Sleeping Without a Pillow, Good or Bad?

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You might wake up one day with neck pains and headaches. If you are wondering what the cause is, you might have to glance at your pillows.

If you have trouble sleeping, check your pillows. It is understandable that no one can suspect a pillow because they look so soft and fluffy. However, they might be too old, or you have got the wrong set of pillows that can no longer support you.

If your grandparents and parents use pillows since you can remember, it might be high time to let go of this tradition. You should not believe the hype of some online articles that enumerate the benefits of sleeping with pillows.

While everyone can replace their pillows every few years or so, a lot of people tend to forget that pillows are one of the factors that can impact an individual’s sleep. You might end up with the wrong sets of pillows while having a great mattress.

Keep in mind that pillows are not necessarily bad for sleeping. They can play very important roles when you are in bed. However, deciding whether to sleep with or without pillows can be based on your sleeping position.

The way you sleep contributes a lot to the decision whether you have to throw away your pillows or leave them alone.

Sleeping is tied to everyone’s overall health. Your mattress and your pillow can be some of the factors that affect the quality of your sleep at night. If you frequently wake up and something interrupts your sleep, remove anything that is giving you a hard time at night. You can consider sleeping without a pillow.

This is not answerable by yes or no. In order to know your sleeping position, you have to know the position which you naturally turn to before you sleep at night. Your head and your neck should be properly supported by your pillow and mattress combination. Your spine alignment during sleeping is important. Any misalignments can cause tissue damage and can lead to serious injuries.

Back Sleepers Need Pillows for Comfortable Sleeping

If you are a back sleeper, a pillow is great in terms of supporting your head, neck, and spine. If you have a very soft mattress, your spine can fall into a natural curve without any soft tissue stresses. Most of the time, contouring and thinner pillows are best choices for back sleepers. However, a pillow that is too soft or too thin can settle the sleeper’s head far back on the mattress. A thick pillow can lift the head too far causing too much strain to the neck and the lower back.

Side Sleepers Need Pillows to Sleep Well

Sleeping sideways is a healthy position. However, if you don’t have a very supporting pillow and mattress, you won’t be able to keep your spine straight. The sleeping surface of side sleepers should conform to heir body’s natural curves and shapes. This is to keep spine elongation while sleeping.

A thicker and wide pillow is usually the best choice for side sleepers. This is to support the head and cover the space caused by the pillow’s elevation. The neck should be properly rested as well as the surrounding tissues.

Side sleepers need a proper pillow support that works well in conjunction with the mattress. The spine should be straight from the hips all the way to the head. If the mattresses are too soft, the head will sink down causing the neck to wrench downwards. This is the case for side sleepers that sleep without a pillow.

If they sleep on their shoulders, side sleepers can experience numbing sensations and undue pressure on the arm and shoulder muscles. This also causes uneven pain as only one side is affected. The side sleepers should have a thick and wide pillow. However, keep in mind that pillows should not be too thick or thin.

Stomach Sleepers

You might want to throw away your pillows and sleep comfortably. Sleeping without a pillow is great for stomach sleepers. Although this is the least healthy position, no one can control the position that they will be in once they are already sleeping.

Stomach sleepers can compromise their necks and spine if they are not careful. You should sleep without a pillow whenever you can. Although many stomach sleepers prefer a comfortable pillow between their head and the mattress. If this is the case, you can go for thin pillows that do not strain your neck.

You may also read: How Much Melatonin is Too Much?

What Happens if You Sleep Without Pillows

For some people, sleeping without a pillow can help them rest in a natural position while sleeping. They can sleep without aches and consequences when they wake up. A soft pillow can decrease blood flow and causes strain to the neck muscles. The airflow can reduce significantly if you sleep with an inadequate pillow.

If you stack too many pillows, this can cause pressure to your head and neck. This can deform your spine’s position and induce back pain. If you sleep with too many pillows on your head for longer periods of time, you will have frequent muscle strain and backaches. And no one wants that to happen. If you have new pillows and you feel disoriented when you wake up, it should be time to replace them.

If you wake up in the middle of the night with back pain and you don’t know the reason, try sleeping without a pillow. You can see immediate results in the morning when you wake up.

Get Rid of Excess Oils through Pillows

Your skin is pressed on the pillow surfaces for hours during the night. This is not considered as a benefit especially if you don’t clean your pillowcases often. Pressing your face on pillows will prevent the skin from perspiring and breathing. The pores will be oily, and sebum can easily form.

The increase in perspiration does not help the skin. If the pores are always smothered with pillows, you might wake up with a lot of oil and grease on your face. This is also the reason why women have pimples. If you suspect that your pillows are the main reason for your face problems, get rid of them as soon as possible. It is okay to sleep without a pillow than to wake up with lots of pimples in the morning.

Pillows can Cause Blackheads

Not only you will have pimples, dirty pillows can cause blackheads. Blackheads form inside the pores because they are trapped with oil. The pillows might have impurities and dust on them and they can add to a lot of problems when they come in contact with your face. Grime can invade your pillows if you don’t wash them at least once a week. These grimes can attack your skin at night.

Get Rid of Pillows while Have the Correct Back Posture for Sleeping

You might want to get rid of your pillows right now and sleep better. However, getting rid of your pillows might not still the answer to your problem. If you have improper sleeping posture, a support pillow can definitely help you correct it.

The natural curve of your lumbar bone that is located above your hip can be emphasized by pillows. The important thing to keep in mind is to alleviate any tension and make your soft tissues relax during the night. You can place a pillow under your hips when you frequently sleep on your stomach.

It All Comes Down to Preferences

Sleeping without a pillow or with lots of them on your bed all comes down to your personal preferences. Some people find pillows to be very comfortable, fragrant and soft. Some people find pillows to be obstacles and just a waste of space. Whatever you feel about pillows, you should be comfortable and be able to get a good night’s sleep.

Conclusion

Your position when you sleep is a huge factor whether you have to sleep without pillows or not. Back sleepers need to sleep with thin pillows that won’t let their heads sink in the mattress. Stomach sleepers can sleep without pillows, but they should change this position as soon as possible in order to avoid backaches.

There are also back sleepers who don’t need pillows. These sleepers should sleep in the right mattresses to promote blood flow and spine posture. The mattresses should not be too thick and hard as it can hurt the back of sleeper. The mattress should also not be too soft as it can cause misalignment of the spine.

You should have a proper night’s sleep whether you have pillows or not. Sleep is essential for your health. You can wake up feeling recharged, reenergized and refreshed if you were able to sleep at least seven to eight hours the previous night. If you want to know the right pillows for you, you can go to your local store and ask for help from the professionals.

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Briella Thompson

Briella is a gem of a person and a dedicated writer. She is so focused and diligent in her work. Every article she writes is well researched and creative. Briella likes sketching in her free time. She loves to spend time in nature and exploring new places. Briella is the star Writer.

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