How Good is Your Pillow?

You sleep eight hours a night and wake up with a sore neck, feeling like your get-up-and-go, got up and went! Did you ever think that your pillow might have something to do with it?

Sleeping Woman

While a good night's sleep starts with a quiet dark room and a comfortable mattress, how you sleep on that mattress really does matter. The muscles that support your neck and back during your waking hours need to get the proper rest to be able to do their job each day.

The best position for sleep is lying on your side because it helps maintain the natural S-curve in your spine. Sleeping on your stomach arches the spine and makes the back and neck muscles work overtime. No wonder you wake up tired!

If you still choose to sleep on your stomach, it helps to place pillows under your lower back and between your knees to maintain the normal curve in your spine. If you sleep on your back, we recommend that you place pillows under your knees for the same reason. In addition, there are a variety of pillows that are designed to encourage side sleeping to support the spine and provide restful sleep.

 Dr. Dan Asks some important questions of interest to Salem residents - Chiropractor Salem Dr. Dan Asks...

Do nerves actually get pinched?
Chiropractors recognize two types of nerve disorders involved in subluxation. The least common is a pinched nerve that diminishes nerve supply to an affected organ or tissue. More common is the irritated nerve (facilitative lesion) which overexcites nerve communications to an affected organ or tissue. Chiropractic care has been shown to help with both types.
How does headache medication find the headache?
It can't! Chiropractors know that when you ingest a drug and it enters your bloodstream it numbs or deadens your entire body. Chiropractic adjustments, on the other hand, are specific, targeted and delivered with precision.