Pillows are meant to be plush and fluffy for your utmost comfort. The main reason for this invention is for you to fall asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. However, although the inventor of the pillow meant well, he had no idea his invention would take a turn when people started modifying pillows to be of varying shapes and sizes. Fluffy pillows, plush pillows, flat pillows, normal pillows, everyone has their own personal preference, and the manufacturers of pillows make these to keep up with the user’s demands. However, these sleeping devices can sometimes be unhealthy for the body. While they may provide a good night’s sleep, they might cause pain in the body one feels during the day. This article will tell how sleeping without a pillow changed my life for the better. If you are sailing the same boat I once did, this article is sure to help you.
How to choose the right pillow?
Choosing the right pillow greatly depends upon the posture you sleep in. If you sleep on your side, you may prefer a pillow that doesn’t cause your head to be too high. Or if you sleep on your back, a plush pillow might be suitable. If you sleep on your stomach, you might not need a pillow at all.
Other than sleeping positions, a pillow is suggested based on your health. If you are an ulcer patient, doctors might advise you to sleep with your head high. While if you have a sore back, sleeping straight without a bend in your back might be recommended.
While sleeping without a pillow has a number of advantages, the act might not be beneficial to everyone. We will go through the facts one by one.
Benefits of sleeping with a pillow
A poor posture can cause a person to wake up in the middle of the night, leading to sleep loss. Other than being restless during the day, a wrong posture can also lead to physical pains in the back and neck. This is where a pillow comes in to do the following:
Keep the head in a neutral position
The best position to sleep in is one in which our head is aligned with our neck and backbone. This causes the body to be relaxed, getting a night of good sleep.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, the head should be perfectly squared between the shoulders. Being too far back will cause the neck to be strained while being too far forward will cause stress to form in the neck bone. A pillow will help keep the head in a neutral position.
The plush helps with sleep
While looking for a good mattress, we usually go for a springy one that shrinks under our weight. Similarly, a springy pillow may help us to be as comfortable as possible, which is very important if we want a good night’s sleep.
Now that we know why we should sleep with a pillow, let’s talk about why we SHOULDN’T sleep with a pillow.
Benefits of sleeping without a pillow
You can only experience these benefits if you are suffering from some kind of discomfort while sleeping with a pillow. Normally, doctors advise you to sleep without one if your back, neck, and shoulders hurt while sleeping with a pillow.
Reduces back and neck pain
When you lay your head on a pillow, your head automatically becomes higher than the rest of your body. Eventually, your back and neck balance all your weight on themselves, causing them to ache.
Similarly, if you are a stomach sleeper, you might avoid using a pillow. By laying your head on one, your entire weight shifts on your stomach for the whole night. When you wake up in the morning, your stomach will hurt from the outside rather than from the inside.
Reduce wrinkles and acne
When you sleep on a pillow at night, your skin compresses causing wrinkles to form on your face. This enhances if you are a side or stomach sleeper, making you look much older than you are.
Science shows that sleeping without a pillow keeps the skin from scrunching, preventing wrinkles to form.
The only reason known to cause acne through pillows is because dirt and oils accumulate on them over time. This dirt and oils transfer to your skin when you lay on them, causing acne to form. Sleeping without pillows will eventually prevent the transfer of oils and dirt.
Improvement of hair quality
Science has not yet proven how pillows affect hair quality, and whether they cause a positive or negative impact on your hair. What we do know is that some pillowcases absorb the oils from your hair, causing them to become frizzy.
You will no longer have numb arms
Many a time, your arms might be numb when you wake up in the morning. This numbness sometimes lasts for only half an hour, and sometimes for the entire day.
Sleeping without a pillow helps your arms to be in a position in which your head does not weigh them down against the bed mattress. Even if your head is not on top of your arms during the night, your arms might be in an uncomfortable position which causes pain.
Conclusion
While sleeping without a pillow might benefit many people, this fact is not a one size fits all. Depending on your health conditions and sleeping preferences, pillows as well as their necessity will vary. You know yourself best, so choose what is best for you. A good night’s sleep is very important if you want to achieve during the day.
