Design Project to create a pillow for back/neck stiffness associated with AS

Hello! For me, posture while sleeping on my side makes all the difference when it comes to peripheral effects, particularly pain in my elbows and my hands going numb while I’m asleep.


My shoulders tend to crunch up and in and, when I happen to wake up and notice my posture, I push my shoulders back and down and get instant relief from the pain and numbness. I have an expensive medium firm down pillow, king size so it’s long. What I try to do is sink my head into one end and hug the middle which rounds my shoulders but the the way the outer shoulder of the hugging arm tends to land keeps it crunched up toward my neck via gravity. So, when I’m aware, I shift the down in my pillow to where it raises the hugging arm up and this tends to pull it away from my neck and I get instant relief from the nerve compression in my cervical spine, the part of my spine most affected by AS.


I also am often awakened by hip pain sometimes relieved by placing a pillow between my knees which is always awkward, cuz it’s either too fat or too thin a pillow or too short to also keep the same amount of space between my ankles as between my knees and thighs. It’s also hot and I have night sweats from medications and menopause.


I guess a cooling pillow that allows for side sleep and prevents poor sleep posture for side sleepers and is long and adjustable in size and firmness somehow. Hope all this helps!

hello, this sounds like a great project! I have tried out so many pillows in the past and none have really worked for me. I currently use a denneroll pillow but I find that there is limited spine support with this pillow. I’d really like a pillow that is soft enough to sleep on, but also firm enough to provide extra support to my neck and spine… hopefully this feedback is useful for you

This is such a great idea, I have tried so many pillows in the past and none of them work for me!! I currently have a pillow that is contoured with memory foam however I don't think supports my neck so I think it needs to be material that doesn't mould and supports instead..... not sure what this could be though?

Hi, this is a great project. I would like to give some feedback.
I use a firm pillow. I would love to try out a different shape with more neck support. I have tried to dennaroll and it seems to help give a good stretch, unfortunately, you can not sleep on them. I would love a pillow which had different levels of firmness.