Agh! Somebody have any advice? Sore neck, headaches and sleeping!

Hi, Red,
Well, I don't know about keeping you from moving all over, but I do know about neck issues while sleeping! I've had chronic neck problems for over 20 years, and if I don't sleep on "the right" cervical pillow I'm a mess after just one night. What's the right one? That has led me to buy countless "cervical" pillows over the years, and there have thus far been only two goo ones; one cost me nearly $100 and is a combination memory for with a small amount of gel. I found that small amoung of gel was critical, as it gave the firmnes to the roll part of the pillow. Trouble is the tv network that was selling it stopped selling this particular style, and I finally found another one (after the other lost its bouce in a year or so) but that wasn't exaclty as good. The plain memory foam ones don't work at all IMHO. Flatten out way too quickly.

The pillow I'm using now I found - and took a chance on (you should see how many cervical pillows are stacked around my house and in my closet - the ones that didn't work! LOL) at a local medical supply store. It costs about $30 but wears out faster. I know when it's flattening because my neck starts acting up. This pillow doesn't have memory foam, but sort of a dip in the middle with cushioning on all four sides, so I can turn and sleep on my side or my back and my neck doesn't kink down. The one nice thing about buying them through the two main home shopping channels are that you have a 30 day trial and can send them back, something you can't do at most other places. And what works for me may not work for you. But it's a critical piece of sleep for me. I even take it when I go to visit my cousin - can't sleep one night without it!

PaLady

Red,
Don't give up looking for a good pillow, though! For me, it's a godsend and an absolutely necessity! And like I said the one I'm using now I was surprised as it's sold in a lot of places and I didn't think it would work. It's not memory foam. The center dips into what looks almost flat. The first night I slept on it I didn't think it would work, but after a couple of night I found it was better than any of the more expensive ones. I just think it doesn't last as long, so that's the trade off. Fact is, the one I have now I think is starting to soften. Anyway, if you're using a regular pillow that could be a huge part of the problem!

PaLady

If you can stand to sleep in it -- a soft cervical collar can help. You can toss & turn & kick & throw off all the covers & it still won't go anywhere -- I've road tested it. :) You can find those at the medical supply store too, though you might need to go through your doc (or a neurosurgeon -- they are occasionally good for things other than surgery) to get one that fits you just right b/c sometimes the standard sizes are not quite your size.

Then it's a trick of getting the right "sock" for it. The one it came with was too hot for me. I went to the fabric store & tried a whole bunch of different fabrics (you can order them if you have no sewing skills, but really it's only one straight stitch to make the loop, so it's not a big deal) until I found one that was just right.

As for the tossing & turning, I have a TempurPedic mattress & that really does a good job of keeping me from moving around so much -- but I still kick the covers off the bed most nights, so it's an imperfect fix. If you can find something to keep people from moving all over the place, I think you could make millions off of it. My siblings often tell stories of how they used to wake up battered & bruised when we would go on vacations as children. They've told me that even though they were they were the only ones having to endure such "abuse", that they've run across a good number of people who have survived similar sleeping partners. I've tried everything from relaxation, to psychotherapy, to behavior mod, to sleeping pills, to muscle relaxants (those did help, but who wants to take those all the time), to fancy mattresses & pillows, all to no avail. When you find the secret Fountain of Sleeping Lying Still, let me know. I'm still open to trying anything.

sweet dreams,
frances

A water pillow?? For real??? That would make a perfect companion to my waterbed! :) Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Right now what I have is a semi-waveless waterbed with a tempurpedic topper and a regular pillow. My back feels better since I got the topper so now it's time to work on my neck!

PaLady:

The pillow I have is a "Mediflow" pillow. It has a small "bladder" inside the center of it surrounded by padding that is just like a normal pillow. The bladder has an airtight plastic lid that twists on and off so you can fill it. It is flat to the pillow and I put it down to the bed side and never can feel it. The pillow never feels different than room temperature. I also push the extra air out of the bladder before I close it and it never sloshes around or anything, so you never really feel like you are sleeping on water. I used to have a water bed a long time ago, and this really doesn't feel anything like that to me. Just a really nice pillow that supports my head and neck well. I've even had it brought to the hospital for me when I'm there.

I haven't had any problems with the cleanliness of it either, but I do periodically put a few drops of bleach in the water that I fill it with. Not a lot, just enough to keep the bacteria at bay.

Ry

Does the water get cold in the night? Does the temp affect the neck pain? I know cold air makes mim=ne much worse.

Bumping up for Pamela.