Advanced Pillows Improve Poor Sleeping Quality and Health

Clinical scientists and doctors have always been studying and trying to improve the conditions of many sleeping problems such as headache, back pain, and shoulder pain. A report from 1954 indicates that stiff neck could result from a sudden sharp turn of the head, cold draft, or more commonly, an uncomfortable sleeping position. Though it seldom prevents the patient from working, but the sensation of stiffness and pain from the back of the neck is often bothering and also limits the victim from flexibly twisting his head. The symptom could stay for days and weeks or sometimes disappear in just a few hours (Hult, 1954). Thirty-four years later, Gustave R. Rinz filed a patent for his invention of the orthopedic pillow, a pillow case that can be inserted to a conventional pillow to prevent and relief morning headache, tension, back pain, and stiff neck (Rinz, 1988).

Recent studies have further shown that one’s sleeping condition is important to health. Sheldon Cohen, a psychology professor at Carnegie Mellon University, and his research group discovered that poorer sleep or shorter sleep duration is associated with lower resistance to illness. Sleep deprivation can reduce natural killer cell activity and increase circulations of proinflammatory particles in the body, which weakens the immune system and increases the risk of developing verifiable illnesses. In addition, Cohen found that poor sleeping quality also reduces antibody responses to both influenza immunization and hepatitis A (Cohen et al., 2009).

Current technology has made the pillow into a more convenient treatment for many sleeping problems. There are many different types of pillows designed according to individual sleeping habits. For example, stomach sleepers need a soft and fairly flat pillow, and back sleepers need a medium thick pillow. Classic pillows are the standard pillows that have no contour and are designed for sleeping both on the back and the stomach. These pillows aim to support your head and neck by alleviating your upper back. A more advanced form of pillows is contour pillows, also known as cervical pillows, which have curved surfaces and are usually made from memory foam, gel or latex. The contours provide support for the neck and also make comfortable cervical spine position. Contour pillows can help to alleviate medical conditions such as migraines, snoring, insomnia, and shoulder pain.

A recent study focused on the SONA inclined pillow, which is a triangular pillow that has space to place the arm under the head while sleeping on the side. The SONA inclined pillow was discovered to have the ability to improve sleeping conditions. This pillow can moderate or even completely stop snoring and obstructive sleep apneas. People’s health conditions can be improved by having undisturbed sleep (Zuberi et al., 2004).

Figure 1. SONA Inclined Pillow; Figure taken from Zuberi, 2004.

Moreover, technology has allowed pillows to obtain cooling properties. Gel pillows are made from polyurethane or silicone materials and aim to benefit the sleeper’s body temperature regulation. There are many benefits to sleeping at cooler temperatures. According to a published study, colder sleeping temperatures lower the risk of diabetes and metabolic diseases by providing several metabolic advantages such as doubling the amount of good fat in the subject’s body (Lee et al., 2014).

Poor sleeping quality and short sleeping duration can deteriorate one’s health.  Current technology has turned pillows into solutions to the problem. The methods to improve sleeping quality and health through advanced forms of pillows are still in progress, and scientists are working to reach this milestone.

Sources

1. Zuberi, N.A., Rekab, K. and Nguyen, H.V. Sleep Breath (2004) 8: 201. doi:10.1007/s11325-004-0201-5
2. Lee, P., Smith, S., Linderman, J., Courville, A.B., Brychta, R.J., Dieckmann, W., Werner, C.D., Chen, K.Y., and Celi, F.S. (2004) Temperature-Acclimated Brown Adipose Tissue Modulates Insulin Sensitivity in Humans,Diabetes2014 63(11), 3686–3698.
3. Cohen S., Doyle W.J., Alper C.M., Janicki-Deverts D., and Turner R.B. (2009) Sleep Habits and Susceptibility to the Common Cold. Arch Intern Med. 169(1):62-67. doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2008.505.
4. Hult L. (1954) The Munkfors Investigation: A Study of the Frequency and Causes of the Stiff Neck-Brachialgia and Lumbago-Sciatica Syndromes, as Well as Observations on Certain Signs and Symptoms from the Dorsal Spine and the Joints of the Extremities in Industrial and Forest Workers, Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica, 25:sup16, 3-76. DOI: 10.3109/ort.1954.25.suppl-16.01
5. Rinz, G.R. (1988) Pillowcase and Insert for Converting Conventional Pillow Into An Orthopedic Pillow. United States Patent.