which is the best pillow for my neck pain and stiffness?

Which is the best pillow  for my neck pain and stiffness?

If you are waking up in the morning with a stiff neck you can pretty much bet it’s your pillow that’s at fault. There are a multitude of pillows on the market and you could lose sleep just thinking about which one to buy.

One of the most important things to think about is whether the pillow that you currently are using is the correct height for you. This is the key to having a pain free neck at night time and of course, when you wake up.

Your neck needs to be well supported and in a neutral position when you are sleeping.

So the first question you need to ask yourself is whether you sleep on your side, back or turn a lot. These will impact the height you are going to need for your pillow.

Having your neck in a neutral position means that your head is neither pushed forwards, backwards or hangs sideways. If you are laying on your back you head should be nicely level. On of the problems with the foam pillows are that they can be too stiff and your head doesn’t sink into them which leaves your head thrust forward. This is a surefire way to get a stiff neck and compress the upper cervical vertebrae. Also if you use a feather pillow your head can end up sinking too far into it which puts your head into extension and aggravates your joints again.  The same thing happens if you are lying on your side so for this reason I don’t recommend either of these pillows. However, having said that, it may be possible to but a foam pillow that is not too thick and supports your head in a neutral position none the less.

Find that the contour pillows are by far the best. It’s worth spending the extra money on these types of pillows simply because they are extremely good and help the vast majority of neck pain sufferers. You can also see these studies if you put ‘memory foam pillows studies’ into Google and you will find the research done.

Another cheap way to see if a contour pillow will help is to use your pillow and roll up a towel to the thickness of about one and a half to two inches thick and place it under your neck for support. This will give your neck the needed support and if you have the level correct, it will also have your neck placed in a neutral position. You have pretty much made yourself a cheap version of a contour pillow and it is a good way to feel the extra support that this type of pillow gives.

for more on this and other neck tips check out

treat your own neck pain DVD OUT NOW

If you are still having pain when you wake up you may need to address other factors that may be aggravating your neck. The most common reason for neck pain and neck related headaches are poor posture. If you sit in a slouched position at your computer for hours on end this will most definitely aggravate your neck. It is the most common cause!

Neck Exercises-The Best and Worst to do and why

stretches for stiff necks

Stretching- Here is one of the worst to do

Which exercises should you do for a pinched nerve

The stretch you should not do for Neck and Shoulder pain