Settling into the perfect sleep position for the night can mean a lot of tossing and turning. But what makes it worse is when your pillow doesn’t support your head and neck properly.
For stomach sleepers, finding a position that doesn’t stress the neck can be quite difficult. Since most pillows give a dense cushioning and push the head into an upward position many stomach sleepers wake with a sore neck. “Any pillow with high loft is going to push your neck back a little bit and give you neck pain or cause some discomfort in the lower back,” says Rocco Monto, MD, an orthopedic surgeon in Nantucket, Mass. Searching for a thinner pillow -to no pillow- ensures your spine stays aligned while you snooze.
The stomach sleeper has their neck in a neutral position as they sleep and don’t actually need a pillow (the less angled your head is then the less strain is put on your neck and back). If you are a stomach sleeper and don’t feel complete without a pillow then a thin and soft pillow is best. If your pillow is too thick or plump it could cause a pinched neck.
Finding a pillow that holds a unique cradle and keeps the head in a neutral position is best for stomach sleepers. The best pillow for this is a down pillow, but, if you want the feel of down and can’t tolerate the allergic reaction or just want a more affordable alternative, than an organic down alternative pillow is the right one for you.