Sleeping without a pillow

Everyone has different habits, like the way of holding chopsticks, left-handed or right-handed, and some people like to put their pillows high when sleeping so that they can sleep soundly, while some people prefer not to use pillows, and using pillows will cause insomnia. Regarding the habit of sleeping without a pillow, some people believe that sleeping without a pillow can help blood flow faster and smoother, thereby speeding up metabolism.

In fact, there is a further division in the use of pillows, which are different for infants and adults. Because infants and young children are still in the developmental stage, they do not need to use pillows in the first three months. Of course, after they grow up, parents should also choose special pillows for children, and it is not appropriate to use those for adults. For adults, sleeping without a pillow is bad for the cervical spine. The function of the pillow is to keep the head and lumbar spine balanced so as not to put pressure on the cervical spine; when sleeping on your back, the height of the pillow should be between 5 and 8 cm; when sleeping on your side, depending on the width of each person's shoulders, the height of the pillow for women should be between 7 and 12 cm, and the height of the pillow for men should be between 11 and 14 cm. Only a suitable pillow height can ensure that the cervical spine does not suffer discomfort due to the wrong height during sleep. However, not everyone maintains the same sleeping position during sleep. They often alternate between lying on their back and lying on their side. Therefore, when choosing a pillow, the pillow height should be 8 to 10 cm, and the male pillow can be increased by another 2 cm. In order to cushion and reduce the shock during walking and jumping and protect the brain, the seven vertebrae of the human cervical spine are not simply stacked vertically, but form a smooth, forward arc. This is the so-called physiological curvature of the cervical spine. The function of the pillow is to maintain this physiological curvature.

Therefore, it is correct for adults to use pillows. Of course, if someone suffers from a certain disease and cannot use a pillow, they must strictly follow the doctor's advice. It is an easy choice for adults, but when choosing children's pillows, parents should strictly check it. It is best to ask the pediatric doctor for advice before choosing the size.