Luxury Pillows: Considering that we spend one-third of our life sleeping, having the best accouterments in one’s bed is worth the time it takes to find them. Whether it be Egyptian Cotton sheets or a snuggly down comforter, this is the place to make investments. It’s no secret that as we pass the 35-year mark, our body requires more attention and neck pain seems to be one of those things that is grandfathered into the equation, whether we like it or not. It’s so prevalent that Americans spend $50 billion a year to alleviate neck and back pain.

Dr. Raymond Hall in Los Angeles, who works with one of the most prestigious orthopaedic groups in the country, has made a pretty incredible hypothesis that neck pain might be entirely due to those big fluffy, lovely puffs of happiness - and yes, even down pillows. He explains that pillows should support the neck, not the head. When our head is propped up, it stretches the neck out of its natural position, which after a night of sleeping causes inflammation, stagnation of blood flow and pain. After 25 years of doctoring, he noted a commonality in his patients who complained about neck pain; almost every single person would report “I just woke up one morning and my neck hurt.” It led him to purport that sleeping accessories might be to blame. Inspired, he went about building a kind of pillow that supports the neck, cradles the head and miraculously enough, erased my neck pain after a few nights.

His invention, Pillo1, was used in a study that supported his theory. The study, done this fall at the St. Johns Sleep Center, compared the depth and quality of sleep by providing participants with a conventional pillow and then Pillo1. The results, of landslide significance, showed that 21.3% got more REM sleep, the deepest, most restorative sleep. They also fell into REM sleep faster. “Our bodies are made to sleep at night to restore, replenish and rebuild for the next day of activity,” Dr. Hall says. “When your neck is stressed all night, it not only disturbs your sleep patterns, but your body’s ability to regenerate in the way that it’s built.”

Incredibly enough, Pillo1 seems to train the body into the exact optimal sleeping position by itself, which according to Dr. Hall is the back. “Many people don’t enjoy sleeping on their backs,” says Dr. Hall, “it can be hard to train oneself to do this, but once your body learns it, the difference of how you feel in the morning can be astounding.” And a pillow can do that? Uh huh; I am here to tell the tale and am thrilled to report that the thousands of dollars I’ve spent on chiropractors to fix my neck are now behind me. The best thing about Pillo1 is that it is luscious and made with eco friendly materials. You won’t miss your down pillow at all; and you may not even notice that you are sleeping on a therapeutic pillow.

By Alyson Andrea
JustLuxe Contributor