine aren’t to severe.
Quite interesting, I’m 6ft 3″ and only use one pillow to allow my back to be as flat as possible. I’ve never really played around with my pillows position but sometimes I do notice my head/neck is not fully supported, after reading this article I’ll need to give it some proper attention!
Really? I would say it depends on the kind of pillow you use… the softer ones that mould to your shape can go anywhere vs. the harder ones need to be against the shoulder…
Is it OK to us 6-8 pillows? That’s the only way I can sleep.
:O)
Actually it is even good to put a pillow between your legs to straighten the spine while sleeping. I wonder if a soft pillow or firm pillow is better…
The answer for me was a latex bed with a really flat pillow. Pancake style ! I’ve never slept better !
That’s exactly how the pillow should function: To support your neck (or spine) during sleep. As such, the pillow must follow and support the curvature of your neck, going down to your shoulder. I think this link will best explain the benefits of having your body rest properly on a pillow: http://www.spine-health.com/topics/cd/pillows/pillows01.html