Introduction
Have you seen your little one push away the pillow at night and sleep super comfortably flat on the mattress? Why are we so used to pillows while the children are happy without them? There are two answers to this – body flexibility and habit! Does sleeping without pillows offer any health benefits? Lets explore:
A pillow is a type of supportive bedding that slightly elevates the head and the neck while sleeping. Do you know that even animals have the concept of pillows? Mammals and animals usually sleep with their head resting on their limbs or their shoulders, giving the head a natural elevation. Human beings started using pillows during the Mesopotamia Civilization, in around 7,000 BC.
We have gotten so used to this habit that it has become impossible to sleep without pillows now. Some people go as far as to use multiple pillows to rest their heads on. Should you or should you not sleep with pillows? Are there any advantages of sleeping without pillows?
Keep reading to know more.
What are the Advantages of Sleeping Without Pillows?
1. Achieving Better Sleeping Posture for Stomach Sleepers
Are you a stomach sleeper? Then sleeping without pillow could completely transform the sleeping experience for you. When you sleep on the stomach, there is already a slight pressure on the lower back. By using a high pillow, your lower back arches quite deeply and this can lead to severe back pain or muscle pull in the morning. This habit, in the long run, can lead to chronic backaches.
Sleeping without pillows helps handle the pain and can give the spine the right posture.
2. Handling Chronic Neck Pain
By keeping the neck elevated for 7-8 hours at night, you are increasing your risk of developing neck pain. This is especially true if you use hard pillows. Avoiding pillows may help prevent neck pain, especially if you have a history of the same.
Did you know that in India, neck pain is more common in the rural population who did occupational tasks that required them to be in sitting or leaning positions for a long time? Women, more than men in the country suffer from chronic neck pain.
If you struggle with chronic neck pain too, examine your pillow. Try reducing its thickness or eliminating it and see if there is a difference.
3. Bringing Down the Risk of Skin Aging
If you are a stomach sleeper or a side sleeper, your face, especially the cheeks and the forehead constantly touch the pillowcase. The pillowcase can scratch the skin if it is not made of 100% cotton and the sheets can also encourage scrunching of the skin. Both can lead to the premature formation of wrinkles and fine lines.
Sleeping without a pillow can bring down this risk. If you definitely want a pillow, pick cases that are made of 100% cotton. These are safer and gentler.
4. Reduced Risk of Acne
People who don’t wash their bedding regularly are at a higher risk of developing acne in the skin because of their old pillows. These pillow surfaces become a breeding house for bacteria and this can lead to infections like acne.
5. Achieving a More Natural Sleeping Posture
Your body is designed to achieve perfect posture while sleeping. Most times, people have to depend on pillows because their mattresses are saggy and too cushiony. Pick a medium-hard to hard mattress and enjoy sleeping on it without pillows. Your body will feel relaxed and at ease.
Disadvantages of Sleeping Without Pillows
So can everyone sleep without pillows? Unfortunately no. Here are potential disadvantages of the same that you have to consider too.
1. Posture Misalignment in Side and Back Sleepers
While stomach sleepers may benefit from pillow-less sleeping, this is not a great option for back and side sleepers. These individuals need pillows to align their necks with the rest of the spine. Sleeping without pillows can lead to posture misalignments and an increased risk of back and neck pain.
2. Sleep Disturbances
Imagine being used to pillows for all your life and suddenly you decide to let go of this bedding. Until you get used to this, you are going to have to handle sleep disturbances including pain in the neck and back areas, inability to fall asleep, and constant tossing and turning. Lack of sleep may make you cranky in the morning and reflect negatively all through the day.
How to Get into the Habit of Sleeping Without Pillow?
If for some reason you decide you want to sleep without pillows, then here are ways you can create the habit.
- Make the change gradual – Start by reducing the thickness of the pillow slowly to get your neck used to the change. You can fold thin blankets and use them as a pillow for a week before letting go of this piece of bedding. If you throw the pillow away one fine day with any warning, your neck and back will punish you for the decision!
- Invest in a good mattress – How old is your mattress? If the number is anything over 10 years, then consider changing the mattress. Pick up medium-firm to firm models that will help with posture alignment better.
- Pick up comfortable bedsheets – You are going to give away a comfortable part of your sleep routine. Compensate by investing in lovely and soft bedsheets. These can brighten your bedroom and maybe help you forget that you don’t use a pillow. Such cotton bedsheets also help you fall asleep quicker and deeper. BedsheetsIndia is offering discounts and deals on handmade exquisite bedsheets right now. Pick them up.
Conclusion
Our ancestors slept on the floor, without the need for pillows or mattresses. We are now used to such comforts. If you are a stomach sleeper, your pillow, however, may be the cause of constant body aches. Try slowly weaning away from it and see if you sleep better.
If you are a side or a back sleeper, you can bring down the thickness of the pillows to adjust your alignment and then slowly give it up if your body allows you to. In some cases, sleeping without pillows may help prevent musculoskeletal pain and chronic aches. Try it out and let us know how you felt in the comment section below. Do remember that it may take multiple weeks for the body to actually get used to sleeping without pillows.
