How A Pillow Could Help Cure Your TMJ
Waking up with aches instantly puts you in a bad mood. But these pesky pains are even more impossible to ignore when in your jaw area.
Can Your Sleeping Position Cause TMJ?
Yes, your sleeping position can absolutely contribute to TMJ pain.
When you sleep on your side, your head and neck often fall out of alignment, placing uneven pressure on the jaw.
Stomach sleeping can be even worse, twisting both the neck and jaw into strained positions that aggravate symptoms.
The Best Sleeping Position For TMJ
The most supportive sleep position for TMJ is lying on your back. This helps keep your head and neck aligned, with minimal pressure on your jaw. Pairing this position with a supportive pillow can further reduce strain and encourage natural healing.
Why Neck Support Matters
Your TMJ joint works closely with the structures in your neck. When your neck is supported, the upper vertebrae take pressure off the jaw joint, allowing it to function more comfortably. Without that support, the joints can stiffen, lock, and cause flare-ups.
If you want to reduce TMJ pain, start by focusing on neck health and sleep posture. A supportive sleeping position, especially back sleeping with the right pillow, can go a long way in keeping both your neck and jaw happy.
The Best Pillow for TMJ
Need a TMJ solution ASAP? Then, it’s likely a new pillow could help.
Here’s how each pillow affects your jaw.
Traditional Pillows
Traditional pillows (and feather pillows) don’t necessarily worsen TMJ. However, using them in conjunction with a side or stomach sleeping position can leave you with extra pain. For the best results, attempt to remain on your back without leaning on your jaw.
Standard pillows don’t actively help TMJ pains, but if you’re militant about your sleep position, they won’t worsen the problem.
Memory Foam Pillows
Memory foam pillows offer more head and neck support and promote healthy sleeping positions. These pillows are even designed to promote spinal alignment, ensuring the TMJ joint isn’t left with extra pressure.
In addition, memory foam pillows can help correct bad sleeping habits. For example, a memory foam pillow with a cervical dip is designed to help you easily sleep on your back. Other benefits of memory foam pillows include pressure point relief, long-lasting support, and easy pillow maintenance.
When it comes to reducing TMJ, memory foam pillows with ergonomic designs, like a cervical pillow, can improve symptoms and your overall posture health.
The Best Pillow For TMJ: Groove Pillow
The best pillow to reduce TMJ and jaw pain is one that supports spinal alignment and removes pressure from the affected jaw area. Therefore, a cervical memory foam pillow is popular for many TMJ sufferers.
These expert pillows are designed to keep the head steady and the spine aligned, and they remove pressure from the TMJ area and various other pressure points on the head, neck, and upper back.
Can Your Pillow Cause Jaw Pain?
If your pillow isn’t supportive or promotes an unhealthy sleeping position, it could increase your TMJ pain.
Unfortunately, a bad pillow could be the source of your misery. Many standard pillows leave you with a misaligned spine, which can cause your neck and jaw to experience extra aches and pains.
Similarly, your pillow could be causing you to put extra pressure on your jaw — especially if you’re a side sleeper.
Of course, not everyone needs a specialised pillow, and TMJ is largely determined by sleeping position. But if you’ve started to wake up with discomfort, it might be time to explore alternative supportive options. Bye-bye, old pillow.
Shop All Memory Foam PillowsIs Sleeping With No Pillow Better For TMJ?
Sleeping without a pillow might sound like a quick fix for jaw pain, but in reality, it usually makes things worse. If you’re trying to ease TMJ discomfort, the key is not to ditch your pillow but to find one that properly supports your neck and head.
Why Pillow Support Matters For TMJ
Your sleeping position heavily influences TMJ pain. Without the right support, your neck and jaw can shift out of alignment, adding extra pressure on the joint.
Over time, that pressure can worsen pain, stiffness, and even trigger headaches.
How To Use A Memory Foam Pillow For TMJ?
Alongside choosing a beneficial pillow, you need to position the pillow correctly to diminish TMJ effects. The key aim here is to align the head and neck while lying on your back.
If you use a standard pillow, you want to lay on your back with your head on the pillow. Don’t add extra elevation or put your hands under the pillow; this can raise your neck too high and cause strain. You want the pillow to support the natural curve of your neck.
Similarly, if you’re using a memory foam pillow, you want to lay your head on the pillow, and you want the pillow to follow your neck’s natural curve. It should also gently cradle your head rather than hold it at an angle.
Some memory foam pillows have a dip in the middle, and this is ideal for extra neck and spin support. Use the pillow’s subtle curve to guide where to place your head. Pillows with dips (AKA cervical pillows) allow your neck ligaments and muscles to relax without strain or damage.
Before using one, learn how to sleep on a memory foam pillow to ensure beneficial results.
Conclusion
TMJ pains are frustrating and can severely lower the quality of your sleep. However, you can reduce them with a healthy back sleeping position and a supportive pillow. Opt for a memory foam pillow to ensure your neck and spine are in the most beneficial place possible to remove force from your jaw.
The Original Groove Pain Relief Pillow is a memory foam pillow designed to reduce pain and improve sleep quality. With an ergonomic dip, this pillow promotes healthy back sleeping and a high level of support with every use.
Read the Trustpilot reviews here.
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