Pillows - any advice please?Really bad neck pain, I t... - NRAS

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Pillows - any advice please?Really bad neck pain, I think from tension due to painful shoulders affecting sleep. Can't find a comfy one.

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I find a proper memory foam pillow (as opposed to cheaper substitutes) really helps me as I can mold it to fit my shoulders and neck. You can get them in most soft furnishers - mine came from John Lewis. Tilda

Shell1967 profile image
Shell1967

I go for soft feather pillows as my shoulders really hurt at night and they sink into these pillows,also my upper arms hurt a lot at night,hubby cums in useful then by rubbing them gently,it really helps.everyone is different though.hope u sleep well tonite xxx

Shell1967 profile image
Shell1967

I go for soft feather pillows as my shoulders really hurt at night and they sink into these pillows,also my upper arms hurt a lot at night,hubby cums in useful then by rubbing them gently,it really helps.everyone is different though.hope u sleep well tonite xxx

After trying lots of different pillows over the years I find the best for me is a V shaped pillow. I've tried the memory foam type.. very expensive model but unfortunately made my head sweaty and I'd sort of sink in before finding myself trapped firmly in place by morning.

earthwitch profile image
earthwitch

I have a choice of about six different pillows of different sizes and textures, and can spend ages when I first lie down trying to find what is going to work tonight. What works best though is to get one that keeps your head in exactly the right position - the same lying down as it would be if you were standing properly with your head straight. Most folk actually go for pillows that are too thick, so try one a bit thinner or softer than you would first think.

Judi profile image
Judi

Hi, can't suggest a type / make of pillow. But when I started with problems in my shoulder and neck I increased the number of pillows I used to 2 instead of 1 If you haven't tried it give it a go. At first it was a bit difficult, I felt as though I was falling off of them but I carried on trying and eventually it worked for me. (I have a rotator cuff tear which I found out later had been the cause plus disc problems in my neck). It could be a temporary help by just taking the pressure off of your shoulder until you sort which pillow.

Judi xxxxxxx

GreenFlower profile image
GreenFlower

I recently switched to the memory foam pillows from Ikea. They do them at two prices - I went for the cheaper one. It takes a couple of days to get used to them but I wouldn't swap back.

marmaduke profile image
marmaduke

Thank you everyone. I've wondered about the memory foam and the v-shaped. I already have thin, thick. one, two, feather & polyester - I'm currently sleeping with a rolled up towel at the bottom of one thin pillow so that the towel fits under my neck. Trouble is it moves independently of the pillow, which leaves me in funny positions sometimes - probably a major cause of neck pain!!

Helen

xxx

Tillytop profile image
Tillytop

Hi Helen

I am definitely a "memory foam" pillow convert, although as some of the others have said, it can take a while to get used to them. My current favourite is a Tempur pillow - they are very expensive but I wouldn't be without mine. Strangely enough, I actually find it more comfortable "the wrong way round". In other words, although it has a head/neck shaped hollow on one side, I find the other, flat, side more supportive. But then it is quite well used now and may have lost some of its original support. Hope you find something which helps you to lie more comfortably and relieves your neck pain.

Tilly x

carole-reynolds profile image
carole-reynolds

I also have problems with painful neck and shoulders. I had some help from a physio and she suggested a round pillow from a firm called Physio-Med Ltd. tel 01457 860444. I think they also have a web site. It certainly helped me to get some sleep without waking up in more pain. Worth a try. Hope it helps you. Carole

whitedog profile image
whitedog

I got one of the expensive memory foam pillows - Tempur I think. I liked it at first but after a while, I found that, unless I got the whole of my head and shoulders right on top of it, my head sank into the lower part of it and kind of got stuck and I'd be waking up in the night having to prise myself back into a comfortable position. I've stopped using it now and am still looking for something else.