Sleeping is required to rejuvenate the body. It is essential for calming down the mind and to replenish bodily energy. How to sleep and what kind of pillow is good has been a topic of debate since forever. Some say sleeping without a pillow is the best option; while others propose using a pillow but depending upon how you sleep. Means, whether you are a side sleeper or the one who sleeps on the stomach or back can decide if the pillow is good for you.
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Important benefits of sleeping without a pillow
Since infancy, the kids are made to sleep on a pillow. In this phase of growth, the head may tend to get flat due to the time spent in restricted space of uterus. There are medical pillows available for the babies to correct the condition of the flathead which is also known as a flat head syndrome. But, as you grew your neck and spine also grow along with the head and so, these need to be in the correct state while sleeping. The best habit is to sleep without a pillow for an adult. It is believed to help in many ways, such as:
No aches
The very first benefit of sleeping without a pillow is that it provides complete rest to your neck and shoulders. When you sleep without a pillow, you are actually in your natural position. This is beneficial for giving ample support to the back and neck while sleeping. As a result, you do not experience aches of any kind when not using a pillow.
No obstruction of airflow through the respiratory passage
This obstruction is common to occur if you are using a very thin pillow. The imbalance caused due to thin pillow can interfere with the airflow through the breathing route. By the way, this leads to the condition of early morning headaches. When not using a pillow, this situation is avoided.
No backaches
Backaches happen mostly due to faulty working and sitting posture and use of thick pillows. The thick pillows stacked below the neck actually deform the neck and back structural framework. The tilted neck caused due to thick pillow stresses the spine and eventually leads to the back pain
You wake up fresh in the morning
Morning is the time when you feel the freshest. But, not when the pillows have taken away your comfort. The sleeping pillow can wreak havoc on your sleep and body making it difficult for you to feel well-rested even after a long sleep of eight hours. Thus, when you ditch the pillow you wake up fresh and look forward to enjoying all work as well as fun waiting for you during the day.
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Boosts the facial skin health
When the face is pressed against the pillow, it naturally disrupts the blood flow through the facial nerves. This leads to many problems such as premature aging creases caused by pressure from the pillow. The other skin related problems like acne or patchy skin can also be solved if the only pillow is the thing that is troubling you.
Having said that pillow is not good for health, ditching the pillow all of a sudden can also become problematic. It is advisable to learn about your sleeping position and choose the correct pillow accordingly. The use of the correct pillow supports the spinal alignment and offers you the best benefits of sleeping.
What type of pillows are recommended for various types of sleepers
If you have inculcated the good habit of sleeping without a pillow in your kids from the very early in life, you actually have given them a gift for a lifetime. But, when you are the product of sleeping with a pillow and feel incomplete without it, you must do a small research about your sleeping position. For example,
- Stomach sleepers should not use any pillow at all. The neck and shoulders do not align with the shape of the spine and you can develop lots of troubles like spondylolysis and so on. So, sleeping on the stomach has to be without pillows. It helps you get ample rest.
- If you are the one to sleep on your side, you must consider using a pillow. The problem of poor spinal alignment holds true for the side sleeper as the neck faces the same trouble without a pillow that the stomach sleepers feel with a pillow.
- Going pillow-less is the best way for the back sleepers. Sleeping on the back with a pillow disturbs the spinal alignment and the people develop chronic pain in neck and shoulder due to bad pillow habits.
How to start sleeping without a pillow
To get the best benefits of sleeping without a pillow, one needs introducing changes slowly. No one can ditch the habit in one day and feel comfortable. That is why; the pillows can be replaced with a soft towel when you want to learn to ditch the support while sleeping. The towel has to be folded to make a cylindrical shape and kept below the neck. The thickness of this cylindrical support should not be too much. It should be able to align the neck and head in a close to the straight-line position. Gradually, you lower the height of the soft towel pillow that you have made. Once the body has adjusted to the no-pillow situation, you can discard it completely.
Problem solved by sleeping without a pillow
When you are ditching a pillow, you are actually embracing good health. Various health issues are prevented by not using a pillow while sleeping. These issues are:
- Headache
- Backache
- Neck disorders like spondylolysis
- Frozen shoulder
- Stiffness in neck
- Insomnia
- Disk bulges
- Flathead, and so on.
So, embrace good health. Start sleeping without a pillow or a stack of these. Sleeping straight without a pillow keeps your neck and back in the natural position helps you maintain the healthy natural curve of your neck and spine connection point. However, if you want to know the reasons for sudden weight loss or else you need to some of the best weight loss tips then kindly refer to our previous article so far.