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.

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:

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

The orthopedically correct, ergonomic shape of the Sweet Dreamz pillow is perfectly contoured to support the cervical curve of your neck. Unique 'shoulder contour' design has a cut out to allow plenty of room for your shoulders, whether you sleep on your side or on your back.