Do you wake up in the morning with a sore neck? This used to be the story of my life. The question was more like when didn’t I wake up with a sore neck?

If you can relate to this I may have a helpful solution.

Ditch Your Pillow

This may seem absurd, but sleeping without a pillow has truly saved my neck!

I used to wonder how my husband could sleep without a pillow. Honestly, I thought it was a little strange. Everybody sleeps with a pillow! Many of us are pillow obsessed! Not only do we bury our beds with pillows, but we cover our couches with them, and even buy them for our pets!

Nowadays …

I don’t even bother to make our bed with pillows. I just keep them in the closet. Both of us enjoy better sleep without the use of pillows.

Adjusting to Sleeping Without a Pillow

Just like most new things you try, you need to allow time for your body to acclimate. It may sound crazy, but it will take time to adjust and get used to sleeping without a pillow. And in the beginning it may even feel uncomfortable.

But don’t give up!

For me, it probably took about 4-6 weeks to get used to sleeping without my pillow. And at first, I found it uncomfortable. So what I did was sleep without my pillow through as much of the night as I could, and then I would grab my pillow when I felt that I couldn’t sleep without it any longer!

During this acclamation period, I was using my pillow less often, and it was becoming less uncomfortable to sleep without it. As I got more used to sleeping without a pillow, I noticed that I didn’t wake up with a sore neck! Which was (and still is) AMAZING!

Now, it’s RARE that I wake up with a sore neck! And, if I do, it’s because I slept in an awkward position.

It’s been about two years, since I’ve been sleeping pillowless. My only regret is that I didn’t start sooner!

Sleeping Without a Pillow Means Goodbye Neck Pain - Sophisticated Booty

Why Sleeping Without a Pillow Means Goodbye Neck Pain

I’m just making an educated guess on this because I don’t know for sure. If you have some insight on the reason behind this please do leave a comment below.

Bottom Line: Sleeping with a pillow under your head is unnatural. Whether you sleep on your side, back, stomach, or toss and turn as you sleep, resting your head on a pillow puts both your head and neck in an elevated position instead of being in a horizontal position and inline with your spine (as it should be).

This elevated positioning of the head causes a kink in your neck, which results in pain (either the next morning or overtime).

I also think waking up with pain in your neck goes deeper than sore muscles caused by the strain and tension of sleeping with a pillow. Because your neck is full of nerves, glands (thyroid and lymph nodes), blood vessels, bones, etc. it makes sense that these parts and systems of the body can be negatively impacted as well. This may even cause other aches and pains, as well as trigger additional health-related complications.

So that’s my two cents as to why sleeping with a pillow causes neck pain.

Best of Health,
Shahné

P.S. Let me know if you give this a try. Do you already sleep without a pillow? What do you enjoy most about sleeping pillowless? Please comment below 🙂

*Information and statements regarding Nutrition, a Raw Food Diet, and  Superfoods have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease or health condition.

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