Bedding stores are now including specialist pillows on their shelves, aimed at people who need to maintain a particular sleeping position either to alleviate pain or to correct posture. A wedge pillow is one such item you may have seen online or in your local center.
Here we ask who can actually use one of these curious cushions?
Do you sleep next to a snorer? Or do you snore yourself? Either way there is a good chance that your night’s rest is frequently interrupted. While it may be the butt of many jokes, snoring is really no laughing matter as we all know how important decent rest is to one’s health. When it happens every night it can be quite harmful.
What a wedge pillow helps to do is raise the upper body so that there is less chance of the airways and throat becoming blocked, which is the main cause of snoring. It provides an incline that supports the back and shoulders in a semi-upright position.
Sleep apnea is a more serious condition where the sleeper actually stops breathing. This obviously requires professional medical attention, but providing the doctor agrees, some of the problems associated with the condition can be mitigated by using a wedge pillow.
The third group of people that might use one are those suffering from GERD or acid reflux. These people experience a burning sensation from stomach acids rising up to just below the throat, so helping gravity reduce the problem by raising the upper body sometimes affords relief.
People with back or neck complaints can also use these cushions, under the guidance of a chiropractor.
Or perhaps you just want to prop yourself up in bed to read before sleep. Again these pillows will help.
These wedge pillows are easily maintained as you can buy cases to slip over them and protect the actual cushion. So you only need to wash the case as you would with a normal pillow case.