I recently received a call from a customer looking for the right pillow for her. She described herself as 5'5", weighing 270 lbs, and having a "short" neck . She stated that her neck was "stiff as a board" and her head hurt. She could not find the right pillow for sleeping. She had gone through so many pillows. They were either too hard to too soft, and her head folded over into the middle space. She had tried foam, fiber, even a microbead pillow which was great for two months only. Her goal was to find the right pillow. She was looking for a short-neck pillow and the pillow must must fit into her neck area- that was her quest.
Getting the right pillow for the best sleep possible can be tough. It is important to find the right pillow that fits your head, neck and shoulders area properly. For this particular customer a medium standard size pillow such as the tri core orthopedic neck pillow (dimensions 24"x16") or the arc4life traction pillow (dimensions 20"x26") would not work for her. She needed something that was proportionally smaller, something that would fit into her neck area. Having a contoured pillow was also important so that she could get the right support for her cervical spine. Especially because she was waking up with a stiff neck every morning, having proper posture during sleep is extra important.
So two recommendations I have:
1) the Petite Core Neck Pillow . This is a smaller version of the tri core pillow. It is a contoured pillow with neck rolls. A trapezoid depression in the middle of the pillow will help support her head. The neck rolls will give her cervical spine support.This pillow is great if she likes firm pillows.
2) The Arc4life Linear Gravity Pillow Small Size. This pillow also has a depression in the center. Two neck rolls provide support to the cervical spine: One softer, one firmer. The pillow is proportionally smaller in dimensions, so it will accomodate her "short neck" better: 23"x17". Also, you can get this pillow with extra fiber, making it firmer in support.
Additional Reading Resources:
- How to Choose the Right Neck Pillow: What to Look for when making the decision.
- The Arc4life Linear Gravity Pillow: Extra Firm Support (special order item)
- What to do when you wake up with a Stiff Neck
- Forward Head Posture? Is this something that can be fixed?
- Getting to sleep and being comfortable: Comfort is #1
- Travel Neck Pillow that can be used for your head, neck , shoulders, and back