Have you ever tossed and turned trying to find the right position with your pillow at night? And have you ever given thought to what may be living inside that pillow you are so desperately trying to have support you? If so, you are not alone. Many people battle the bed and bolstering cushion under their heads each night as they try to fall asleep comfortably. For some, this can be far from frustrating. After a long day all you want to do is lay down and fall into the slumber you know you need to feel refreshed for the next day, but your pillow is causing you discomfort and disgust.
The solution is to switch out your pillow frequently. Here are five health benefits of regularly replacing your pillow.
1. Fewer allergies
Small dust mites and allergens bury themselves in pillows. As you sleep each night, even when you have a pillow case covering your pillow, you inhale these allergens leaving you feeling congested and itchy eyed in the morning. This can start your day off on a bad note, and leave you with allergies for days at a time. Switching to a new pillow can help you rid your bed of these allergens and instead have you sleeping cleaner and allergy free.
2. No aches and pains
Your pillow provides the support your back and neck need as you sleep. Without proper support, you risk waking with muscle aches, pinched nerves and difficult moving. This can inhibit your entire day and make it difficult to focus. By frequently replacing your pillow you can get one that has the proper support your body needs to sleep well each night.
3. Better skin
Older pillows have a higher likelihood of becoming infested with scabies. This infestation can directly impact your skin and can lead to a number of disorders. While a thorough treatment of linens and pillows can remove scabies, your best bet is to throw the cushion away all together and instead replace it with a new one. This is important as it will ensure that you are not infested again simply because a few scabies were not treated.
4. Better sleep
Quality sleep can impact your ability to focus and feel energized when you wake. Instead of tossing and turning at night, get comfortable the minute you lay down and stay comfortable for a good night of rest. To do this, you need the right fitting pillow that is clean to keep you supported throughout the night. The only way to get this is by frequently replacing your pillow with one that has not been worn down or infested over time.
5. Customized support
Pillows are now made in various ways to support side sleepers, back sleepers and stomach sleepers. Each of these categories of people needs support in different areas and with different levels of firmness. However, over time this firmness can dissipate making the pillow no longer as supportive as it should be for your specific sleeping style. Instead, plan to replace your pillow to maintain the proper support you need.
As you get ready to lay your head down tonight, think about the last time you replaced your pillow. Could it be teeming with dust mites, scabies or could it be flattened to the point where you risk awaking uncomfortable and in pain? If so, you know it is time to replace your pillow. Plan to do this quarterly and you will have the least amount of risk for harmful agents that can impact your long-term health.
About the Author:
Joyce Del Rosario is part of the team behind Open Colleges, one of Australia’s leading providers of Nutrition Courses and Personal Training Courses. When not working, Joyce blogs about health and fitness.
