The Influence of Pillow Shape and Content on Neck Muscular Activity and Perceived Comfort

Using an appropriate pillow in terms of shape and content is necessary to maintain the neck’s natural posture and to eliminate biomechanical stresses, particularly uncomfortable muscular activity.

This study evaluated four different types of pillows regarding their traditional shapes (rectangular and cylindrical) and contents (memory foam and wool).

For each of the pillow conditions, bilateral sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and upper trapezius (UT) EMG activity and perceived comfort were recorded from ten healthy participants (5 male and 5 female) during 30-min sleeping tests in each of the supine and lateral positions.

For both materials (wool/memory foam), the rectangular pillows felt more comfortable in the supine position, and the cylindrical ones provided more comfort in the lateral position. A significantly reduced muscular activity for the right UT muscle was recorded during sleep with rectangular pillows in the supine position. In the lateral position, Left UT and bilateral SCM muscles indicated significantly lower EMG values with cylindrical pillows.

The results suggested that pillow shape plays a crucial role in the management of neck muscle activation and perceived comfort according to the sleeping position. Furthermore, wool as a viable alternative to memory foam requires support from additional future studies.