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Dear Dr. Suzy,
Q.
What kind of pillow do you recommend?
I can't get comfortable when I watch TV or read and I wake up with stiffness in my neck almost every morning.
I wonder if it is
my pillow or my bed or something I have to learn to live with.
A.
This is an important question since sleeping on a pillow that does not properly
support your neck or causes it to tilt forward can gradually decrease the angle
of the cervical curve and cause pain, stiffness, headaches, and misalignment of
the vertebrae over time.
There are three natural curves in the spine that naturally increase its strength
and flexibility: the cervical curve in the neck, the thoracic curve in the mid
back, and the lower back or lumbar curve. Just as the curve in a bridge or other
structure increases its weight bearing capacity, so too, do the curves in your
spine.
Loss of the cervical curve can be a result of overstretching of the ligaments,
as is often seen after a serious car accident. This loss of curve can result in
decreased weight bearing strength of the neck supporting the head and can cause
pain and stiffness, possibly affecting vital nerve flow.
Sometimes it seems that I have been researching and searching for the perfect
pillow for most of my adult life. There are a multitude of different types of
cervical or neck pillows available on the market today. I
personally have a stack of different pillows that I have given a chance and then
thrown in the attic or given away. Finally, I became so frustrated that I
decided to design my own line of pillows based on my knowledge of the spine and my experiences
treating thousands of patients over the years.
I
sincerely recommend the
Pure Life Neck and
Back Pillow and our Sweet Dreamz pillow for a variety of reasons. Here
are just a few:
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The orthopedically correct,
ergonomic shape of our pillows is perfectly contoured to support your cervical
and lumbar curves. The unique shape wraps around your
shoulders and neck with such an innovative fit that you might think
that our pillows were custom made just
for you. The Pure Life Pillow was
designed to comfortably fit the 3 supportive curves of your neck and
back. The Sweet Dreamz sleeping pillow allows your upper torso to
move freely, whether you sleep on your side or your back. |
"What makes this pillow
unique from all other pillows is the natural 'shoulder contour'
design"
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When used with the tips pointing up,
our Pure Life Neck and Back Pillow provides
a gentle traction to the neck and can relieve pressure on joints and
prevent headaches, neck pain, and backaches. When used with the tips pointing
down, the pillow provides unparalleled support to the natural lordotic and
kyphotic curves and contours of your spine.
The Pure Life Pillow provides neck
support while you are sitting on the couch or your favorite chair, whether you
are simply relaxing, reading or watching television. It can be used in
your office chair as a lumbar cushion or used between your legs when lying down
to relieve pressure of the lower back. This pillow doesn't just work in
theory, it works in real life.
The Pure Life Pillow
is made with an innovative
hypoallergenic filling that retains its shape because it is manufactured in tiny
clusters that don't bunch up like traditional fiberfill. The modern, down
alternative fill and soft, yet durable cover material make it possible to
machine wash and dry your pillow as often as you want. Simply throwing it in
the dryer for a few minutes will plump it up nicely at any time. We
searched long and hard to find this awesome fill and were thrilled when we
finally found it.
Our Sweet Dreamz bed pillow is
made with the same light and fluffy fill and is about twice as big as the
Classic Pure Life Pillow. It comes with a custom fit pillowcase and is
made with the softest cotton we could find. You can search the planet, and
you won't find anything exactly like our pillows.
In the interest of fairness, here is some feedback about other types of pillows
that I have collected over the years.
As is often the case, the most expensive, frequently advertised pillows aren’t
always the best ones.
There are quite a few orthopedic
pillows available today that look great in theory but don't perform so well in
real life. Don't be fooled by aggressive commercials from marketing
specialists. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Some people swear by Tempurpedic or memory foam type
pillows that are made of a foam type material that bounces back after applied
pressure is removed. I know a few people who are extremely particular about
pillows who say that they can’t sleep on anything but this type of pillow.
A handful of
people that I know prefer buckwheat filled pillows, but the noise they make as
you are sleeping can be annoying and the shape isn't always ideal for neck
support.
Others prefer air or water filled pillows. The concept behind water based
pillows is great, but many people find them too heavy or awkward to use. I don't
know anyone who actually sleeps on an air pillow, but they are convenient for
travel.
Also, a few people have told me that they like feather pillows because
they are soft and conform to the contours of your neck more easily than a foam pillow.
The problem with feather pillows, however, is that, often, they are simply too
flat and the traditional rectangular shape doesn't support the curves of the
neck and back.
U
shaped travel pillows are helpful when traveling but aren't really meant to be
used as sleeping pillows and don't allow proper positioning of the head and neck
for long term usage.
In my opinion, the Pure
Life Pillow and our Sweet Dreamz pillows are the world's best!
Of course, I am just a
little bit biased, but quite honestly, I won't use any other type of pillow
for the rest of my life!
Also see our new Sweet
Dreamz Sleeping Pillow
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