IMPORTANT NOTE: This is not a medical site. You should always discuss medical matters with your doctor.
Neck Support Pillows
The term neck pillow is used to describe a wide variety of products: you can buy everything from an inexpensive inflatable travel pillow through to a top of the range, specially moulded orthopedic pillow.What Is A Neck Pillow?
The traditional pillow is essentially just an amorphous blob of filling material. Some designs are better than others at adapting to your body, however they all follow pretty much the same principle. And whilst a good pillow can provide relief from stress and muscle pain, an ancient one that has seen better days might actually make things worse.A neck pillow by contrast has been specially designed to give cervical support where it is most needed. The simple fact is that when we lay down our body doesn't form a flat surface - that's as true for our head as for the rest of our body. Even the best traditional pillows leave something to be desired in this area.
So neck pillows are specially designed to cradle and support the neck at the optimum angle whilst sleeping, whether in bed at home or during travel by car, airplane etc. When the cervical support design is combined with advanced filling materials such as memory foam the pillow is also able to respond well to your personal needs.
A travel neck pillow is usually shaped like an inverted "U" and slips behind your head. Neck pillows for the bed usually resemble a normal pillow at first sight but are contoured specially to give the best support.
Why Buy A Neck Pillow?
Why would you spend the money to buy a neck pillow? They're designed to reduce muscle stress and neck pain, both whilst sleeping and when waking.Obviously if you have any medical condition or suffer serious neck pain then the first thing you should do is discuss the matter with your doctor. Even if you don't suffer from any such condition then you might find that using such a pillow helps you to get a better, more comfortable night's sleep and reduces the chance of waking in pain with a stiff neck.
As with most things the quality and price of neck pillows varies tremendously, so check out some reviews to make sure you find the right one for you.