10 Best Pillows for Migraines
- Memory foam pillow: Memory foam conforms to the shape of your head and neck, providing proper support and alignment.
- Buckwheat pillow: Buckwheat pillows are filled with small, hard beads that contour to the shape of your head and neck. They are a good choice for people with migraines because they allow for proper air circulation, which can help keep you cool and comfortable.
- Gel pillow: Gel-infused pillows can help to regulate body temperature and provide support for the neck and head.
- Contour pillow: Contour pillows have a curved shape that supports the natural curvature of the neck and spine. They can help to alleviate pressure on the head and neck, which can be a trigger for migraines.
- Water pillow: Water pillows are filled with a blend of water and foam. The water-filled chamber allows for customization of the pillow’s firmness, making it a good choice for people with migraines who need a pillow with adjustable support.
- Latex pillow: Latex pillows are made from natural materials and are highly durable. They have a medium-firm feel and can provide good support for the neck and head.
- Bamboo pillow: Bamboo pillows are made from bamboo fibers and are hypoallergenic. They are a good choice for people with allergies or sensitivities, as they are resistant to dust mites and other allergens.
- Down pillow: Down pillows are filled with the soft, fluffy undercoating of ducks or geese. They are comfortable and provide good support, but may not be the best choice for people with migraines as they may not provide enough neck and head support.
- Feather pillow: Feather pillows are similar to down pillows, but are filled with the coarser, outer feathers of ducks or geese. They may not be as soft as down pillows, but they can provide good support for the neck and head.
- Microbead pillow: Microbead pillows are filled with tiny, round beads that contour to the shape of your head and neck. They are a good choice for people with migraines because they provide support and can help to keep you cool and comfortable.
Migraines are blindingly painful headaches. Sufferers report a wide variety of symptoms that can leave them incapacitated for hours at a time. The Migraine Trust describes some of the effects migraine sufferers experience as:
- Pain. Migraine causes a throbbing headache, often on one side of the head.
- Sensitivity to light and noise. Many sufferers must lie in a quiet, darkened room.
- Nausea and vomiting.
- Lethargy.
- Auras. Some people see dark spots, coloured spots, sparkles or ‘stars’, and zigzag lines. Numbness or tingling, weakness, and dizziness or vertigo can also happen.
- Speech and hearing can also be disturbed, and sufferers have reported memory changes, feelings of fear and confusion, and more rarely, partial paralysis or fainting. All of these symptoms fall under the “aura” of migraine.
There are many triggers for migraines, including including certain foods, excessive caffeine, bright lights and loud noises, weather changes, and hormonal changes. Many migraine sufferers have found relief, however, by switching their regular bed pillows for therapeutic cervical pillows.
Therapeutic Cervical Pillows for Migraines
One of the lesser-known triggers for headaches, including migraine headaches, seems to be poor sleep quality. Sometimes people are unaware that their sleep is disturbed. They wake drowsy and irritable after a full night’s sleep, little guessing that the quality of that sleep has been compromised.
Sleep is the way that our bodies recover from the day. Good sleep can heal, rejuvenate, and energize. Unfortunately, many of us have poor sleep hygiene, and sleep patterns that are interrupted. Often this occurs due to discomfort, and the source of this can lead back to one of the most familiar and ordinary objects: your bedroom pillow.
Conventional pillows are made to look good in a bedroom, not to support the neck, spine, and head or promote good sleep. The result of using a rectangular pillow can be compression of the vertebrae in the neck. This in turn can lead to compression of nerves, which causes pain.
If the pain is severe enough, you will wake up. But many times the discomfort is just strong enough to continually pull us back to the first stages of sleep. Sleep is cyclical: Stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 are followed by important REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep.
If you are tossing and turning, adjusting your pillow’s position, and unable to settle, you will be unable to progress through the entire cycle, leaving you unrested.
A therapeutic cervical pillow, on the other hand, is shaped so as to follow the curve of your neck. This support allows the muscles to stretch gently, letting the vertebrae fall into place. Migraine sufferers who have used cylindrical therapeutic pillows report a reduction in the frequency and intensity of headaches.
Choosing the Right Pillow For Tension Headaches
Therapeutic pillows are available in different shapes and configurations. The best pillows for neck support are cylindrical. Better companies custom fit the pillow to your body size and shape.
Look for pillows that are easy to care for. High-quality pillows can be washed and dried in machines without losing their resiliency, making it simple to maintain cleanliness and get rid of allergens and dust mites.
Purchase a therapeutic cervical pillow for migraines today, and benefit from a good night’s sleep tonight!