PILLOW TALK

There are good pillows and bad pillows. A good pillow, essential to long-term health, gives you comfort and automatically puts you in a healthy sleep posture. Neck and back problems are worsened by improper sleeping habits and bad or worn-out pillows. Follow the points below and your worries will be gone...

Sleeping on your stomach or with your head elevated can give you aches and pains. To give your body the proper rest and to ensure the health of your neck, sleep only in two positions: 1) on your side and 2) on your back. Both these positions keep your cervical spine in natural alignment and prevent misalignment of the neck. You will prevent neck aches, backaches, pinched nerves, and general health problems caused by wear on your vertebrate and spinal column.

1) On your side, with the spine straight:

You need a pillow that supports both your head and neck and keeps them in perfect alignment.

2) On your back, maintaining the primary curvature of their cervical spine (neck).

The support of the pillow should be mostly under your neck, with your head almost touching the mattress.

Look for pillows that let you fluff and squish the pillow to fit your unique contours, shape, and sleeping posture. Your pillow should "fit," just like shoes.

Natural-fill pillows such as down and feather give you the most comfort, long-term performance, and adjustability of any pillow.
They gently support your head, providing tactile softness, eliminating pressure points, and increasing facial circulation to reduce face squashing, or "sleep wrinkles." Down pillows offer you the optimum in comfort, luxury, and performance.

Unfortunately, most people hang on to a pillow long after its healthy sleeping power. You should test your pillow:
1) Examine the covering fabric: Is it stained or leaking filling? If so, time for a new one.
2) To test the support of down and feather pillows, lay the fluffed pillow on a flat, hard surface. Fold the pillow in half and squeeze out the air.
Release the pillow: one with support will unfold and return to its original shape. A broken pillow will remain folded.

3) To test a polyester pillow, fluff and fold as above but place a ten-ounce weight on he pillows (such as tennis shoes).

A pillow with support will throw the shoe and unfold itself.

The comfort lifetime of a pillow is the length of time you can expect it to retain its original support and adjustability. Over time, all pillows lose their fluffiness. Some people take their aggressions out on pillows. Others sleep gently, extending the life of their pillows. With normal use and care, the lifetime of feather pillows is 5-10 years, and polyester is 6 months to 2 years.

A good pillow will last you eight hours a night, 365 days a year, up to 10 years. That's 292,000 hours! Your investment will be worth it.
For a pillow to help you rest on your travels, turn to the Marriott Down Surround:

"Because Marriott knows when you're comfortable, you can do anything."
Many weary travelers profess this pillow has given them their best night's sleep ever! This pillow in a pillow construction allows for both shapeability and comfort. The inner core of tiny, soft feathers provide excellent support for the head, neck and spine, while the down all around the outside makes you feel like you're sleeping on a cloud and allows the pillow to conform to your head and neck which keeps your spine in alignment.

To find out more information on pillows, explore http://www.pacificcoast.com