Should You Be Using a Body Pillow

From students to office goers, everyone is a part of the daily grind. A good night’s sleep with a body pillow is what we yearn for after a long, tiring day. What if you end up struggling with your sleep as well? People often end up tossing and turning to find a comfortable position to sleep in. And they finally collapse onto their stomach or roll onto their back and fall asleep. Outcome? They wake up with pain in the shoulders, neck or back.

Five Reasons Why You Should Use a Body Pillow

You are most likely to relate to it if you prefer sleeping on your sides. It can be difficult to get additional support for your upper leg or arm without ruining the proper sleep alignment with one head pillow. This is where the role of body pillows comes in. Body pillows act as a saviour for side sleepers. So, let’s check out the five reasons why you should use a body pillow.

1. Better sleep posture

A proper spinal posture is not only important during the day but also at night while sleeping. It is not easy to maintain one sleeping position throughout the night. It is even more difficult to maintain an appropriate spinal alignment while sleeping.

But, body pillows help you align your head, neck and back irrespective of your sleeping position. You can find a neutral sleep position using the body pillows. It lets you reduce pressure on your hips and shoulders thereby preventing the soreness of affected areas.

2. Facilitates digestion

Your body is able to digest properly when you sleep on the left side on a body pillow. This position places the internal organs appropriately such that the arrangement prevents the stomach acid from travelling back up into the food pipe when you lie down on the bed.

3. Reduces snoring

Do you often suffer from sleep apnea or snoring? Body pillows can help you get rid of these issues. These problems usually occur when you sleep on your back or stomach because in that case the soft palate and tongue are able to collapse and that obstructs the airway. But, when you sleep on your sides with a body pillow, it helps the airway remain open and clear thereby preventing snoring.

4. Relieves pressure points

The tossing and turning while sleeping often results due to inappropriate mattresses. Your body responds to the discomfort by changing the sleep positions. Now the problem is you may end up squishing your arms underneath in the process and that causes excruciating pain the next day. Improper spinal alignment is common while sleeping. The body pillow, however, corrects the spinal alignment. It relieves the pressure from the affected parts of your body and keeps it aligned during the night.

5. Optimizes body performance

An athlete’s body goes through severe and rigorous exercises and activities. The body certainly benefits from movement and exercise. But, it also needs significant restoration to relieve the physical hardship of athleticism.

It is important for athletes to get good rest so they could gain a competitive edge after the rest. As mentioned earlier, the body pillow improves the sleep alignment which in turn helps the athletes recover, relax and feel comfortable to deliver the optimized performance the next day.

All in all, the body pillow helps the body maintain a proper spinal alignment while sleeping. Whether you are a professional athlete or a regular office-goer, body pillows can help you feel comfortable and boost your sleep to a great extent.

Physiotherapy First offers the Brampton community and surrounding area exceptional rehabilitative care with personalized treatment plans to suit specific needs. If you are experiencing pain or other symptoms, have recently had an injury, or would like to improve your mobility and function, our Physiotherapists and Healthcare Team will work with you to ensure you get back to the activities that are important to you. Call us at 905-796-6662 for an appointment today or email us at info@physiotherapyfirst.ca