Neck Pain: Top Pillows +How to Make a Choice
Do you have problems with your neck after sleeping? A wrong pillow may cause an incredible number of problems. A suitable neck pillow may become the answer to neck pain and tension.
In this article, you will find the best options for the neck and learn which pillow suits you. We will show you several top pillows for necks and tell you how to choose the best pillow for a painful neck. Let's start!
The best options compared
The following cushions are great products and the best models of recent years. Understandably, there are lots of other pillows best for neck pain, but these products are loved by many customers, so you will definitely like one of them.
Reflex Planet M
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Material: viscoelastic memory foam.
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Height: 12 cm.
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Sleeping position: side, back.
The universal innovative Reflex orthopedic pillow with a height of 12 cm from Germany is very popular due to its affordability and good quality. The quality is confirmed by a certificate, and the warehouses of the product are located in many large cities so the delivery of the Reflex pillow takes a minimum of time even to remote regions. It offers everything you would expect from a good neck contour pillow. I
Pillow Reflex Alfa
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Material: natural latex, down-alternative hypoallergenic fiber.
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Height: 15 cm.
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Sleeping position: side, back.
It is a cushion with a cutout and a rim made from a mixture of natural latex and down, an alternative hypoallergenic fiber. It is a very airy and cozy option with a high side and contoured shoulder cutout to improve the quality of sleep on your side. As you know, for side sleepers, the height is very important, as the bead sits between the end of your shoulder and your head, supporting your head and thus ensuring that your spine is in the correct position. The special shape and optimal bead height make this product very comfortable for sleeping on your side, thus helping to reduce neck pain.
Reflex Medilux Neck Support
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Material: PES eCo2 and memory granules (soft), PES eCo2 (firm), 100% natural latex inserts.
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Height: 20 cm.
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Sleeping position: back, side, stomach.
It is a unique elastic two-chamber orthopedic option with fillers of 2 types. The main filler is eCo2, a hypoallergenic fiber, an innovative antibacterial material that will provide ideal support and a sleeping microclimate. The second filler is natural perforated latex, located in the neck area to achieve maximum comfort and maintain proper support for the cervical spine.
There are many best cervical pillows, but we have selected these four options based on their characteristics and people's reviews. We have also decided to present several more decent options you can try out.
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UMI neck support pillow: cheap but good option.
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Ebitop Mlily: the second cheap cervical pillow for neck pain that may interest first-time buyers.
The goods we recommend on this page include ones that we have tested and whose reviews are mostly positive. If you don't want to go for the options that we offer, read on and find out the selection criteria and what product types are presented on the market. To find the best neck pillow for pain, you must be aware of many nuances.
Purchase advice
For such an individual product as neck pain best pillow, purchase advice and correct information about the product are particularly important. In addition, you should not blindly buy the first best pillow for side sleepers with neck pain you encounter on the net. The next points show what you should definitely pay attention to.
How does pain develop?
Did you know that the causes of the painful neck and poor sleep can often be found during the day and not at night?
The most common reasons for neck pain are long sitting at the table, mobile phones, and also posture while driving or heavy physical work. If you choose an unsuitable pillow, the situation can get even worse.
Often enough, the switch to the best pillow for neck can improve the situation greatly. Your problems may even disappear completely.
What options are there?
In addition to many well-known manufacturers, who are constantly launching new models on the market, there are also a lot of innovative new manufacturers. Let's take a look at how cushions can differ.
Orthopedic
Although many commercially available neck pillows adorn themselves with the word "orthopedic," it does not apply to every product you see in a store. Most likely to be recognized as orthopedic neck pillows are the products with the wave shape, where the head rests in the trough and the waves support the neck precisely.
The advantages of these cushions are their ergonomic shape, which is ideal for back and side sleepers. They offer great support and, thus, relief for the neck. In addition, they are often adjustable in height and can thus be adjusted exactly.
The only drawback is that the shape takes getting used to, but most people have gotten used to the new product within a few days. There is an important disadvantage for belly sleepers because these pillows are not suitable for them.
Thermoelastic
There are some terms that actually mean the same thing. Thermoelastic pillows, viscoelastic pillows, memory foam: all these refer to a special type of foam. Due to body heat, this foam adapts exactly to the body shape and returns to its original shape when it cools. The foam from the Tempur brand is particularly well known.
Thermoelastic products have some advantages, such as optimal head and neck adaptation and great pressure relief. The adjustment is completely noiseless and does not disturb a sleeping person.
It takes a bit for the pillow neck pain side sleeper made of thermoelastic material to adapt when a person lies on it or turns at night. In addition, the material tends to store heat and drain little moisture, which makes it unsuitable for people who like to sleep in a cool environment or sweat a lot.
Products for traveling
Round neck pillows for traveling are also often regarded as a kind of neck pillow, but it's wrong: they won't help you to get rid of problems. These products are suitable for supporting the head while sitting and avoiding lateral bending, for example, on a plane or bus.
However, since they are not intended as ones for the bed, we mention them only for the sake of completeness.
Don't blindly trust a test
We are always critical of a neck pillow test winner. It's not about talking badly about a product but simply about the fact that the best option should be selected very individually.
In addition to the sleeping position, the most important factors in the selection are, for example, the mattress hardness and shoulder width. A test cannot take into account all the different combinations that result from these three factors alone.
It may happen that a product we call the best one does not suit everyone. When choosing the best neck support pillow, always pay attention to your needs first and only then look for titles. A simple comparison of the neck support pillows that are suitable for you is particularly worthwhile when it comes to quality.
Benefits
The biggest advantage is clearly the anatomically correct posture of the spine. Especially side sleepers, which tend to bend the head at night and thus greatly overstretch the upper body part, will benefit. But back sleepers can also relieve the spine. The result is that the neck muscles can relax.
More importantly, health problems such as pain, dizziness, or generally morning malaise will become significantly less, and you will feel healthy and fit. This makes them a great alternative to conventional pillows.
A pillow neck support best can help with a variety of complaints. However, the emphasis is up to be because a pillow alone is only an aid and not a therapy.
Unpleasant feelings in the head, shoulder, neck, back, or dizziness and fatigue caused by incorrect posture and stress can be solved with the help of a nice memory foam neck pillow. If your symptoms still do not improve, discuss the complaints with your doctor.
Which pillow for which type of sleep?
The aim of a good product is for the spine to lie straight because this avoids incorrect loads. In order to be able to fulfill this task, there are neck pillows in different shapes and suitable for every sleeping position.
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Wavy: due to the wave shape, these cushions have additional support for the neck. This makes them particularly suitable for back and side sleepers. In addition, they are very often height-adjustable.
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Normal pillow shape: despite their supportive filling, these cushions rely on a normal pillow shape without waves. Most of these pillows, which are available in 40x80 cm, are suitable for all types of sleep.
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Butterfly shape: butterfly-shaped or X-shaped ones are particularly suitable for side and belly sleepers because their recesses can be used to put the arms around the pillow or the shoulder in the recess.
It is better to choose a suitable option based on the sleeping position you prefer.
Side sleeper (fixed option)
Most people are side sleepers and sleep on either the right or left side most of the night. The distance between the head and mattress is particularly high in this position, so a firm pillow is needed that can sufficiently support the head.
It is recommended to select a rectangular pillow in this case because only the head lies on it. A large option can cause your shoulders to slip onto the pillow. This would reverse the positive effect.
Back sleeper (flat option)
Few people sleep on their backs, even though the position is considered the healthiest one. If you sleep on your back, then a flat pillow is enough, which mainly serves to support the head and make the lying position comfortable easily.
The ideal is a flat, soft, and wavy cushion that supports the natural S-shape of the spine. The cushion should not be too high, which can lead to an overstretching of the neck. You can understand it is a perfect one if you can look at the ceiling.
Belly sleeper (flat option)
Sleeping on a bally has virtually no advantages for the neck; in fact, it has considerable disadvantages. It gets even worse if you use the wrong pillow and thus additionally damage the neck and back.
In order not to put an additional strain on the neck, back sleepers should reach for the thinnest option possible. If you use a sturdy mattress, then you can also try to do without a pillow altogether. As a belly sleeper, you are good if the spine is as straight as possible and it is at the same height as the shoulder blades.
How much does a good one cost?
Such options are available in a wide variety of price ranges, from just under 20 euros to high-tech variants for several hundred euros.
In this neck support pillow test, we mainly deal with ones from the midfield price range, between 50 and 80 euros. The reason for this is that we have had the best experience with these pillows, and most of our favorites can be found in this price segment.
If you only want to spend 15 euros, you must also expect to get the corresponding quality. That sounds bad, but that's the fact. In addition, the cheap orthopedic foam options are often heavily contaminated with pollutants, which are then absorbed by our skin night after night.
How high should a product be?
Again, to answer this question, you should know if you are a side sleeper, back sleeper, or belly sleeper. Most people belong to the category of side sleepers (depending on surveys, between 60 and 80 percent). So, when choosing a product, it is important that it optimally closes the gap between the shoulders and neck and keeps the spine straight.
You can remember the following as a rule for the right measure: the wider the shoulders and the harder the mattress on which you sleep, the higher the cushion must be. Conversely, use a low one for narrow shoulders and/or a soft mattress.
Materials, fillings, and cover
Foam is the best solution as a material or filling for an orthopedic product. Various foams with great properties are used; here is a small overview.
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Cold foam: cushions made of cold foam are very dimensionally stable and resilient. The impermeable foam is rolled to break open the pores and thus get a breathable, dimensionally stable material. The foam is called cold foam because no heat is used in production.
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Latex: latex cushions are softer than most other materials but still very dimensionally stable and have a high point elasticity. Latex or rubber is particularly suitable for allergy sufferers or people who are looking for a soft cushion with high support comfort.
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Memory foam: memory foam is a term all of us are familiar with. The Visco foam reacts to body heat and adapts to the contours of the sleeper. If the pillow cools, it takes its original shape again.
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Gel foam: gel foam is very breathable and adapts to bodily contours in no time. The material reacts much faster to changes in position than the foam of the viscoelastic cushions and is, therefore, suitable for restless sleepers who often change their lying position.
Cushions are also available with natural materials. What all cushions have in common, regardless of the material of the foam core, is that a washable slipcover protects them.
Certificates and labels
Certificates and labels are a great way to make sure that the product uses pollutant-free textiles. A pillow that has been certified according to the standards is guaranteed to be free of harmful substances and can be used without hesitation.
How to lie correctly
If your neck cushion has two different high rolls, it is basically the case that the higher roller comes under the neck. The headrests in the trough between the two arches.
There are also pillows that have two identically high waves. With such a pillow, of course, it makes no difference which side is under the neck.
If you notice that the higher side feels unpleasant under the neck and causes unpleasant pressure, you can simply turn it over and place the flatter side under the neck.
Conclusion
The modern market surprises customers with impressive offers, so no wonder it is really easy to get lost. Hopefully, our guide will help you make the right choice. Take a look at the selection of goods in our catalog: you will definitely like it!