Did our ancestors always sleep with an arm under their head? Why do we need to elevate our heads to sleep?
Why does the pillow being soft matter?
In: Biology
In Africa where we all come from it is still common enough in some counties to have wooden pillows . Check em out.
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The human neck has evolved to be highly mobile, like other animals. To help us look around and see predators and prey. I’m imagining this was a larger factor in natural selection, being more aware than being able to sleep better. Someone else will probably word this much better than I did.
And now we demand comfort and luxury. A pillow is nicer than the hard ground? We can also sleep on our back just fine without a pillow. Its more side sleeping you need to support your heavy head at such a distance from the ground.
Do we need pillows? Nope.. Not at all.
Do we like pillows? Yup.
So why
Stand against a wall (back, side or front.. Doesn’t matter) Even if you stand as straight as possible against the wall, there will be gaps where your body doesn’t touch. That’s because we have curves. That’s good because our bodies are built to do lots of different activities and a body with curves in the right places make that possible.
Some muscles are used to lift things or throw things, but a lot of our muscles are there just to keep our bodies in one position. These are our core muscles. When you stand or lay down, there are always muscles that work to hold your shape. Those muscles, like any muscle, will get tired when they are used.
When we lay down on a good mattress and pillow that have the right amount and type of support it allows those muscles to relax because they aren’t needed to keep us in the correct position. The better the fit of the mattress and pillow, the more those muscles can relax. A mattress that is too firm or too soft means that our muscles will still have to work some to keep us in the correct position. After a while those muscles will have to rest, so you turn over to allow a different set of muscles to take over the work and the others can rest. The more Incorrect the mattress and pillows are, the more turning you do and the less rested your body will be.
Mattresses and pillows don’t have to be soft – most people end up with them that are too soft, because there are two things you want in a mattress and pillow – comfort and support. Comfort is how your bed feels when you are going to sleep. Soft feels great so people usually buy soft. But support is how you feel when you wake up. A mattress that is really supportive can feel too hard which means you can’t get to sleep as easily.
The secret is finding a mattress that is just comfortable enough to let you fall asleep easily but supportive enough to let you wake up feeling good.
Pillows are the exact same way – they help you be comfortable when you lay down, but give you support for your neck and shoulders.
Edited because even though English is my first (and only) language, my phone autocorrect is, apparently, illiterate.
Edited again to say thanks for the awards.. And to add that more than likely your sleeping on a mattress that isn’t right for you or is too old.. Please take care of yourself when your sleep.. We spend a lot of time in our beds and how well you sleep will 100% effect the rest of your life.
Our closest relatives, chimpanzees, build “nests” out of vegetation to sleep in and we have archaeological evidence of humans building soft beds for many thousands of years into prehistory. Our preference for soft bedding predates our split from the apes, mammals will find comfortable, sheltered sites to bed down in. Soft pillows and bedding lead to a better night’s rest, which is a survival advantage. If you’ve ever camped out, you know that laying on a tiny rock or stick is maddening. As to why we support our necks, I would say it’s to prevent getting a crick in it.
I sleep on my stomach and pillows hurt my neck. But I have a bunch so I can sit in my phone in bed before I sleep
The best pillow I have ever used is made called Therapeutica, found it more than ten years ago, would not sleep with out it. That said I know of ppl that would use a brick and be comfortable. LOL
Yesterday I was tired. I went to bed. I lied face down on my mattress, no pillow, no bed sheet. Fell asleep instantly.
Pillows are for pillow talk.
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