Choosing an orthopedic pillow for the home. Expert advice

A person spends more than a third of his life in a dream. Sleep should be provided with comfortable conditions, only in this case the body is able to completely relax in order to get a margin of safety for the next day.

However, when a person does not pay special attention to bedding, the process of rest can lead to various kinds of diseases associated with the curvature of the cervical spine. It is quite possible to solve such problems – for this you just need to purchase an orthopedic pillow.

Such a product is selected according to several basic criteria, but the main thing is the degree of rigidity and the height of the pillow. Factors that may influence the choice of a particular model include:

• mattress type;
• shoulder width and height of the user;
• filler material;
• favorite position during sleep;
• the size and shape of the model.

The form

Today, manufacturers offer a variety of products in shape:

• rectangular;
• something resembling a bagel;
• having notches;
• provided with protrusions;
• wavy.

Expert advice! At its core, the shape of an orthopedic pillow is completely unimportant – its properties are not determined by the configuration at all. The main thing is the features of the material that is used for its manufacture. If he has the ability to take on the shape of the body, it is perfectly acceptable to choose any appearance.

Material

Fillers for real orthopedic pillows are used not only synthetic, but also natural. The most commonly used materials are:

• latex;
• polyester;
• viscoelastic foam;
• buckwheat husk.

Products made of latex filler can easily adapt to the silhouette of a lying person, however, they do not push through very much. They are able to quickly restore their original shape when a person gets up. In such models, mites, which are often found in feather and down bedding, do not start. The latex pillow is machine washable.

Expert advice! It is desirable that the inside of the material be permeated with the smallest pores and channels and pores. This greatly improves air circulation, which prevents night sweats.

Another common filler is polyester. To fill the product with it, the material is prepared in the form of small balls. As soon as a person lies down to rest, these balls diverge to the sides, thereby providing the necessary shape.

After sleeping, the polyester pillow should be shaken to return to its original shape. If the purchased pillow turned out to be high, then this problem can be solved very simply – just pour some of the balls out of it.

Expensive fillers include viscoelastic foam. The pillow filled with it under the influence of heat and pressure of weight, like a plasticine product, takes the exact configuration of the imprint of the neck and head. However, it does not fold to the end, providing high-quality elastic support. When a person rises, the shape of the product is instantly completely restored.

In all such models with synthetic fillers, the surface of the pillow has thermal insulating properties – its temperature is always comfortable, no matter how hot or cold it is in the room.

Buckwheat husks are distinguished by a high degree of ecology and have excellent orthopedic properties. However, there are some drawbacks. First of all, such a product may smell like buckwheat and is not recommended to be washed. If you do this and dry it poorly, fungus can develop in the pillow. Because of this, the product must be dried, cleaned and treated with hot steam.

Expert advice! Whatever the product is filled with material, you must lie on it before purchasing a pillow. At the very least, it is advisable to hold the product with your hands in order to tactilely assess the level of comfort and degree of rigidity.

Dimensions

An important point in choosing a product is the size of the pillow. The width and length of orthopedic products are standard values. The only parameter that you need to pay attention to is the proportionality of the width of the bed and pillow. The latter must necessarily be narrower. The length of the products is 40-80 cm, their width is 30-50 cm.

For many people, models are suitable, the height of which varies from 10 to 14 cm. However, when a person has broad shoulders, it may be necessary to choose a pillow higher – up to 16 cm.

If the pillow is too high, the head will be placed in the wrong position according to the physiology, which will disrupt cerebral blood flow, since the vertebral artery will be blocked. The optimal shape of the product should be consistent with the usual sleeping position. In this perspective, everything is quite simple: doctors recommend that those who like to relax on their stomachs have the usual forms of orthopedic pillows – oblong, however, without rollers. If a person prefers to sleep on his side or back, the products must have rollers.

It should be noted that all orthopedic products with an anatomically correct shape sometimes require some getting used to. At first, they seem not very comfortable to those who have long indulged in the addiction of resting on a soft or high pillow. Do not despair – addiction lasts a maximum of a week.

Rigidity

When choosing a pillow, you should pay attention to the degree of rigidity of the orthopedic product. Those who like to rest on their side will need a rigid model that will provide effective neck support. The use of such a pillow will allow you to get rid of numbness and leakage of the muscles of the shoulder and neck.

People who are used to sleeping on their stomach should pay attention to a soft product, it will reduce muscle tension and also relieve neck pain. For those who sleep face up, experts recommend a medium-hard pillow that can smooth out lower back pain and relieve snoring.

Conclusion

Before heading to the store for an orthopedic pillow, you should understand that the product must be anatomically shaped to provide soft, yet stable support for the neck and head. Then the anatomical curves of the cervical and thoracic spine will be able to maintain a natural, really correct position.