To pillow or not to pillow?

For years most mornings I woke up with a bit of a stiff neck. I tried all kinds of different pillows. Different stuffings, different height. It never really seemed to bring a change.

Last year I started to wonder if the pillows in general could be the problem? But who has ever not slept with a pillow? I had gone on camping trips without a pillow and I can honestly say my neck didn’t really feel all that better after sleeping without one.

Then I came across this video:

In it, he goes to great length into sleeping positions and studies. It led him to try sleeping without a pillow and…. So did I.

I am honest here, I did not sleep all too well the first couple of nights. It was uncomfortable and “felt wrong” and in the morning my neck still was sore.

But having gone through similar adjustments before I decided to give it at least a month before I give up on the idea. As expected after around 2 weeks not only did I fall asleep more comfortable, but I also for the first time in however long woke up without a stiff neck.

I have been doing this now for a bit over a year and I honestly have to say it was a worthwhile change.

Having said that though it does make reading in bed not a whole lot of fun. You either are on your elbows looking down on the book or on your back and have to hold it up over your head. I did try the “lie on the side and read” approach, but that is just as equally uncomfortable in pretty short order.

So if you like watching TV in bed or read, you probably still want to have a pillow around, but if you want to have a good night sleep, I would recommend you give the pillow less approach a try. For at least a month.