Sleeping Without a Pillow

You’d think sleeping without a pillow would be like making a peanut butter sandwich without the peanut butter, right? Well… yes and no. In some cases, sleeping flat without the assistance of a cushiony pillow below your head can help you sleep even better. Oftentimes, the desire to sleep without pillows is due to neck or back pain, as we’d think removing them would allow for a more comfortable sleep. But what good does it actually do?

Should you find pillows to be hindering your comfort and sleep quality, here are some things you should know about going without one.

Does it actually help with pain?

This is a bit tricky to answer, mainly due to the overall lack of scientific research on how sleeping without pillows actually affect you physically. However, those who typically sleep on their stomach may find this technique useful, since sleeping with a pillow on one’s stomach can actually damage your posture because of the weight your torso is taking on in this position. This way, you’d sleep on a more flat surface while not sleeping with your on an angle and possibly exacerbating neck pain. Some believe sleeping without pillows can also prevent hair damage, but scientific research has yet to corroborate this.

What are some of the downsides?

As much as we might think sleeping without a pillow can do us good and relieve our chronic neck and back pain, remember that there is insufficient scientific evidence to prove that it can actually relax any tension in your muscles. This is because research has mainly been about which pillows are most comfortable to those in pain. Pillow manufacturers have also been focusing on making different types of pillows built for various sleeping styles, since pillows are meant to help one’s neck and head stay aligned. Beyond this, sleeping without a pillow can risk your neck pain and/or bad posture being further exacerbated, not to mention a possible hindrance to your sleep quality.

It’s all in the position

If you’re wondering whether or not this could help your chronic back pain, remember that there’s a bit of an art to making sleeping without pillows work. While sleeping on your stomach, place pillows under your pelvis on a comfortable mattress. This can help keep your spinal position intact. Those who sleep on their sides or back might not benefit much from going without pillows at bedtime, since they’re supposed to help neutralize the position of your spine in those positions. While your comfort is ultimately your top priority during sleep, going pillow-less during sleep is something you’ll have to bring up with a doctor or nurse, should your neck or back pain start to worsen. But if you’re typically a stomach sleeper, ditching pillows could be worth considering.