Neck muscles: what they do and what role your pillow plays
Your neck muscles support and move your head, during the day and at night in every sleeping position. A pillow can neither train nor loosen them, but it does help determine whether your head and cervical spine line up when you lie down.
What do the neck muscles have to do with the pillow?
When you lie down, something has to support your head: the mattress and the pillow. If the pillow is too high or too low, your neck ends up at a slant. It then stays in an unfavourable position for hours.
The pillow helps decide what position your neck spends the night in. That is all it does, but it is no less than that either.
What determines the right pillow height?
Three things work together: your body measurements, your sleeping position (back, side, stomach) and your mattress (soft, medium, firm). For side sleepers, for example, a lot depends on how much room the shoulder needs. When it comes to body measurements, three measuring points count:
| Measuring point | How to measure |
|---|---|
| Shoulder width | around the curve of the back, with the tape measure not pulled tight |
| Neck circumference | once all the way around the neck |
| Neck length | from the underside of the ear to the shoulder point |
The same pillow height does not suit every body. To find out how to estimate your height, read Calculating pillow height.
How does Pillowise approach this?
Pillowise is a made-to-measure pillow made of memory foam. Thijs van der Hilst developed it as a physiotherapist. In his practice, he was unable to recommend a suitable pillow to patients with neck complaints. So he developed a measuring method: based on the three measurements, your sleeping position and your mattress, an algorithm selects the best-fitting pillow. There are six sizes, each with its own colour.
You can have your measurements taken at a Pillowise retailer, or you can work out your size yourself with PillowScan.
Can a pillow relax the neck muscles?
A suitable pillow makes sure your neck is well supported when you lie down. It is not a cure. Tension and pain have many possible causes. If you have complaints on a regular basis, please have them checked by a doctor. The same applies to exercises: your doctor or a physiotherapist can tell you which ones are suitable for you. You can find more about pillows under Which pillow for neck pain?
So: do you need to change your pillow?
If you wake up without complaints and sleep well, you don't need to change anything. If you are unsure, the tips under Pillow too high or too low? will help. And if you would like to know which height suits your body, measuring is a safer way than guessing.
Work out your size yourself or find a retailer near you
Thijs van der Hilst, physiotherapist (non-practising)
Inventor of Pillowise
