Sleeping on your stomach or with your pillow bunched up is a
sure way to a headache. What happens is that your neck becomes twisted for long
periods of time as you sleep, putting pressure on the nerves, blood vessels and
vertebrae in your cervical (upper) spine. That pressure sends messages to the
brain that there’s something that needs to be addressed, and a pain signal is
sent to your head. Presto! You have a headache and your neck hurts as well.
The solution is sleeping on your back with a pillow that
supports your neck fully. You may also sleep on your side, but check with us at
the office about the proper sleeping position that won’t create headaches. If
you bring in your pillow to our office, I’ll check it to see if it’s part of
the reason you have headaches. For example, a pillow that is too thin or too
fluffy will contribute to headaches because it doesn’t support the cervical
curve in your neck. The cervical curve is a natural S-shaped curve in your
neck. If the pillow is too flat, that pillow flattens your cervical curve. If
the pillow is too fluffy, it exaggerates your cervical curve.
In the past 20 years, chiropractic physicians have used a
complete range of cervical pillows to fit the necks of those who are young and
old.
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