What is the difference between an anatomical pillow and an orthopedic pillow?

The choice of a pillow must be treated responsibly, since not only the quality of sleep, but also the health of the sleeping person directly depends on this accessory. Recently, orthopedic pillows have become very popular. But some of them are still more correctly called anatomical. In order not to be mistaken with the choice, it is important to understand the differences between the two accessories.

The main difference between the two categories of pillows lies precisely in the purpose. So, an anatomical pillow is a product that, during operation, can adapt to the constitutional features of the body of a sleeping person, for example, to the bends of the cervical spine. This makes the position of a person during sleep and rest as comfortable as possible. In other words, these pillows are shape memory, comfortable for a particular person.

There are also orthopedic pillows. These products are not inferior in quality to the first, but still they can be attributed to a more serious category. Their main purpose is to provide a therapeutic and prophylactic effect. These pillows can "lay" a person in exactly the position that will bring his spine back to normal.

Most often, the use of such a pillow is prescribed by the attending physician. Based on this, orthopedic products can be conditionally divided into several categories:

• for pregnant (they are placed under the lumbar region, which has the greatest load);
• for kids for the purpose of timely correction of diseases such as scoliosis, kyphosis, osteochondrosis and some others;
• for adults - such accessories are prescribed as an addition to the complex treatment of diseases of the musculoskeletal system, as well as to relieve general muscle tension.

There are other differences between the two products, which are similar at first glance. The difference is as follows.

• Price. Orthopedic pillows are usually more expensive than anatomical pillows. But the price discrepancy is not significant.
• You can choose the anatomical model yourself, but orthopedic is better to purchase as prescribed by a doctor. Theoretically, an orthopedic pillow can be bought without a prescription, but in this case it can only do much harm.
• As stuffing lightweight filling is used for the anatomical pillow. In most cases, orthopedic products are filled with polystyrene and latex, which are stiff.

Knowing all the differences between the two categories of pillows, you can safely move on to choosing one of them.

Any pillow (orthopedic or anatomical) should not be purchased after being used by another person. Experts recommend purchasing such products only in specialized stores. The overwhelming majority of them work directly with manufacturing companies, so the risk of buying a low-quality product is practically minimal. In addition, in the selection process, the following important nuances must be taken into account:

• it is better to choose pillows made entirely of natural materials, since they are easy to clean and do not cause allergic reactions;
• from a practical point of view, products with removable covers are more suitable, since they can be easily washed as they become dirty;
• regardless of the type of accessory, its length should not exceed the width of the mattress;
• you should pay attention to the dimensions of the pillow, since for those who like to sleep on their backs, the height of the accessory should not exceed the permissible 14 cm (for any other sleeping position, a slight increase by a few centimeters is allowed);
• You should not buy too cheap products, since in most cases they are fakes.