A myriad of studies has shown that insufficient and poor quality sleep leads to a wide range of medical issues, from obesity and diabetes to higher susceptibility to the common cold.
Numerous studies back up the efficacy of an ergonomic pillow are not only improving the quality of your sleep, but helping alleviate common pain points such as neck and back pain, heartburn, sinus drainage, snoring, and even sleep apnea.
In this guide, we’ll go over the different types of ergonomic pillows and what factors to consider when choosing the one that best suits your needs. And to make your decision all the easier, we give you top recommendations for ergonomic pillows best suited for different sleeping styles.
Do Ergonomic Pillows Actually Work?
Whether ergonomic pillows offer any actual improvement over conventional feather pillows ultimately will depend on the individual. However, a range of scientific studies suggests that ergonomic pillows can improve a person’s sleep quality, especially for people suffering from chronic neck and back pain and other medical issues.
The most popular use of ergonomic pillows is to curb chronic neck pain and headaches. A common cause of chronic neck pain is cervical spondylosis or the natural degeneration of the discs in the neck region of the spine due to age. One study showed that an ergonomic latex pillow can reduce discomfort and improve neck mobility in as little as four weeks.
Likewise, another study corroborates these results and concludes that ergonomic pillows can reduce neck pain from cervical lordosis, which is the excessive inward curvature of the neck that indicates poor posture.
A much larger study also showed that ergonomic pillows not only radically improve the sleep quality and time compared to memory foam and ordinary feather pillows but also relieve pain from chronic neck conditions such as the ones mentioned above.