sleeping without pillow

[djonkoman]

I recently switched to sleeping without pillow, wondering if there is anyone else preferring to sleep without it.
backstory of how it happened:
recently I've started having pain in my back sometimes, not my lower back but between my shoulderblades, had before that sometimes I suddenly have pain in my back when waking up but not often, recently it has become often. I have 2 probable causes:
sitting with a laptop, did a googlesearch and apparently it's not uncommon to get pain in your upper back from siting behind a computer, since you're hunched over a bit.
and sleeping. it always begins when I wake up, but sitting with a laptop intensifies it.

so one day it was worse as usual, and it was warm, couldn't get too sleep. tried all kinds of sleeping poitions, eventualy threw out my pillow and fell asleep like that, it reminded me of being a small kid before I got my first pillow.
and the next morning no pain at all in my back. so I started sleeping without pillow, and every time I wake up with a back that feels well, even if I fall asleep with some backpain it's all gone in the morning.
but then a few days ago the hot weather came, couldn't get to seep again and eventually took my pillow again, since it does lay a lot more comfortable. fell asleep, and woke up with a hurting back again(while when I fell asleep I didn't have backpain)
switched back to no pillow, and my back is good again. still feel it a bit between my shoulderblades now and then from the hunching over a laptop, but not as bad and I know that if I go to sleep it will be well again the next morning.

I do think I have a sensitive back tough, always been sensitive to bad chairs, for example one time I acccdently sat in the 1st class in the train since the 2nd class was all full, walked trough and stumbled on a mostly empty part, only halfway I noticed it was first class. well never again I'm taking a seat in first class, the first class seats are horrible. instead of just having an even back, these chairs have the sides in a bit a circular shape, like a shalow C, so the sides of the chair push my shulders to the front and towards eachother, the worst backpain I've ever had was the result.

 

[momofthegoons]

I also have to be very careful how I sleep at night or I'll wake up with a stiff neck. I use a down filled pillow that is under stuffed and form it around my neck, much like the u shaped airline pillows you see. If I don't do this, or sleep with a "hotel" pillow, I'll wake up with a bad neck every time. I've taken to taking my pillow with me when I travel.

 

[FLskwat]

30 years of NO PILLOW sleep here AND falling a sleep on my belly!
Me in a hotel room = pillow on the floor!
Best pillows of all time IMO= my forearms!

 

[djonkoman]

hmm, have to try that too.. I prefer sleeping on my side, but my shoulder is in the way, so side becomes belly, and that's not good on my back, so I've learned myself to sleep on my back eventough it felt weird/unnatural/uncomfortable at first, now I'm used to it but if it takes to long to fall asleep I will still start turning to my side/belly(sometimes something somewhere in between), but then turn back again to my back after a while
have tried using my arm as pillow on my side, but it makes my arm fall asleep quickly(don't know of you also call it that in english, a bodypart that is asleep means the bloodflow is restricted and it feels numb etc)

 

[FLskwat]

hmm, have to try that too.. I prefer sleeping on my side, but my shoulder is in the way, so side becomes belly, and that's not good on my back, so I've learned myself to sleep on my back eventough it felt weird/unnatural/uncomfortable at first, now I'm used to it but if it takes to long to fall asleep I will still start turning to my side/belly(sometimes something somewhere in between), but then turn back again to my back after a while
have tried using my arm as pillow on my side, but it makes my arm fall asleep quickly(don't know of you also call it that in english, a bodypart that is asleep means the bloodflow is restricted and it feels numb etc)

I'm 100% on my belly with the head turned 90° on the right or the left.
http://www.magazine-avantages.fr/data/photos/F0/7d9312b2021mander.jpg
Very similar to this pix but with my forearm/wrist as the contact zone with my cheek! (hope that is understandable).
So yes I understand the "sleepy arm" but I do not feel this specific arm position to restrict blodflow as it is a fairly "natural" position...

 

[Jdog]

My fiancé sleeps with the pillow between his ear and arm, thick pillows are way to thick and he wakes up with kinks and stuff. Recently I got him a buckwheat pillow, and it seems to have fixed the problem. They are really shapeable, and you can move the shell husk things around to fit your head, it comes under filled for this reason I believe. There is a lot of empty space in them. And they smell really good !

 

[MedicatedVet1911]

Having had extensive lower back problems , how I sleep is very important. I usally sleep on my belly , with a very firm pillow for support. I also had to buy a Tempurpedic mattress to be comfy , because the mornings are the worst for my pain. There are some night I end up on my side and when I wake up the next day , I always feel 30x worse. The key for me is to be drowsy enough to fall asleep but aware enough to make sure I sleep in a way I wont regret in the morning.

 

[skyline]

I thought I was the only one who did this haha but for me it just seems more comfortable sleeping without a pillow. I started doing this a couple years ago due to neck pain, and after a while I noticed that my "neck posture" improved (if that makes any sense) and that my incidence of having neck pain or stiff neck went way down.

Now I usually sleep without a pillow but when I can't get to sleep, grabbing a pillow usually helps. I feel like it has something to do with the variety in comfort level but I'm not sure haha.

 

[Jdog]

@skyline definitely comfort factor

 

[xivyx420]

I sleep without a pillow when I sleep on my stomach, makes it much more comfy.

 

[crawdad]

for resting im usually on my back with no pillow or a thin one..or hammock. for sleeping, i *prefer* on right side with a pillow under head, one slightly on my back/side to prop up between shoulder and hip and one more between my knees to keep them comfy. but thats a lot of work late at night, what ends up happening is i get as far as the top pillow and realize i forgot to the other two and then im out.

 

[Thick Vape]

I used to use no pillow and sleep on my belly.
Since I got back problems I had to switch to side or back sleeping.
I use one of those uncomfortable looking wave shaped pillows. They work wonders for me.
And laptops are not really ergonomical anyway.
I now also have a table I can work on in standing position. Helps alot too.

 

[Haze Mister]

That is some serious thread necromancy Sleeping on your belly is really bad and if you do it you need to stop ASAP.... or prepare for a life of daily pain later... Every physical therapist I have asked has told me sleeping on your back is the best. I am seeing therapists because of sleeping on my belly all my life until recently....

Memory foam pillows are pretty good and especially for travelling because you can really compress them and they will come back to their true shape every time. They also last a very long time.

Did you know that most goose down (feathers) is produced in a horrific way? Look into it and prepare to freak out...

 

[ginolicious]

Can’t sleep without a pillow at all. Mind you. Sometimes. When I wake up. I do have chest pain and back pain from how I slept on that pillow. Not all the time. Occasionally it happens. And I have tried to sleep without a pillow. No go for me.