To select the right pillow, you must consider your body, your sleeping positions, and your mattress. Whether you sleep on your back, side, stomach, or somewhere in between, the ideal neck pillow (a.k.a., orthopedic pillow or cervical support) should comfortably support your natural spinal curves.
Traditional pillows raise the head, leaving the length of the neck unsupported and sagging. A properly fitted neck pillow is usually thicker or firmer at the neck and thinner or softer under the head.
Follow these steps to find a cervical pillow that fits:
Step 1. Fit your pillow to your mattress
Mattress firmness influences how a pillow performs. If your mattress is very firm you need a thicker pillow. If your mattress is very soft you need a thinner pillow.
Step 2. Fit your pillow to your sleep position
Do you sleep on your side, your back, or your stomach? Or all three? People who sleep on their backs need a flatter, thinner neck support. Those who sleep on their sides may need a thicker pillow. People who sleep on their stomachs usually prefer a pillow under their chest, a very thin head pillow, or no pillow at all. Good neck alignment is difficult to maintain while sleeping on the stomach. Your habitual sleeping positions determine the key contours your pillow should support.
Choose a pillow that will support the positions you sleep in most of the night. When you shop for a pillow, remember that it is not unusual for one person to need pillows of different sizes for different sleeping positions. Some pillows have different shapes on each side to accommodate different sleeping positions.
Step 3. Fit your pillow to your anatomy
The curves of a pillow should match your natural upper back and neck curves.
Note that these fitting guidelines are geared towards sizing a pillow for sleeping on your back. To determine a pillow size for sleeping on your side, substitute your shoulder width for upper-back size (e.g., broad shoulders = deep upper-back curve; narrow shoulders = average upper-back curve).
How to make a homemade cervical pillow
To fix a pillow that's too low, place a folded towel or sheet of foam underneath the pillow inside the pillow case. You may want to experiment with different towel sizes and folding patterns or different foam thicknesses.
If your pillow is too high there's not much you can do. Of course, if you change to a firmer mattress the high pillow may be just right!
If your regular pillow is the right height but doesn't have enough neck support, you can fix it by inserting a soft supportive roll inside the pillow case at the lower edge of the pillow inside. This is called a "cervical roll".
A cervical roll can convert your regular pillow into an orthopedic support pillow. A commercial neck roll (about 3" diameter) is shown. You can also make your own (see left).
To create a cervical roll, stuff a leg of pantihose with old nylon hoisery or polyfiber purchased from a fabric shop. (Polyfiber is used in quilting and for stuffing pillows.) Tie a knot in both ends to secure the stuffing inside. Slide your cervical roll inside your pillow case at the lower edge of the conventional pillow inside. Adjust placement of the roll to match your anatomy.
Article reproduced with permission from
ergoTALK.