Getting a good night of sleep can have a major impact on your ability to function as a productive member of society. Difficulties related to sleeping can lead to reduced productivity at work, health complications and can even cause emotional strain on yourself and those around you. Near the top of the most commonly cited reasons for sleep deprivation is neck and/or shoulder pain. There are millions of people throughout the world that aren’t even aware that neck pain is robbing them of peaceful sleep, yet it continues to affect them night after night.
While many people turn to prescription medications and/or physical therapy to get the relief they seek, others utilize a simpler approach – a contour pillow. A contour pillow is a variation on the traditional pillow in that it contains a sloped or “contoured” section that is meant to offer localized support for the back and neck. Rather than allowing your entire head, neck and shoulders to sink into the pillow, the contour pillow is designed to position your body into a natural sleep position, preventing the joints and muscles from becoming strained.
The majority of contour pillows are constructed from latex or memory foam, since these materials tend to retain their shape over time. Imagine compressing a piece of foam that has been formed into the shape of a cylinder, for instance. The foam compresses, but always returns back to its original shape. A memory foam contour pillow will also offer a unique combination of comfort and support that a traditional polyester pillow simply cannot provide. Rather than pushing back on pressure points like a traditional pillow might, a memory foam pillow will compress around the area of pressure and will distribute the pressure to other adjacent “cells” within the material itself.
Personally, I am a true believer in the contour pillow and have owned a Tempur-Pedic contour neck pillow for the past several years. The pillow still retains the exact shape it did when new and continues to provide unmatched support to my back and neck. Before purchasing the pillow I had become reliant on low doses of muscle relaxants and regular physical therapy to relieve my neck pain, but not any longer. Give me my contour pillow and I will sleep soundly every day of the year.
Most memory foam contour pillows are priced at around $100 for a standard size. The price will increase as size increases and will also vary based on the manufacturer. As always, when purchasing memory foam be sure to pay close attention to the density rating, which is a measure of the materials overall quality and its ability to provide support. A density rating of 3 pounds per cubic foot or greater is what you want. This simply means that a cubic foot of the material will weigh 3 pounds or more when tested. This rating should be displayed within the product literature and should be readily available through specialized mattress retailers.
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