Pillows can also improve sleep to some extent, and for some with mild sleep breathing problems, there are “neck extension” pillows that may actually reduce some of the breathing events.

However, the big problem with “pillow talk” as well as “mattress talk” is that the discussion always creates assumptions that large changes in your sleep will occur if you just find the right mattress or pillow. No doubt, there is some truth in this perspective but not nearly as much as the bedding manufacturers would like you to believe.

The real facts are that when a person suffers from a physical sleep disorder, pillows and mattresses should almost never be considered primary treatment options, yet many people and their physicians actually think about pillows and mattresses long before they even consider the notion of visiting with a sleep specialist, a medical doctor with specific training, expertise and board-certification in the field of sleep medicine.

I cannot count the number of people who I have met in my career in sleep medicine who had obvious sleep disorders by my assessment, yet they chose to go shopping at sleep centers (aka mattress stores) with the firm belief that a mattress was a viable treatment option.

Unfortunately, many in the media foster these misguided approaches to sleep medical care by writing articles about pillows or mattresses instead of writing articles about pillows, mattressess and sleep disorders.

Barry Krakow MD