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Sleeping without a pillow is a subject that raises a lot of controversy. Some people cannot imagine the night without it, others get rid of it immediately. Is sleeping without pillows healthy? Is it worth giving them up completely? Or maybe it’s better not to throw them out of the bedroom?
- Sleeping without raising the head is perfect only in some cases
- People sleeping on their back or side should not give up pillows
- For children, it is best to put the pillow to sleep as late as possible
- The complete abandonment of the increase is a long process that requires a great deal of self-denial
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Sleeping without a pillow – can you afford it?
Pillows themselves are not bad by nature. Together with the mattress, they are to support a healthy spine alignment during sleep. Is it possible to decide to completely abandon this form of head lifting? It all depends on the position taken during sleep – it determines what type of pillow is best to use and whether it can be completely eliminated.
Undoubtedly, sleep plays a very important role in everyone’s life. Therefore, people put a lot of effort into finding the best mattress for their needs. A comfortable bedding is the first step towards getting rid of night problems, such as back pain, for example. To help yourself even more and eliminate any bothersome ailments, you should spend as much time on pillows and consider whether they are really necessary.
Sleeping without a pillow – who is it best for?
The complete abandonment of the use of a pillow is best for people who prefer to sleep on their stomachs. Why with them? The human body is not well-suited to maintaining this position for a long time because it is an unnatural posture. Due to the fact that the weight is not distributed evenly during this time, it puts a burden on the chest area, increasing the pressure on the back and neck. The spine is therefore unable to maintain its natural curvature.
What’s more, people who sleep on their stomachs very often complain of shooting pain in the neck and spine immediately after waking up. Their neck is stretched back and turned sideways in relation to the rest of the body, it is in an unnatural position. Using a riser in this position is the worst solution as it will increase the uncomfortable angle of the head and lead to additional problems in this area.
Sleeping without a pillow on your stomach is a solution that will not only minimize discomfort, allowing you to maintain your favorite position, but also reduce the load on the spine and save it from chronic ailments. It will also help you lengthen your back and sleep all night in the most natural position.
No pillow – for whom will it not work?
Each position during sleep has a slightly different effect on body posture. The fact that the lack of a pillow will be perfect for sleeping on the stomach does not mean that it will not cause great discomfort with a different body position. Moreover, in some cases, omitting the headrest may cause or intensify neck or back pain.
The first position that requires the use of a pillow to keep the spine in the correct position all night long is the horizontal position, i.e. sleeping on the back. In this case, it will be very important to ensure that the neck is immobilized – there is a small gap between it and the mattress, which may cause neck strain. That is why the use of a pillow as a stabilizer plays such an important role. It’s best to choose a thin version that prevents your head from throwing too far forward.
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Sleeping sideways this is the second position where a pillow is needed. This time it is supposed to provide a gentle lift of the head, thanks to which the upper part of the body will be kept in a straight line. This solution will not only support the head, but also reduce the distance between the shoulder and the ear. What’s more, thanks to the pillow, the weight of the body on the shoulders will be reduced, and they will not be tense after a whole night. A hard pillow with a greater depth is best for this purpose.
No pillow in children
Sleeping without a pillow arouses much controversy among adults. So why is it recommended that children initially sleep only on a hard and flat surface? The answer is simple – using it is associated with great danger. Due to the fact that the child does not yet have full control over himself and his body, the pillow may obstruct his respiratory tract, making it difficult to breathe. What’s more, using it in a newborn’s crib will not only overheat, but also slow down its development, preventing the head from moving properly.
Until what point sleeping without a pillow in a child will be the most appropriate? A good time to introduce it is to move the child from the baby crib with rungs to a slightly larger one. Then, as in the case of adults, the pillow should be completely flat so that the spine can line up in a straight line (head as an extension of the torso). However, you should remember that you should not rush this moment, but only observe the child and adapt new situations to it.
The lack of a pillow and the effect on the hair and skin
Using a pillow or not using it has no effect on the health of your hair. The only element influencing their appearance will be the material from which its surface is made. Cotton fabrics, due to their coarse structure, absorb natural oils, causing frizz. This is the case with both pillowcases and sheets or mattresses. Therefore, using the pillows alone will not deteriorate the hair structure.
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In the case of the effect of the pillows on the complexion, the tests are still at an early stage. Some of them suggest that the pillow directly presses against the face, causing more blisters on the skin than a mattress that will never conform so closely to the folds of the skin. However, the most effective way to prevent wrinkles is sleeping on your back. The skin then has minimal contact with both the pillow and the mattress.
How to start sleeping without a pillow?
Sometimes it is very difficult to give up the pillow completely. Moreover, it is a long process that requires you to gradually get used to sleeping on a completely flat surface. However, it is not worth getting discouraged too quickly – just implement a few simple ways to make the transition stage pass quickly and end with satisfaction with every night’s rest.
The first tip that can be followed is to gradually reduce the head support. Instead of throwing the pillow out of bed immediately, start by replacing it with a flatter one and then replacing it with a blanket or towel. At some point, the headrest will cease to be completely necessary and the body will adjust to the flat surface of the bed. This process may take up to several weeks – it all depends on when your sleeping becomes as comfortable as it was before giving up the lift..
The second piece of advice you should follow is choosing the right mattress. Why is this such an important issue? In the case of giving up the pillow completely, it should compensate for the lack of it and take over the task of maintaining the correct body posture during sleep. It can also make rest on an even plane effective and very comfortable. What to look for when choosing the right mattress? First of all, it should not be too soft – it will cause unnatural sagging of the spine which will lead to unpleasant back pain.
One final piece of advice to help you adapt to sleeping flat is to support the rest of the body with pillows. Their position depends on your favorite sleeping position. Stomach sleepers should place a soft pad under the pelvis, while those who prefer to rest on their backs should place it under or between their knees. Such treatments will make the spine straighten and fit perfectly to the bed.
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Ultimately, whether it is worth sleeping without a pillow depends primarily on personal preferences and sleep needs. The most important thing is that the position during the night should be comfortable and not cause pain or discomfort. The pillow is only one of the many elements that are to support this activity, so its use depends only on the sleeping person.
In conclusion, when is it advisable to completely exclude the pillow, and when is it not worth doing? Sleeping on the stomach is the only adulthood in which it is possible not to raise the head, as it is a completely safe option. However, for other positions, it is advisable to use a headrest to keep the spine in a neutral position.
See also:
- Where does insomnia come from?
- Sleep phases
- How to sleep to get enough sleep?