With so many types of neck pain pillows out there (water pillows, Foam pillows, cervical traction pillows, side-sleeper pillows), just thinking about it can make your neck pain worse.
Which pillow will help you most?
Since pillows for neck pain don’t exactly come cheap, some research is well worth it. That’s what we’re here to do for you, and especially find you the best pillow for herniated/bulging discs in the neck.
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A good neck support pillow will not only relieve your neck pain at home or when traveling – but will give you a chance to rest properly and speed up the healing process of your neck.
You can use it to treat a stiff neck, upper back and shoulder pain, neck arthritis, whiplash (and all neck injuries), spinal alignment, chronic neck pain, and headaches, and to improve your sleep quality.
Overview
How to Choose a Pillow for Neck Pain
The goal of using a cervical pillow is to help keep your head in neutral alignment when your head rests “squarely” on your shoulders.
Answer these 3 questions to determine the right type of neck pillow for you:
1. Sleeping Position
If you sleep in all different positions, you’ll need a neck pillow with comfortable surfaces for side and back sleeping, such as this one.
For example, with the Tri-Core cervical pillow, you can sleep on the rolls for back sleeping and on the wings for side sleeping.
Back sleepers need thinner pillows, so their head is not thrown too far forward. Also, look for a pillow with an extra loft in the bottom third of the pillow to cradle your neck.
[thrive_text_block color=”light” headline=””]If you want to train yourself to sleep on your back – here are the 2 best back sleeping pillows [/thrive_text_block]Side sleepers need a firmer pillow to fill in the distance between the ear and the outside shoulder, such as this one.
Check out our complete guide for pillows for neck pain for side sleepers!
Sleeping on your stomach is not recommended, but generally, stomach sleepers need a very thin, almost flat pillow.
They may not even need a pillow for the head and should consider tucking one under the stomach to avoid lower back pain.
By the way, this pillow will help turn you from a stomach sleeper to a side sleeper.
2. Neck Pillow Size
You have to choose the size of your neck support pillow by considering your height and weight. The bigger you are the bigger the pillow you will need.
For example, This pillow comes in 3 different sizes: small, medium, and large.
Some pillow companies give you a chart to determine the right pillow according to your neck measurements.
3. Neck Pillow Filling
There is no shortage of pillow fillings: down-feather combinations, water, memory foam (orthopedic pillows), and fiber.
If you suffer from allergies or asthma, the feather-based pillows may not be for you. But generally, having a few types of pillows, with different fillings, is a wise idea. This way you can choose the one that suits you most on a given day.
We highly recommend the popular Z by Malouf 100% Natural Talalay Latex Pillow
- Memory Foam Pillows – these are popular because they reduce pressure points by continuously molding and adjusting to the shape of your body as you move throughout the night.
- For example, this pillow is very popular.
- Fiber Pillows – these are an alternative to the down pillows because they are less pricey, but be warned that polyester fiber pillows, such as the Iso Cool Pillow, may not last as long.
- Down/Feather pillows – many sleep experts recommend these as one of the best pillows for a good night’s rest because with down pillows you can move the stuffing around so that you have the most support where you need it.
The Best Pillow for Herniated/Bulging Disc in Neck
If you suffer from a herniated disc or a cervical bulging disc, a neck traction pillow may be the best option for you.
For example, the Arc4life Cervical Traction Pillow.
You can use the traction side of the pillow (the side with the V) for a gentle stretch or the opposite side for support of the cervical spine.
This pillow is good for both back and side sleepers.
Generally, the best pillows for herniated/bulging discs in the neck are neck traction pillows, which are designed to create a certain comfortable stretch in your neck, while aligning your cervical spine when you sleep.
See the best cervical traction pillows – reviewed and compared!
How to Choose Travel Neck Pillows
Travel pillows are great for supporting your neck while you wait in the airport or snooze on the plane. Choose a U or V-shaped pillow, such as this one. The V shape helps keep your head straight.
Inflatable travel pillows are usually U-shaped.
You can inflate them to be as firm as you wish, and you can deflate them and fold them to a compact and lightweight size for packing.
Memory foam travel pillows are the firmest travel neck pillows and support the neck in the best way. They can be compressed and clipped for compact packing, and we find them to be the most comfortable travel pillows, which means they are the most expensive, unfortunately. Best suited for frequent flyers.
Microbead travel pillows are filled with tiny polystyrene beads, and are u-shaped and lightweight.
These pillows are less comfortable and are not suited for light packing.
We hope it just got much easier for you to choose a pillow for neck pain.
To your health and happiness,
The Back Pain Relief Products Team
P.S
Get more neck pain relief at home with the best neck and shoulder heating pads!
This is extremely useful post. All the pillow idea is awesome. Thank you for the post.
Thanks for sharing the valuable information about pillows. Keep sharing!!
An extremely useful post for people suffering from neck pain due to a variety of sleep disorders and how to go about selecting the best neck pain pillow that is recommended by experts.
Thanks for sharing this! I am a side sleeper myself and had to “try out” several different pillows before I settled on one. I’m using the Arc4life cervical pillow and boy, does it make a huge difference :)
A lot of us don’t realize, but mattresses and pillows are the two things that people shouldn’t save on.
Jessica
Thanks Jessica, for sharing your experience with us!:)
I tried traction at my PT’s office on Friday and last night had such terrible shoulder pain I hardly got any sleep. I took aspirin which did nothing to relieve the pain, used the pain-relieving gel on my shoulder and neck area and these did little as well. I have 2 bulging discs in my cervical neck and was wondering if traction may be the wrong way to go for me. My pain is always worse at night when I lay down and a lot of daytime activities like opening and shutting windows, lifting, sweeping, vacuuming, etc irritate my bulging discs and shoulder pain. How long does it take for the discs to scar over and the pain to subside? I use to have numbness in my left hand and tingling in my left forearm but this has subsided with dry needling and PT and exercises. However, the neck pain and shoulder pain continue. The manual hands-on traction that my PT has done in the past seems to help more than the traction machine, which caused me more shoulder pain. Any other suggestions? I will await your reply….Karen R.
Karen,
First of all, for the pain – The best drug free pain relief method to my knowledge is infrared therapy through an infrared heating pad.
It can do wonders and give you long-lasting pain relief – Without medication – and is proven to speed healing of muscle pain as well as bulging/herniated discs.
As for traction, in my experience, it is usually very helpful for cervical disc problems, but if it has caused you pain maybe you should get back to the manual option with your PT. Obviously, the better you sleep (a neck traction pillow can be a huge help with that) and the better you eat and stay active – The faster you’ll recover from this. I know it’s a lot of pain but try to stay positive and expect only good things to come, and it shall become your reality.
How does then one choose the best pillow for neck pain? There is an overabundance of pillows available in the market, all claiming to be the ideal most pillows for neck pain. and you have provided good information regarding this. Thank you very much for this.