Get your Pillow to Talk Right

Ergonomics | Dr. Deepak Sachdeva's Advice

So if you have neck pain and you are doubtful whether you should use a pillow at night or not, the solution is, when you lie down straight on your back, do not use a pillow. If you're habituated to using a pillow, I would recommend using as thin a pillow as possible, and that to make a small roll under the neck with it; but, try to get rid of this as soon as you can. Meaning, in a week's time, just develop the habit of lying down straight without a pillow.

Second thing, most people don't sleep straight facing the ceiling. You either sleep on the right side or on the left side. So when you're lying down on the side, you must use a pillow. If you're not using a pillow, you will be using your arm to support your head. So your head needs support. In that case. I would recommend using a soft pillow, to fill the gap between your face and the mattress. And please understand that the gap between the cheeks and the mattress is less than the gap between the neck and mattress (which is a little more because your neck is thinner and the face is a little broader). So when you use the pillow on the side, make a small roll of the pillow under the neck so it supports the entire body line. And how thick should the pillow be? Use a thin pillow. When you're lying down on the side, using a pillow is a must. What should the thickness to fill the gap be? So there are people who don't lie down exactly on 90 degrees. People lie down a little obliquely. So if you have a habit of lying down obliquely downwards, the thickness of the pillow should be adjusted accordingly.

And if you lie down on your tummy? Most people actually love sleeping on their stomach. You

don't need a pillow.

In this case, avoid using a pillow. There are some exceptions where we allow patients to use pillows even when they’re lying down straight. The exception is if you have respiratoryissues, like, asthma, or sinusitis; if you have other issues where if your head goes to the level of the bed and body, you start finding it difficult to breathe normally. In that case, use a pillow when you lie down straight, but the pillow should come all the way down to the upper spine so that it does not push your head out and your neck forward. Whereas if you place the pillow up to the upper spine, your entire upper body takes the correct angle it needs, and the pressure on the neck reduces significantly. It doesn't mean that

you have the freedom to use this pillow for your entire life under your shoulders!

Even in that case, you should learn to get rid of this pillow as soon as you can. So treat your asthma, treat your sinusitis, treat your other respiratory issues, and get rid of the pillow!