Sleeping pillows are researched and designed to care for your sleep and spinal health. However, many people have a habit of sleeping without a pillow. This significantly affects the quality of your sleep and bone and joint health. Learning about the harms of sleeping without a pillow is a way to help people find timely and effective remedies.
1. Harms of sleeping without a pillow that not everyone knows
Should you sleep with a pillow or not is always a common question in life. While many people prefer to sleep with a thick pillow, others prefer to sleep without a pillow. This habit may seem harmless but it significantly affects your sleep and bone and joint health.
Sleeping without a pillow affects the spine and leads to poor sleeping posture.
Affects the spine
If you have a habit of sleeping on your side or back, sleeping without a pillow may not be good for your spinal alignment.
In fact, the harm of sleeping without a pillow can even damage your spine.
Side sleeping position: When you sleep on your side without a pillow, there is a gap between your neck and shoulder. If this space is not supported by a pillow, your cervical vertebrae can bend down and be displaced from their normal position. This is why side sleepers should not sleep without a pillow.
Back sleeping position: If you sleep on your back without a pillow, your head can tilt backward, and your cervical spine will bend abnormally. Therefore, using a pillow with moderate firmness will help keep your head straight with your spine.
Sleeping without a pillow can cause neck pain and worsen back pain.
Can cause neck pain
The correct sleeping posture plays a very important role in preventing neck and shoulder pain. Giving up pillows and unsuitable sleeping postures can cause or worsen your neck pain.
In particular, if you sleep on your side or back, not using a pillow can cause your neck to bend or drop too much, not aligning with your spine. This can lead to headaches or neck and shoulder pain when waking up.
Increases back pain
One of the harms of sleeping without a pillow is that it can increase your back pain because your lumbar spine is curved when lying down to adapt to not using a pillow. When your spine is more misaligned than its normal posture, you may experience stiffness or back pain in the morning.
Causes shoulder pain or numb arms
Sleeping without a pillow can cause numb arms and shoulder pain in the morning upon waking.
If you don't use a pillow when sleeping, you might habitually rest your head on your arm. However, your head weighs an average of about 5kg, and if it presses on your arm continuously throughout the night, you might wake up with numb arms or aching shoulders because they had to support your head all night, leading to poor blood circulation.
Can make breathing more difficult
Using a pillow when sleeping helps to slightly elevate your head compared to your body, which allows the airway to be clearer and unobstructed by any factors. But when you remove the pillow, the harm of sleeping without a pillow is that it causes your head to sink into the mattress and makes breathing more difficult.
Especially for people with sleep apnea, not using a pillow when sleeping is very dangerous and unsafe. Using a pillow that slightly elevates the head will help improve sleep quality.
You might be interested in: How to use a pillow to prevent reflux correctly
2. Should you sleep without a pillow?
Due to the harms of sleeping without a pillow, not everyone should give up their pillow. Especially those in the following two cases:
Back and side sleepers
Your head is one of the heaviest parts of your body, and your neck has to work to support all that weight when you lie down. This is why, when sleeping, it's important to keep your neck and spine aligned to avoid strain.
If you lie on your back or side on a flat mattress, you will notice a gap between your head and shoulders. Therefore, using a suitable pillow will help fill that gap, reducing pressure on your neck and other parts of your body. That is why it is important that back and side sleepers should not go without a pillow when sleeping.
Neck pain can reduce your sleep quality and keep you tossing and turning all night. With the right pillow, your neck will be much more relaxed and comfortable.
People with scoliosis or other spinal conditions
If you have scoliosis or any other spinal problem, not using a pillow when sleeping can be very dangerous. This can worsen your spinal condition, reducing its ability to bear weight and function normally.
3. What is the most suitable pillow for you?
If you are worried about the harms of sleeping without a pillow and are wondering whether to go without one, then don't completely rule out using a pillow. No matter what kind of sleeper you are, there is always a suitable pillow for you.
Ru9's Niu pillow is designed to provide the ideal support for your head, neck, and shoulders. The Niu pillow core is made from Graphene Memory Foam with a standard thickness of 12 cm, suitable for the physique of Vietnamese people, providing perfect support for the head, neck, and shoulders, helping you avoid sleeping posture problems and reduce neck pain upon waking up.
With Ru9's Niu pillow, no matter what sleeping position you are in, you will feel incredibly comfortable and relaxed. The Graphene Memory Foam material of the pillow core provides a soft and smooth, relaxing feeling.
Especially, the pillowcase is made from Tencel Knitted Fabric which has high absorbency and optimal heat dissipation, creating breathability when lying down, keeping your head and neck cool and comfortable all night long.
The Niu pillow product helps you get a complete night's sleep in any position.
The Ru9 Niu pillow is created with innovative design and maximum comfort. You can sleep in various positions without removing the pillow, helping to avoid the harms of sleeping without a pillow.
Thus, with the information shared above, we hope to provide everyone with important knowledge about the harms of sleeping without a pillow to find timely and effective remedies. At the same time, it helps you easily choose a suitable sleeping pillow to enjoy a complete night's sleep and wake up feeling refreshed and healthy to start a new day full of positive energy.
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