Neck Pain Pillow Relief

“My neck is killing me, do you think I should change my pillow?” If I had a a dollar each time I was asked this question as a massage therapist I’d have a profitable side business. In truth, it’s impossible to say whether your pillow is to blame for your neck pain unless I can see how you use it. But if you feel as though it’s time to trade up in the world of accessory bedding, then let me lead the way. This post is to show you how to save your money while purchasing a high quality pillow.

January White Sales

Ah, seasonal sales. Don’t you just love them? It seems almost cruel that after Christmas when our funds are nearly depleted that the best time for awesome bedding should come into the calendar year. Well, it’s true. Introducing the January White Sales. Invented in the 1800’s by a business strategy to increase sales after Christmas, a small business owner chose to discount the sale on white sheets, thus saving his business and introducing a long tradition in retail. The sale includes mostly bed linens and towels but you can find great deals on bed and bath accessories as well as the star of this post…the pillow.

The Pillow Hunt

Investing in a good pillow is about a smart a thing as you can do. You seem you spend (hopefully) over 8+ hours a night sleeping. Your delicate neck, shoulders and head muscles take on unnecessary strain when your pillow is of poor quality. I know what you’re thinking, you can’t afford a high quality pillow, it seems like such a frivolous expense. But how frivolous is something when you spend so many hours using it and could potentially cause neck pain? The average high quality pillow costs from $100-$150, that’s why the White Sale is your time to snag one of these babies up at a very reasonable discount.

Shopping Tips

When shopping for your dream pillow search for brands that specialize in sleeping. Focusing on fashion designer labels might not always produce the best results. The most important aspect of shopping for a pillow is one thing : access to a bare mattress that you can lie on. Here, you’ll take your pillow for a test drive and get a full sense of whether it aligns with your neck and your overall comfort level before your purchase.

Test Drive in Stores

The following stores do not necessarily offer white sale prices but they are worth mentioning for comparison shopping and to save you time. Every location has their specific stores but my suggestion is to search for “mattress specialty stores” in your area to get the best experience.

Mattress Firm

This store, while having great sales on their mattresses falls short in the pillow department in terms of discount. They claim to have an automatic 40% discount on their manufacturer pillows but it barely makes a dent. For the month of January the sales are unpredictable and the most you’ll receive is 10-15% discount. Occasionally you’ll be able to negotiate with a store manager for a deeper discount if you purchase a mattress. If you’re in the market to buy a mattress anyway, this might be a great deal for you. The best feature is that this store encourages testing of their products. With an entire showroom decked in bare mattresses you can take your time in selecting your favorite. Best selling pillows are :

Queen Lux Living Beautyrest Black Ice Memory Foam Pillow $130

Lux Living HyperChill Original Pillow $100

Kohls

At first glance, Kohl’s seems to have an excellent selection and for not partaking in the White Sales, their specials are decent. The discounts you’ll find here for pillows are normally buy one get the second 50% off for the higher quality pillows which retail at approximately $120 each. If you choose to purchase a second pillow (and you know you will) you’ll be looking at walking away with $180 price tag (before taxes). Not much in savings overall. The downside to Kohl’s that you cannot test drive your pillows so it’ll be a risk ,check reviews on Sealy and Serta brands Amazon.com before your purchase. But if you live near this store and you have a ton of coupons and can apply them to this purchase you might leave the store winning. Best pillows are:

Columbia Super Cool AirFoam Performance Pillow $110 (buy one get second 50% off)

Serta StayCool Memory Foam Pillow $160 (buy one get second 50% off)

Serta Three Layer Comfort Memory Foam Pillow $45 (on sale) 

Pillow Types for Neck Pain

Not at all pillows are created equally and for those suffering from neck pain, having ample support is necessary. I recommend searching for the following key terms when shopping for your pillow. Memory Foam, Cooling Gel (for those that tend to run warm at night) and Contour. A word on contour pillows; these are crucial to test and can be a dream come true if you find one. But remember,they are not designed for your body type so make sure to take a moment and test these. Stay away from oddly shaped pillows such as ones with a curve in the bottom specifically.

Amazon

Oh Amazon, how did we manage before you? As I stated earlier the best way to shop for a pillow is to test it in the store. But for the sake of research Amazon.com is a wonderful place to go especially if your store doesn’t permit you to lie down and try the pillow out. You can waste hours researching on Amazon.com ,my suggestion is to narrow down the search by focusing on 4 star ratings and up. You can find a very good pillow for a $50 price range. Again, there is a risk because you have not tried it, reading the reviews carefully is essential and time consuming so you must decide if it’s worth your time.

I hope you enjoyed this post and you’ll discover your amazing pillows soon.

*This research has not been altered, no compensation has been received from the above mentioned retail stores