Is it better to sleep with or without a pillow? We asked the physiotherapist about this.

Everyone has their own quirks before bed. There are those who cannot wear socks and those who It’s impossible to sleep without them. There are also people who need a thousand blankets, and others who, even in winter, cannot bear the weight of a large amount of bedding. But without a doubt, one of the factors that sets us apart the most when it comes to sleep is the use pillows. Some people only need one, others accumulate several. There are even those who sleep without it and claim that this is the best option. But it’s true? Better sleep with or without a pillow?

The answer is complex, like many other problems related to our health. And in an ideal world, we wouldn’t need to sleep with a pillow at all. But we don’t live in perfect world.

We live in a world where our daily routine and postures take a toll on our spine, so using a pillow is very necessary. How should it be? must have some consideration when choosing and purchasing? Let’s see what science says.

Why, in an ideal world, would it not be necessary to sleep with a pillow?

An ideal world is one in which we spend as much time sitting as necessary. We exercise, go for walks regularly, and do jobs that don’t require extreme sedentary behavior. At this work, spinal pathologies would be much less common than at the one in which we live. And, in that case, We wouldn’t need to sleep with a pillow.

He explained it Hypertext physiotherapist Gustavo Fabian Carreno. “I always tell my patients that with flexible column We could even sleep on top of a rock or a tree trunk,” he says. “The problem is that our entire social life and our work are becoming increasingly sedentary, which leads to a stiffening of the spinal support system.”

For this reason, you need to sleep with a pillow. Now to choose one, There are no magic formulas.

What is the ideal position?

Another physiotherapist. Roberto Junqueraexplains on its website that partly using a pillow when there are no pathologies is more of a question habit. For years we thought it was essential for sleep and we can no longer do without it. But in some positions, especially facing up, this may not be necessary. It all depends on the needs of the spine of every person.

Generally speaking, Carreno points out that the type of pillow we use will depend on whether we sleep. face up or face down:

“Sleep on your back, without a pillow or on a low pillow. And to sleep on your side, use a pillow that keeps your head as straight as possible, in line with your spine.”

Gustavo Fabian Carreno, physiotherapist

What about materials?

We already know that sleeping with a pillow is not necessary, but the vast majority of people need one. Now, is there perfect pillows?

“People spend fortunes on pillows, but they don’t need to,” explains a physiotherapist interviewed for this article. “Everyone should choose a pillow to which they get used well, but the important thing is not so much what happens during sleep, but what we do while sleeping.” Last day” He explains this with an example. “If you spend 8 hours at a computer with your shoulders forward and head-first, that’s what causes the damage and causes you to wake up with neck pain, not so much the shape or size. from the pillow.”

Therefore our daily habits This is the first thing you should take care of before choosing a pillow. Once this is done, just as the size varies from person to person, so does the material. “They say that those from viscoelastic They are the best, but personally I don’t like them because they end up giving too much,” says Carreño. “There must be the material that holds youBasically, at the height you put it on, it can last all night.”

To this end, he points out that there are pillows with cotton-type filling or half memory foam and half foam that, at an estimated price of 10 eurosthey are very helpful.

In short, yes, it is true that sleeping with a pillow is not necessary. But given the lifestyle we lead and the world we live in, it is often absolutely necessary. Our goal is to try to ensure that all the concern for our back does not fall on the pillow, but rather to do our homework during the day. Once that’s done, we’ll need a pillow to support us, plain and simple. You don’t have to spend a fortune to do this.