If you’re like most people, you’ve had your pillow for too long. Believe it or not, pillows do in fact have a lifespan, and if you’re rough with them, that life span is even shorter than previously thought. Most pillows should only be used for six to eight months. They should also be washed every two weeks at least. There is even a phrase for pillows that are too damaged to do their job: dead pillows. This means that all their support has been broken or crushed, and there is no reason to continue using them. Usually, you can identify a dead pillow by folding it over onto itself and pressing down—if it stays in the same position for a few seconds, it is dead. They can also be identified by a significant weight increase, usually this comes from material seeping into the case. It could be sweat, drool, dandruff, or any other material.
Pillows and Proper Posture
When we stop to think about what pillows do for us, the result is not immediately clear. Most likely, we have only considered that they are comfortable and fluffy, and they have a cool side. But pillows are key tools in helping us with our proper posture—it is just that they do it during the night. The first types of pillows can be traced back to Japan and India, where they took on the form of lifted platforms, allowing for the head to be lifted and supported by the platform during the night’s sleep. This puts the sleeping person’s spine into the correct alignment, but they were by no means comfortable. These days, pillows are made of fluff and are encased in soft fabrics, but they still hold the same purpose which is to provide support for us while we lay and keep our spine in the correct alignment.
Pillows, Rest, and Chiropractic
If we view pillows as a tool (which they are), their care suddenly seems more important. In fact, your pillow is one of the things directly impacting your rest during the night. If you are using a dead one, your head will be falling further than its neutral state and this will result in either a sore neck, a sleepless night, or a twisted back in the morning. Your pillow has a huge impact on how you sleep at night. Healthy Life Chiropractic has been helping people in Newnan figure out their sleeping issues for years—let us help you too. Whether it’s scheduling an adjustment or asking about our favorite pillow (the Proper Pillow), you can get started on better sleep and better posture today. Just click here to contact us!