Neck muscles: what they do and the 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 helps determine whether your head and cervical spine are in line when you're lying down.
What do the neck muscles have to do with the pillow?
When you're lying down, your head has to be supported by something: your mattress and your pillow. If the pillow is too high or too low, your neck ends up at an angle. It then stays in an unfavourable position for hours.
Your pillow helps decide what position your neck spends the night in. That's all it does, but it's 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, it matters a lot how much room the shoulder needs. When it comes to body measurements, three measuring points count:
| Measuring point | How it is measured |
|---|---|
| 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 doesn't suit every body. To find out how to estimate the right 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 couldn't 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 work out your size yourself with PillowScan.
Can a pillow relax your neck muscles?
A suitable pillow makes sure your neck is well supported when you're lying 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 goes for exercises: your doctor or a physiotherapist can tell you which ones are suitable for you. You can find more about pillows at 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're unsure, the tips at Is your pillow too high or too low? can help. And if you'd 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
