5 Reasons Why You Need a Body Pillow

Sleeping is essential and we spend a third of our lives sleeping, but sometimes having a good night’s sleep may be difficult. Having better sleep not only plays an important role in your overall well-being but also helps protect your mental health.

While sleeping, the body is constantly healing and repairing the damage done internally and not enough sleep can affect the immune system to work less efficiently. It is important to get at least 7-9 hours of sleep a day.

However, what is the point of having an adequate amount of sleep if it is not quality sleep? There are many ways to get better quality sleep and one of them is by investing in a body pillow.

What is a body pillow?

Body pillows are a type of long pillow that normally have the dimensions of 20 x 54 inches, but there are other lengths and widths. In fact, studies have shown there are several ways that a body pillow can help to make your sleep better.

A body pillow is an oversized pillow that comes in various shapes and sizes where it can be used as a decorative item by the couch or a cozy pillow for sleeping. Body pillows can come in many interesting shapes such as J,C,I or U. Besides the shape and size of the body pillow, many come in different types of materials and choosing the right one may drastically change the comfort of your sleep. Now you may ask, why would I need a body pillow? What are the benefits of having a body pillow? Here are 5 reasons why you need a body pillow in your life.

1. A body pillow can help you fall asleep faster

Research has shown that hugging helps people to be less stressed and feel comforted and relaxed. When you sleep with a body pillow it mimics a hugging sensation since you are pulling the pillow close to your body.

You may say, well I have a partner I sleep with, so why would having a body pillow help me to sleep? The thing is that people put off a lot of body heat, so if you hug your partner all night long, you could end up sweaty and that isn’t conducive for a good night’s rest.

Hugging a body pillow has been shown to help lower a person’s heart rate, which also aids one in going to sleep.

2. Encourages proper spinal alignment

Permanent damage or strain on the spinal cord can be caused by incorrect sleeping position. This is especially prominent to those who sleep on their stomach or back regularly as more pressure is exerted on the lower part of the back. Severe pain and discomfort can be felt during the day due to incorrect sleeping position during the night.

If you already have lower back problems such as sciatica or bulging discs, a body pillow can help better align the back to help give you relief. If you use a body pillow and put it between your knees, it can help put your back into better alignment, as you relax your muscles and your body weight gets better distributed.

A body pillow can be contoured to a person’s body depending on the amount of fill and the shape and size of the pillow. When someone sleeps in good alignment by using a body pillow, they will have less aches and pains.

3. Supports side sleeping

If you are a side sleeper, your whole body weight of the upper body gets pushed down onto the hips, which can in turn cause pain. A body pillow is a good tool to keep you from turning over and thereby holds you snuggly onto your side.

Sleeping on the side can benefit a person by improving blood circulation, helping to get rid of acid reflux or heartburn, and it also helps to stimulate lymph node drainage. So, a body pillow can also help the body to get into the right position to accomplish those things.

In this respect, a body pillow is good for a pregnant woman to use since many of them sleep on their sides to protect their unborn child or because they are unable to sleep on their sides.

4. Body pillows can help enhance air and blood circulation

Waking up to a headache or muscle pain can be caused by incorrect sleeping positions. This occurs when blood is unable to reach certain parts of the body causing oxygen deprivation. During our sleep, our heart is constantly pumping to circulate blood throughout the whole body providing oxygen to every part of the body and an incorrect sleeping position may hinder that action.

People who sleep on their stomach are more likely to face problems such as muscle pain due to bad blood circulation as the weight of the body shifts entirely on one area.

Hence, utilizing a body pillow can help support your body weight correctly by elevating certain parts of the body like the legs, neck and lower back. This improves blood circulation, ensuring the heart to pump easily.

A body pillow not only keeps the body in the right position throughout our sleep but also prevents us from sleeping in a wrong position. Thus, a body pillow allows the vascular system to function smoothly helping blood and air circulate the whole body, promoting better sleep.

Also, this helps lessen snoring. That’s in part because it keeps a sleeper on their sides, and many times sleeping in other positions has been shown to contribute to snoring sessions. This assistance is even better if the body pillow you choose is a firm one.

5. Body pillow can help to give pressure point relief

If you sleep on a surface that is too firm, it can cause pressure point pain in various parts of the body. This includes your hips, if they aren’t properly supported. Therefore, using a body pillow can help to support the hips and hold them in a better alignment, which helps relieve the pain and stress.

Plus, sleeping in certain positions can cause numbness, for instance, it can cause the arms or hands to get numb if they become squished under your body. A tall person or one with wide shoulders could especially fall victim to a misalignment problem.

By using a body pillow, its long shape will help to keep your body in a position that supports the pressure points in the body. You can accomplish this by placing the body pillow alongside your body and have it in between the knees. This helps to relieve stress and pressure on the body; therefore you will sleep better and more comfortably.

All in all there are several ways a body pillow can help someone have better and more restful sleep, and these are only five reasons you need a body pillow, and many more exist.