Pillows are used to align the head, neck, and spine during sleep. Different types of pillows can address various alignment issues, but finding the right number is key for comfort. Historically, only the wealthy used soft cloth pillows, while ancient cultures used hard blocks of wood or stone.
One of the main reasons we use pillows has to do with the complicated relationship between the head, neck and spine. When a person walks upright during the day, the head and neck are held in vertical alignment on the spine by a complex arrangement of muscles and tendons. During sleep, however, many of these muscles relax, causing the head to fall back or forward. This places extra stress on the neck muscles and vertebrae, which in turn causes stiffness in the back muscles and spine.
The solution to this painful situation is to elevate your head and neck until they are back in line with your spine, regardless of your sleeping position. The easiest way to get this supported alignment is to use a pillow to get the angle right. When the head, neck, and spine are aligned again, a person should be able to breathe easier and circulation improve.
There are several forms of support pillows, all designed to address different alignment issues. An orthopedic pillow is used by most night sleepers to keep their head, spine, and knees supported in a comfortable position for sleeping. Some people use pillows between their knees or thighs to provide support for their lower back and hips. A lumbar pillow can also fill the space between your lower back and a chair or mattress.
A special neck or neck pillow can also provide additional support when resting in an upright position. The neck pillow wraps around the person’s neck to push the head slightly forward. Some users find that an incorrectly sized neck pillow can cause the user’s head to fall forward too far, affecting breathing and creating more strain on the back of the neck or upper back.
Historically, early cloth pillows were enjoyed almost exclusively by royalty and other wealthy citizens. Lower-class townspeople and peasants may have fashioned rudimentary pillows out of straw, but they most likely used their own arms to provide support while they slept. The widespread use of pillows wasn’t possible until the Industrial Revolution made the wholesale production of fabrics an affordable reality.
However, some ancient cultures didn’t use pillows made of soft cloth and stuffing. Pillows were often carved from hard blocks of stone or wood, which kept the sleeper’s head and spine aligned, but could not claim comfort as one of its advantages. Thankfully, modern pillows are available filled with feathers, foam, therapeutic memory foam, or buckwheat hulls. The trick is finding the appropriate number of pillows to achieve an ideal alignment for a comfortable night’s sleep.
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