Is it useful to sleep without a pillow? Opinion of specialists

Comfortable bed - a pledge of sound sleep and well-being. However, many often wonder whether it is possible and useful to sleep without a pillow, and if so, why. But maybe, after all, you should not abandon it? To give an answer, it is necessary to understand what advantages and disadvantages are in the use of this device.

It should be noted right away that among doctors there is no consensus on the application or refusal of the pillow. But still modern orthopedic doctors speak out against rest on a flat surface. And there are good reasons for that, because a dream without a pillow can be fraught with consequences. Which ones? Let's find out.

Causes discomfort and poor health

Many are interested in whether it is useful to sleep without a pillow for the spine. If we consider it as a permanent accessory to a bed, the lack of such a bedding will not do anything good. After all, with her help we can accept the comfortable and habitual position of the body, and even the head still needs to be on a small and soft elevation. Sleep on a flat place can cause a person discomfort, cause a sense of weakness and chronic lack of sleep.

Those who like to sleep on their backs often complain that it is extremely unpleasant for them when the nape touches the hard surface of the mattress. Plus, this situation during sleep often causes pain in the muscles of the neck, because the absence of a pillow causes a person to strain to support the cervical spine. In fact, the pillow is needed not so much for the head, as for the neck.

In addition, during a rest on an even bed, saliva can get into the respiratory tract, which is fraught with the appearance of a reflex cough and, as a result, premature awakening.

Because of the lack of a pillow, many lovers of sleeping on their stomachs or sides have a habit of putting their fists or palms under their heads. Of course, this makes night sleep optimally acceptable, but can cause numbness in the hands.

Is it useful to sleep without a pillow? Maybe. But the fact that it is inconvenient is a fact.

Reflected on the exterior

When a person spends the whole night, burying himself in a hard mattress, in the morning he will certainly have a crumpled appearance, and even with the prints of the folds of the sheets on his face. Then it will take at least an hour for this "beauty" to disappear.

In addition, the position upside down causes a violation of blood circulation, preventing a normal outflow of blood, and provokes swelling of the eyelids. It seems that the person did not sleep at all.

And further. There is an opinion that sleep on an even surface is the cause of the appearance of facial wrinkles. So, if you care about your reflection in the mirror, there is an occasion to reflect.

Promotes the appearance of snoring

In the absence of a pillow, the person sleeping on his back is in the wrong position. This applies mostly to the head and neck. In this case, there is a risk of language devaluation. The lumen of the respiratory tract narrows, which, in turn, provokes snoring.

It causes the development of osteochondrosis

As is known, diseases of the spine are often of a professional nature. This disease affects those people whose work is associated with a prolonged strain on the spine. These include office workers, masseurs, dentists and so on.

Therefore, many who have problems with the back, are puzzled by whether it is useful to sleep without a pillow in cervical osteochondrosis. So, here it is important to understand that a night rest on a perfectly flat bed only aggravates the situation, because in such a state the neck is in an unnatural position, which leads to a disruption of the supply of vertebrae and muscle tissue and causes swelling. Nervous roots are compressed, degenerative processes occur in the intervertebral discs.

Is it useful to sleep without a pillow in scoliosis? The answer is unequivocal: no. In this disease, it is best to use a roller or not too high and rigid pillow.

Despite the fact that some experts in the old fashion consider sleep on a flat surface the norm, it should be understood that the pillow helps to relax the body and supports the cervical spine. That's why people with back problems need to rest on a small soft pillow. And the more the width of the shoulders, the higher it should be.

Disrupts blood circulation of the brain

Doctors warn: a sleep without a pillow can lead to an ischemic stroke. The reason for this phenomenon lies in the following: in the adult human cervical section has a pronounced lordosis, that is, bends. Sleep without the use of a pillow, especially on the back, causes an incorrect position of the spine. As a result of this, the arteries through which blood flows are pinched, and the brain experiences starvation.

Is it useful to sleep without a pillow for children

Doctors extremely do not recommend babies to sleep on the pillow for about a year, because their spine is in a weak state and easily curable. Sleep on a flat surface helps to strengthen the neck muscles and spinal column. In addition, a small child who has not yet learned how to turn over can experience asphyxia. Therefore, the question of young parents about whether it is useful to sleep without a pillow to the baby is not even subject to discussion.

But from the age of six months, you can put a small folded diaper under the baby's head, and a one-year-old child starts to lay on a small orthopedic pad.

Summing up

For those who are still undecided whether it is useful to sleep without a pillow, it is important to understand that giving up such a bedroom accessory will bring far less benefit than harm. Therefore, it is better to buy a pillow with orthopedic properties, which can provide support for the spine in the right anatomical position and relax the cervical section. Then you can take an optimally comfortable position - and a healthy, comfortable sleep will be provided. Agree, this is a weighty argument in favor of such an important sleeping attribute, as a pillow.