pillow

I think, maybe, possibly, tentatively, and hopefully, I have found a pillow that will help me keep the vertigo at bay! (Is that cautious enough praise?) I bought it from Brookstone a week ago, and so far not an inkling there will be any trouble with vertigo. Woohoo!

For several years I’d been using tempurpedic neck pillows, the type that have a dip in them so there’s support under your neck. I have always found them to be very comfortable. But I’ve been having problems with cervical vertigo on and off for two years now. This means that one of the blood vessels that goes up the back of my neck (for me, the one on the left side) was getting pinched, and cutting the blood supply, making me have vertigo especially in the morning. Apparently I’m not at any real risk from this, but it’s very annoying all the same.

This is why I’ve gone to so much PT the past 2 years. My therapist stretches my neck out, in ways it’s impossible to stretch myself, and calms those muscles down. I’ve been working on my posture, so that I don’t tip my chin up so much. I’ve done what stretching I can do at home daily. And now, I only get vertigo rarely, but every now and then it does come back. Or in the morning I’ll get a wee bit of dizziness, especially if I sleep on my left side, a reminder that full vertigo is not impossible still.

I know others who have improved their posture by getting their spine fused, or by wearing a corset or brace. I am simply not interested in either. I’d have to be desperate for surgery, and my body shape doesn’t hold a corset well – too much hip and a sitting position all day, makes a corset ride up almost immediately and is very uncomfortable. So, in the end it defeats the purpose.

Not long ago I realized that sleeping on the tempurpedic pillow made me tip my head back just a bit. So I flipped the pillow around, so the fatter end was at the head of the bed pushing my head forward instead, which seemed to help. But it made me realize I should just find another pillow.

I tried Jim’s regular shaped tempurpedic pillow, but found it too hard. I bought some softer pillows but felt like I was sinking, and they were too flat. (I sound like Goldilocks.) The one I just bought from Brookstone is an interesting combination. In the middle is a foam rectangle, made similar to a tempurpedic pillow. Then it’s covered with about a two-inch thick synthetic down pillow. The outer pillowy part is machine washable, and has a soft cover that feels good on your cheek. I might put a pillowcase over it though, just to keep from washing the outer pillow too frequently. Being washable is not the same thing as holding up well with frequent washings.

Before anyone thinks Brookstone is paying me for this advertisement, I will add that this pillow isn’t as comfortable as I would wish. I’m hoping I’ll grow more fond of it, as I get used to the shape, assuming the vertigo is really gone. I am hopeful on this, because from the get-go I’ve been able to sleep on my left with no problems.

There’s one other problem with the pillow though. For some reason I think it’s making me sweat. This past week I’ve had more nights when I’ve woken up sweaty around my neck and upper arms. I know my tempurpedic mattress can make me sweaty if I have too many covers on. They do capture warmth and hold it. I could understand that a foam pillow might do this also, even though the other tempurpedic pillows I’ve had didn’t. I can’t say I like the feeling of waking up wet, but I have wondered if maybe being warm is part of what is helping my neck? I’ll put up with some sweatiness if it were to mean no more vertigo. Oh it’s so wonderful to sleep in, wake up when you want to, and feel rested and ready to go! Ok, I’ve not been doing too much of the sleep in with no alarm clock, but it is nice to wake up and not first find yourself wondering if you’ll be dizzy.

Problem – cervical vertigo

Cause – posture and head positioning, caused mostly from full time sitting

Short term management – physical therapy, stretches, heat

Long term solutions – NEW wheelchair, new pillow and probably a lifetime of stretches and periodic PT touchups