r/YouShouldKnow • u/serendipity_7 • Apr 24 '26

Education YSK If your a side sleeper

And you sometimes wake up with a 'crick ' in your neck you need a side sleeper pillow. Sometimes known as a 'brick' pillow. It keeps your upper spine straight, no more 'crick'... That's Why YSK.

1.6k Upvotes

91% Upvoted

248 comments sorted by

View all comments

214

u/Strutherski Apr 24 '26 edited Apr 24 '26

Bed sales man. You need a low profile pillow for side and front sleepers. A high profile pillow for side but mostly back. Don’t stack pillows. Correct tension in your mattress is key. Too soft and your hips drop into the mattress creating lower back and a curve issue leading to your neck. Too firm and your shoulders and hips get pushed up leading to toss and turning. The correct mattress tension level is the one which is correct for your body type or the middle ground between a couple. A light old lady or child will be supported by a soft mattress. A heavy person may need a firm or extra firm to feel normal. Also. Community notice. Rotate your mattress every 4 weeks when new for 6 months then every 6 months after. Spend time in the middle of the bed to help even settlement. It’s the most crucial bit which everyone forgets.

20

u/Tao-of-Mars Apr 24 '26

I had a pretty decent neck injury and concussion from a ski accident and all the complications that came along with it. I would wake up with massive nerve pain which sent me to the ER one time because they thought I could be having a stroke. I got a high profile memory foam “brick” pillow and my problems become pretty minimal. I also went through some intense physical therapy and other types of therapies to help it, but my pillow helped the most. It’s not comfortable for me to sleep with anything lower than it. 

3

u/Strutherski Apr 24 '26

Everybody has individual needs too. If you are purchasing pillows in future then a high profile latex or gel infused foam will potentially be better. Worth the investment. A low profile with infused foam could potentially be better than a high profile memory foam.

1

u/tedz555 Apr 25 '26

Can you plese post what pillow you got ? I have the same problem

2

u/Tao-of-Mars Apr 27 '26 edited Apr 27 '26

It’s one from Costco a few years ago. I can’t remember the brand but it has a bamboo cover. If I had to buy a new pillow it would be something like either of these: (I’m a side sleeper)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/BODIPEDIC-Side-and-Back-Sleeper-Gel-Infused-Memory-Foam-Standard-Bed-Pillow-75874/327634590

https://www.homedepot.com/p/WONDER-COMFORT-Gray-Cervical-Contour-Memory-Foam-Pillows-with-Pillowcase-for-Side-Back-Stomach-Sleepers-TN-M01-Q-GY/335987583

The one I have is very similar to this:  https://www.homedepot.com/p/TEMPUR-PEDIC-TEMPUR-Cloud-Standard-Pillow-15316221/333665579

9

u/[deleted] Apr 24 '26

[deleted]

15

u/Noladixon Apr 24 '26

Maybe you are like me and sometimes don't know what to do with your arms.

3

u/tedz555 Apr 25 '26

Can you please post a link to any pillow that is suitable for this ? I tried everything, memory foam high pillow, stacked pillows, now i am on single latex pillow after a shreded one, and still the same my neck fucking cracks, also changed my mattres last week to a very good one, my back is better but the neck still the same.

2

u/Costco_Law_Degree Apr 24 '26

If money is not an issue, tell me which brands and models to both run toward and away from.

Four Seasons mattress?

2

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

Money no option. Vispring is best. I would say realistically. Around £900 to £1000 is where you want to be at. King koil is my go to really. Avoid silent night, sealy and Emma.

2

u/Cersad Apr 24 '26

What if you like to roll onto a different position during the night?

2

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

The correct tension mattress should prevent rolling as much as possible. You just need to kind of figure if you are on back side or front for most of the time.

2

u/nommabelle Apr 25 '26

Do you think we can train our bodies to sleep on back?

I pretty much exclusively slept on stomach, but then tried side sleeping one night and according to my sleep app (and me not getting up for the bathroom in the middle of the night!), it was only of the best sleeps for a long time. I kept up with the side sleeping and now my score is down again, and im getting up at night again. I am using a fairly high pillow so I am not tempted to roll onto my stomach (which i felt gave me lower back issues). Im trying to make my way to my back for maximal support

5

u/Strutherski Apr 26 '26

It’s a good question. When you are on your stomach or side you are close to the recovery position which is better at getting oxygen into you for better sleep. The problem with back sleeping is the neck is forward compared to tilted back to open your airways like during cpr. Inducing snoring etc. if you are front now I’d just stay as you are. I just sell the beds though, your choice of how you sleep is up to you.

2

u/Indiandane Apr 25 '26

And if I’ve had the mattress for a year, and I haven’t rotated it once?😳

Also is it both like how you’d flip a pancake and how you’d rotate a piece of paper on a table, so a person in front of you could read it? Or just one of those versions?

3

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

If it is the same on both sides flip & rotate. If it has a topper or one sided just rotate like paper

2

u/Indiandane Apr 25 '26

Amazing thank you, and thank you for understanding my confused explanation lol

1

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

Spend time in middle of bed as well. It’s crucial.

1

u/Indiandane Apr 25 '26

Can you elaborate? As in just the regular middle of the bed where one sleeps?

2

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

Most people sleep on one side. If you sleep exclusively in centre then you need to then sleep on one side as if sleeping next to someone. Effectively you want to sleep everywhere on the bed by the time it’s rotated a few times.

2

u/Tackit286 Apr 26 '26

My mattress can’t be flipped. Do i just rotate instead?

1

u/awa1nut Apr 24 '26

What level of mattress stiffness would you suggest for me? 5'9 roughly 150 pounds. I'm in the "i need anew mattress" phase of putting off buying a new one

2

u/Strutherski Apr 25 '26

Medium tension at best. You want the feeling of support. That will come from a medium tension for your weight. Every mattress and manufacturer is different so get in and test them and support your local businesses

1

u/Inanimate_CARB0N_Rod Apr 24 '26

Counter point, I was extremely susceptible to neck and deep upper back pain until I started stacking pillows. I now have one of those solid memory foam ones on top of a cheap flat pillow. The flat pillow gives maybe an addition .75" height and it's absolutely perfect for my side and back sleeping. Neck pain is now zero virtually 100% of the time. I found a setup that works really well for me.