Have you ever suffered from insomnia or other sleep-related problems? If you have, you’ll know how overwhelmingly troublesome such a state can be. The impact sleep problems can have on your body and mind, and actually even your heart, is immeasurable indeed. In fact, health experts attribute several health problems to sleep-related issues. This means you really need a good night’s sleep to remain fresh and energetic through the next day. Physically, mentally and emotionally, you need to maintain a healthy balance to be able to work and perform well, which you can do by ensuring that you get the proper sleep.
Fortunately, there are some simple and affordable ways of achieving better sleep. A body pillow is one such solution to some or your sleep problems. If you’ve tried and unsuccessfully tested all those other sleep inducing solutions on the market, and still failed to get good sleep, then it’s time to look into a body pillow. Here’s a quick look as to how and why a body pillow is so helpful in achieving better sleep.
Types of body pillows
Depending on the materials used to make it, a body pillow can be of different types, such as memory foam, bamboo, etc. There’s even something called a cooling pillow, which can help you achieve better sleep by inducing a cooling effect in your body, so that you remain suitably temperature comfortable and relaxed—the two necessary components of a good night’s sleep. Though all kinds of body pillows are designed to enable good sleep, the overriding factor in choosing the ideal one relates to your specific requirement, and the problems you are having in sleeping.
Different types help in different ways
While the basic unique selling proposition of all body pillows is enhanced support and comfort to the entire body, different types of body pillows work in different ways to augment relaxation for different parts of the body.
The bamboo pillow, for instance, is ideally suited for relaxed breathing, which in turn makes sleep easier and better. Being environment friendly and really soft, bamboo functions quite effectively in bringing about good sleep. Since it uses no pesticides and other chemicals, bamboo provides total protection from allergies and discomfort to the body during sleep.
Then there’s the memory foam body pillow, which is sensitive to heat and provides excellent support to the neck and shoulders, helping relax the muscles in that part of the body, and thus enabling a more peaceful and restful sleep. Made of a polyurethane material, such a pillow molds easily to the shape of an individual’s body.
This, as well as other cooling pillows, works by providing great ventilation to the neck and head, ensuring that you sleep restfully, without any discomfort.
How it works
Since it runs the entire length of your body, a body pillow provides holistic support, including for your legs and arms, through the night. By providing comfort and relaxation, and also relief from pressure, it virtually cocoons your body into a state of soothing respite, which then enables a condition where sleep becomes easier and better.
Why it works better than normal pillow
It’s actually quite obvious and self-evident that, by its very nature, a body pillow is designed to allow the kind of fluidity and flexibility your body needs to be in its most restful position required for proper sleep. Since an ordinary pillow causes your spine to twist when you’re sleeping on your side, a body pillow works by providing the necessary support to the spine, thus preventing it from pulling your shoulders down. This allows your body muscles to relax all along the entire length of your body, while providing the right angle for proper alignment, facilitating a deeper and improved sleep.
Additional benefits of body pillows
Apart from support and restful comfort, the body pillow is made to provide several other benefits that eventually lead to improved sleep. For one, these pillows are extremely versatile, which means they have the inherent ability to change their shape with yours. Now this plays a huge role in providing sleeping comfort.
Secondly, sleeping with a body pillow has the effect of hugging your body, which has a wonderfully calming effect on a person’s emotional state. It’s like sleeping with someone who cares for you, and that, naturally, enables better sleep.
Then, by distributing your body weight and improving your blood circulation, it helps in relieving body stress even further, leading to improved sleep.
An interesting benefit of a body pillow is that it helps reduce snoring by preventing you from falling onto your back. This means better sleep not only for yourself but also for your partner.
As mentioned earlier, since it works on your body’s pressure points, you’ll find a body pillow providing amazing comfort to your hips, which are an extremely sensitive and important factor in inducing restful sleep.
Also, because of the support it provides, a body pillow also ensures that you end up tossing and turning much less than you’d normally do. Again, that’s a great way to sleep tight and sleep well, all through the night.
Conclusion
When it comes to a restful and comfortable sleep, you’d surely (as would most other people) be ready to do anything. Well, fortunately, you don’t need to do much. All that’s required is a good body pillow. It’s not only safe and risk free, it can easily be customized to your individual requirements, making its use a breeze and even more effective in inducing sleep. And if you’re extra cautious about your health, you can even opt for an organic body pillow.
