When sleeping, you should put your head and neck on the pillow, let the pillow support your head and neck, and keep the neck in a normal cervical curvature position, so that the pillow can play its due role. In addition, choosing the height, softness and hardness of the pillow will also affect the quality of sleep to a certain extent.
In our daily cognition, a pillow, as the name suggests, is a bedding that is placed under the head to make the head slightly higher when lying down. However, is the pillow really just a pillow for the "head" as it literally means? Let's take a look.
01 Pillows and pillows are not just for the head. Pillows are not just for pillows. If you just use a pillow to prop your head to sleep, then you are doing it wrong. Many people have poor sleep quality because they sleep with pillows in the wrong position. Simply using a pillow to prop your head will cause the cervical vertebrae between the shoulders and the pillow to hang in the air, preventing the neck muscles from fully relaxing and resting, resulting in neck soreness, muscle strain, and even difficulty falling asleep in severe cases.
One of the keys to maintaining good sleep quality is to use the right pillow to perform its intended function. When sleeping, you should put your head and neck on the pillow, let the pillow support your head and neck, and keep the neck in a normal cervical curvature position, so that the pillow can play its role. If you just place your head on a pillow with wrong posture, no matter how expensive or good the pillow is, it will not help. 02 Choose the right height to sleep well. In addition to the correct "pillow posture", choosing a pillow of the right height is also the most important thing to ensure the quality of sleep. A pillow that is too high or too low will cause harm to the body. Studies have shown that pillows that are too high will hinder the normal blood circulation of the head, easily lead to brain hypoxia, snoring, stiff neck, etc., and patients with high blood pressure, cervical spondylosis, and spinal abnormalities. High pillows cannot be used; pillows that are too low can easily cause edema of the eyelids and face. People with asthma, lung disease, and heart disease cannot use low pillows.
The scientific and comfortable pillow height is determined based on the physiological curve of the cervical spine arrangement of the human neck. Only by maintaining its normal physiological curvature can the joints, muscles, ligaments, etc. of the shoulder and neck be relaxed and get a better rest. Under normal circumstances, the height of the pillow should be slightly lower than the distance from the shoulder to the neck on the same side, about 8 to 15 centimeters, or calculated according to the formula: (shoulder width - head width) ÷ 2. 03 There are other things to consider when choosing a pillow Different sleeping positions require different pillow heights. When choosing a pillow, the difference in sleeping positions also needs to be taken into consideration. For people who are used to sleeping on their backs, the best pillow height is 8 to 13 centimeters (about the height of a fist). At the same time, a pillow can also be placed under the knees to relieve pressure on the spine. For people who are used to sleeping on their sides, the height of the pillow should be the width of the individual's shoulders, about 13 to 15 centimeters, so that the cervical and lumbar vertebrae can be kept almost at the same level. There are also people who like to sleep on their stomachs, you can choose very thin pillows, or no pillows. At the same time, in order to avoid back pain, it is best to place a thin pillow on your abdomen, but it is usually not recommended to sleep in the prone sleeping position.
04 The softness, hardness, and elasticity of the pillow will also affect the quality of sleep. The material, pillow type, and hardness of the pillow will also affect our sleep. The pillow core should be soft and soft to make a pillow that is moderately hard and slightly elastic. good. A pillow that is too hard will increase the pressure on the contact area between the head and neck and the pillow, causing head discomfort; a pillow that is too soft will make it difficult to maintain a normal height, and the head and neck will not be supported and will become fatigued. In addition, the pillow should have appropriate elasticity. If the pillow is too elastic, the head will continue to be subject to external elastic force, causing muscle fatigue and damage. Such as "spring pillow", " air pillow ", etc., are not considered beneficial. Healthy pillows.
Having said so much, the importance of pillows for sleep is self-evident. Choosing a suitable pillow can not only improve uncomfortable symptoms such as shoulder and neck pain, but also improve sleep quality. There are various types of pillows on the market, with many varieties and widely varying prices. When choosing, you should consider your own situation, know what is best for you, and choose the one that suits you best.
Author | Cheng Fangjie
review expert | Peng Zhiping, deputy chief physician of the Chinese Sleep Society
Source: scientific rumor refutation
