Direct contact with the pillow is the cervical spine part of the human body, and the cervical spine and the human body’s shoulders and back and waist muscles, ligaments, intervertebral discs and so on are closely related to the impact of the right pillow for human health.
The cervical spine has a convex arc, known as physiological convexity, people in any case, in order to maintain this natural physiological arc for the most comfortable. People should also maintain the normal physiological cervical lordosis during sleep to meet the physiological requirements of the cervical spine. The role of the pillow is to sleep in the head and neck under the pad, so that the cervical spine in people sleep can also maintain a normal physiological arc, and so that the neck skin, muscles, ligaments, intervertebral discs, intervertebral joints, as well as through the neck of the trachea, esophagus, nerves and other tissues and organs in the sleep with the whole human body together to relax and rest.
Pillow should not only be able to support the neck well before the convex, but also to be able to accommodate the skull occipital part (back of the head) of the convex, because the skull occipital part of the back of the convex, and only then, the neck tissues and organs will be in a state of relaxation and rest. Unsuitable pillows and incorrect sleeping positions may cause excessive tension in the ligaments and muscles of the neck and accelerate the metamorphosis of the intervertebral joints and lead to functional disorders.
Choose the type of filling that best suits you
During sleep, the pillow is almost in close contact with the person, so the filler of the pillow has a great impact on our health. Pillow filler variety, a clear understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of different fillers, in order to choose the most appropriate type of purple pillow according to personal circumstances.
First, the natural environmentally friendly natural filler
Relative to man-made chemical fibers, some people prefer to use natural materials to fill the pillow, especially the elderly, prefer this type of pillow.
- Soft and hard moderate buckwheat hulls
This is the most common pillow filler, it is moderately soft and hard, molding and water absorption are good, but also relatively light. The disadvantage is that the elasticity is poor, and head and neck activities when the pillow has a rattling sound, for those who are prone to insomnia, may affect the sleep.
- Absorbent rice hulls
Better than buckwheat husk molding and water absorption, but it will be slightly heavier, people will be rattling when moving.
- Molding good rice husk
There is a certain molding properties, but its sharpness is easy to pierce the fabric, irritate the skin, and it is also easy to send out the shortcomings of the sound.
- Breathable fluffy down
Down fibers have good resilience, and have temperature and humidity regulation function, high breathability, can provide dry and comfortable for the human body “small environment”. Down pillows can not be washed, allergies, it is best to avoid the use of this pillow, so as not to cause respiratory discomfort.
Second, each has its own characteristics of artificial filler
A lot of quality artificial filler, in the warmth and moisture absorption properties, resilience and many other aspects of the natural filler, and some because of the characteristics of the material or additives, but also has a very good anti-bacterial mildew and prevention of disease function.
- Easy to clean ordinary man-made fibers
This filler is made of chemical fiber cotton wool, easy to wash, even available washing machine washing, can also be compressed with a vacuum compression bag compression storage, and cheap. But the chemical fiber cotton wool is not very breathable, easy to use for a long time ball lumps, thus the lack of elasticity, life will be shorter.
- High technology hollow fiber
Hollow fiber is a product of high technology, is a composite material, in the poor permeability of ordinary man-made fibers through a to several apertures, so that each fiber is able to store more air. Pillows made with this type of filling have a dramatic increase in resilience, warmth, fluffiness and longevity. Due to the differences in materials and additives, some also have health care and medical functions.
- Allergy sufferers can also use latex filler
Latex is the use of natural rubber by the “foam” process of molding and made of filler materials. Because it comes from pure natural materials, non-toxic and tasteless, no adverse effects on the human body. The whole piece of latex construction eliminates the interference of small fibers on the human body, especially suitable for allergy sufferers and asthma patients. In addition, latex is breathable, not easy to deform and easy to shape, can provide more appropriate support for the cervical spine. However, due to the raw material factor, the price of latex pillow is relatively expensive.
Determine the right height and softness
In addition to focusing on different characteristics of the pillow filling, the most important thing is to determine the pillow height and hardness that best suits your body’s actual condition. Sleeping habits also have a subtle effect on the height of the pillow and should be taken into account. For normal people, the height of the pillow and the softness and hardness of each person’s fat and thin, shoulder width, neck length are related to comfort.
High pillow is not worry-free
Normal people sleep too high pillow, whether lying on the back or side, will make the physiological arc of the cervical spine change, over time, the neck muscles will be strained, spasm, accelerate the deformation of the intervertebral joints, and promote the formation of bone spurs, resulting in cervical instability and other problems.
In addition, high pillow will increase the angle of the neck and chest, so that the airway ventilation is blocked, easy to lead to dry throat, sore throat and snoring.
Low pillows are not comfortable
Normal people sleeping on a low pillow for a long time will also change the physiological state of the cervical spine. Because the veins in the head have no valves, gravity will slow down the venous return in the brain, the arterial blood supply is relatively increased, resulting in headache, irritability, insomnia and other uncomfortable symptoms.
How to determine whether the pillow is too high or too low
Pillow is too high – if the exclusion of disease factors, neck pain, headache, dizziness, tinnitus and insomnia and other cerebral neurasthenia, or sleep halfway to feel numbness in the hands and feet, it is likely that your pillow is too high.
Pillow is too low – if you do not drink water before going to bed, but woke up to find the face swollen this may be too low pillow, causing slight congestion in the head caused by blood. If the pillow is too low, the jaw will be lifted upwards as a result, making it easy to breathe with an open mouth and snoring.
- What is the right height
Usually, the appropriate height of the pillow to 10 to 15 centimeters is more appropriate, but the specific size should also be based on each person’s physiological characteristics, especially the physiological curvature of the neck. Shoulder width and fat people pillow can be slightly higher, while the thin people can be slightly lower.
Sleeping habits for determining the height of the pillow also has an impact, accustomed to sleeping on their backs, the height of the pillow should be compressed with the height of their fists (clenched fist up the height of the tiger’s mouth for the fist high standard) is appropriate; and accustomed to sleeping on the side of the person, the height of the pillow should be compressed with the height of the shoulder width of their own side of the height of the same as appropriate. Of course, whether sleeping on the back, side sleep can maintain the normal physiological arc of the neck pillow is the most ideal.
For the pillow itself, the part that supports the back of the neck (cervical flexion) should be slightly higher and have a certain degree of firmness, in order to be able to set off and maintain the physiological curvature of the neck. The part that supports the back of the head should be 3 to 5 centimeters lower than the above part, so that it can fully support the head, but also with the height of the neck. Generally speaking, people with high blood pressure, heart disease, asthma sometimes need to sleep on a high pillow; people with low blood pressure and anemia sometimes need to sleep on a low pillow.
- Pillow hard and soft discomfort harm
Too hard pillow, will make the pillow and head contact area is reduced, increased pressure, scalp uncomfortable; but if the pillow is too soft, it is difficult to maintain a certain height, the neck muscle is easy to fatigue, but also is not conducive to sleep, and the head is trapped in it, it will affect the blood circulation, so that the head numbness.
- Suitable softness
Pillow should choose a little softer, but without losing a certain degree of hardness of the type, on the one hand, can reduce the pressure between the pillow and scalp, on the other hand, but also maintains an uneven pressure, so that the blood can be from the pressure of the place through the smaller. Pillow as long as a little elasticity can be, too much elasticity will cause neck muscle fatigue and injury.
Pillow use how long to replace the appropriate
There are a lot of people only every four years to change the purple pillow, in fact, the pillow should be replaced every 1 to 3 years. Because old and dirty pillows are prone to mold, mites, triggering allergies or respiratory diseases. Selection of pillows should be easy to wash and can be dried, so that the purple pillow can be used for a long time, your sleep health can also be guaranteed.
Simple self-checking criteria to determine whether you should change your pillow or not:
- In the absence of other physical illnesses, often feel numbness and soreness in the neck after waking up in the morning.
- The pillow has lost its elasticity, you need to beat for a while in order to make it restore some elasticity.
- After adjusting the pillow with great difficulty, it quickly returns to flatness.
- The pillow has lumps, uneven phenomenon, and the filler has a damp odor.