Last night, did you sleep well?
Today is March 21 – World Sleep Day.
Studies have shown that good sleep, in addition to helping to recharge, protect cognition, consolidate memory, but also effectively remove various "garbage" produced by the brain.
But according to statistics, the incidence of insomnia in Chinese has exceeded 38%.
So, for some people, getting a good night's sleep is not an easy task.
There are many factors that affect sleep, whether you play with your mobile phone before going to bed, whether you have strenuous exercise, and whether the mattress, quilt, and pillow are appropriate.
Today, we will start with the "head" and teach you to choose a suitable pillow.
01, Why pillow pillow?
Although some people may not like pillows when they sleep, thinking that this is the most "natural" way to sleep, as long as the pillow is right, it can really help improve the quality of sleep.
The pillow is an important support tool when sleeping, and the most important function of the pillow is to support the weight of the head and neck, maintain the physiological curvature of the head and neck, relax the neck muscles and reduce the pressure on the cervical disc.
Among them, maintaining the physiological curvature of the head may be more abstract.
Simply put, make sure that the ears and shoulders are in a straight line, and the chin and sternum are in a straight line.
If the pillow is not properly selected, such as the pillow is too high, it may cause excessive pressure on the neck and head; If it is too low, it may not provide enough support.
These conditions will make the muscles unable to relax sufficiently, causing neck pain and headache, thereby affecting the quality of sleep.
It can be seen that the height of the pillow has a great impact on the quality of sleep.
02, sit back and relax?
When we choose a pillow, the most important and intuitive parameter is the height of the pillow.
Although as the saying goes, sit back and relax, but the pillow is definitely not the higher the better, so how to choose?
First of all, it needs to be explained that the most reliable way to judge whether the height of the pillow is appropriate is to measure the contact pressure between the pillow and the neck, head and shoulders.
But this is not realistic for ordinary people, we do not have the conditions and cannot do such a test on every pillow, so we need some more "simple and crude" but practical value judgment methods.
For people of different genders, the optimal height of the pillow is not the same.
In addition, different sleeping positions, the most suitable pillow height is not the same, the most suitable pillow height in the side and supine position may differ by 10 cm, for the pillow, this gap is very large.
Therefore, when choosing a pillow, be sure to choose according to your gender and sleeping habits.
03, how to choose a pillow to sleep on your back?
There are many studies on pillow height, and here, we choose a study on Chinese to help you choose pillows.
A study published in 2012 suggested a more appropriate pillow height for Chinese men and women, as well as for sleeping positions on their sides and supupes.
First, let's look at how people who like to sleep on their backs should choose pillows.
When sleeping on our backs, our backs are against the bed, and if the cervical spine wants to maintain the normal physiological curvature mentioned earlier, the head and neck are in a suspended state;
Therefore, what the pillow needs to fill is the gap between the neck and the bed and the head to the bed to provide support for the body.
For women, when lying on their backs, the gap between the neck and the bed is about 3 cm, while the gap between the back of the head and the middle of the bed is relatively small, generally only 1-2 cm.
When men lie on their backs, the gap between the neck and the middle of the bed is about 4-5 cm, and the gap between the back of the head and the middle of the bed is about 3-4 cm.
Therefore, according to the results of this article, for people who like to sleep on their backs, the pillow does not need to be too high.
Women's pillows are about 3 cm, and men's pillows generally do not need to exceed 4 cm.
Of course, each pillow is different in softness, and the mattress is not the same degree of softness and firmness, and the gap between the head and the bed may be somewhat different.
Coupled with the fact that everyone will have their own habits, some people may be more accustomed to pillow height.
Therefore, these data are only a reference, but in general, people who sleep on their backs do not recommend pillows that are too high.
04, how to choose a pillow for sleeping on your side?
If you sleep on your side, the situation is different.
When sleeping on our side, our shoulders are against the bed, so the space that the pillow needs to fill is the distance from the neck to the outermost part of the shoulder, and the distance from the head (ear area) to the outermost part of the shoulder.
This distance is relatively wide, so the height of the pillow you need to choose to sleep on your side is also higher than sleeping on your back, generally about 10 cm higher.
For example, for women, the distance between the head and the mattress when sleeping on the side is about 12 cm, and the distance between the neck and the mattress is about 14 cm.
For men, the distance between the head and the mattress where the pillow needs to be filled is about 14 cm, and the distance between the neck and the mattress is about 15-16 cm.
Therefore, people who are used to sleeping on their side can choose a higher pillow with a height of at least 12 cm or more when buying a pillow.
Of course, there are some pillows specially designed in a U-shaped structure, suitable for sleeping on your back in the middle and sleeping on your side on both sides.
Therefore, U-shaped pillows can be considered for people who do not have a fixed sleeping position. But for people with a very fixed sleeping position, there is no need to choose this kind of pillow.
By the way, there are few research data specifically for people who prefer to sleep on their tummies, since sleeping on their tummy is generally not recommended, and sleeping on their tummy may increase the muscle load on the back.
But if you really can't sleep on your stomach, try to choose a lower pillow when choosing a pillow, which can make the cervical spine as close as possible to the normal physiological curvature.
05, pillow filling material and shape
Although pillow height is the most important factor in choosing a pillow, there are many types of materials on the market, including feather pillows, memory pillows, latex pillows, and so on.
When choosing a pillow, you can also choose the right filling material according to your sleeping position.
If you like to sleep on your side, try not to choose a soft pillow such as a feather pillow, otherwise it may not have enough support.
In contrast, memory pillows or harder pillows such as buckwheat pillows and cassia pillows may be more suitable (of course, pillows such as buckwheat pillows and cassia pillows may be very difficult to clean, which also needs to be taken into account).
If you like to sleep on your back, you can choose a slightly softer pillow, such as a feather pillow, latex pillow and other soft or lower memory pillows can also be considered.
In addition, materials can also affect an important factor - head temperature when sleeping.
Studies have shown that the temperature of the pillow during sleep has a great influence on sleep quality, and the choice of materials that can cool down and breathe can improve sleep quality.
A 2014 study found that memory pillows have a better heat dissipation effect on the head than ordinary down pillows. Therefore, under the premise of the same height of the pillow, the memory pillow can also be preferred.
Brief summary:
Here it still needs to be explained that everyone's body and habits will be different, we do not need to abide by a specific value, but for the choice of pillows, we can synthesize the following rules:
I like to sleep on my back: try to choose a lower pillow, you can choose less than 5 cm.
If you like to sleep on your side: you can choose a pillow that is taller and more than 10 cm.
Women generally choose lower pillows, and men can choose slightly higher pillows.
In the case of the same height, try to choose a pillow with good breathability.
Of course, because pillows have a great impact on sleep, even pillows of the same material, softness, hardness, and support effects may be different.
Therefore, if conditions permit, it is recommended to go to a physical store to try it before buying. If you buy a pillow online, don't worry about washing it first, it's best to try it before making a decision.
Finally, I wish you all a good night's sleep!