When I talk about neck support I am referring to keeping your head and spine in a normal healthy position. This means keeping the spine straight from the viewpoint of anterior to posterior and a smooth curvature in the neck from the side view.

In other words, when you look at your posture from the front or back your neck and head should be straight up and down. When you look at someone's spine from the side there is a "C" curve in the neck and the ear lines up with the shoulder, and the shoulder lines up with the hip.

So someone sleeping with a very flat pillow or no pillow, tends to flatten their "C" curvature. With too many pillows or something much to thick tends to push the head up, straightening the curvature and pulling the head out of alignment forward.

When someone is sleeping on their side, a pillow too flat causes the head to tilt downward. With a pillow too high the head will bend toward the ceiling. So you can see when looking at this person their head and neck are not straight up and down but laterally bent to one side or the other.

So what's the problem you may ask?

The problem is that misalignments of the spine of only millimeters is often enough to put pressure on nerves causing pain and muscle irritation. And if you allow your head to be shifted out of normal, good alignment, night after night for hours on end your spine will start to shift permanently in these directions causing neck issues and pain more often.

Using a good support pillow should prevent any problems. I use the cervical linear traction neck pillow which gives support under the neck when sleeping on your back and keeps the head level when on your side.

This pillow has some extra material built into the neck roll that goes right under the neck. This keeps the cervical curvature in its best position, supporting the spine and eliminating any nerve pressure. Keeping the head level when on your side also prevents any nerve pressure. And as you may know - keeping the nerves free from pressure will eliminate pain!

The best pillows for neck support should have the right firmness to support your neck while perfectly conforming to the contour of your head. There are different types of support pillows today that it's quite hard to pick just one. The following information is important to take note of to get to the best pillows for neck support.

If it looks pretty and feels comfortable, you should purchase the neck pillow immediately. If that's how easy it is to pick a neck support pillow, we won't be having this discussion about the best neck pillows for support. Normally, the wrong types of neck pillows will cause symptoms like sore neck, back pain, snoring, numbness of arms and hands. If you're experiencing any of these problems, then it's really time for you to switch to better pillows.

Just by looking at the size of the neck pillow, you'll pretty much have the idea if it will work for you or not - if it's too large or too small, immediately skip to the next pillow available. It is important that the pillow should not place your neck too high or too low, but it should align your neck to the rest of your body.

Touch and get a feel of the firmness quality of the neck support pillow. It shouldn't be too rigid because it has a big tendency to go against your neck and press hard on your neck muscles - the only thing you'll get from this type of pillow is a stiff neck. The best neck support pillow should curve to the shape of your head and still support your cervical area.

The size and shape of the neck support pillows are not the only details you have to think about. There are also different types of pillows out there that you'll find helpful.

Memory foam pillows - probably one of the most popular types of pillows today - are resilient and are able to return to their original state when not in use. These give out excellent neck support and retain their shape pretty well. These pillows are more ideal for colder places than hot because these tend to retain body heat.

Buckwheat pillows have its origin in Asian countries, like Japan. These are filled with dried buckwheat husks that provide excellent air circulation. These pillows feel cool during warm weather conditions and warm if it's cold outside.

Neck roll pillows, which include memory foam, adjustable, and inflatable types, are good neck support pillows. These are not strictly for your neck, but also for your hips, ankles, and at the back of your knees.

If you think about it, the best pillows for neck support are the ones that will specifically address your health issues and provide great sleep quality as well. And the only way to achieve that is to learn as much as you can about these types of pillows and take your time in choosing.