Edward Komberg

Chiropractor & Business Entrepreneur

Sleep, Pillows and Pain: A Chiropractor’s No-Drama Guide

Great care unravels if sleep fights you. Pillows and positions don’t have to be expensive or complicated—just consistent and comfortable. Here’s the compact guide I give patients to reduce morning stiffness and midnight waking.

Positions That Work

  • Side-lying: Pillow between knees/ankles; neck pillow that fills the shoulder gap.
  • Back-lying: Small support under knees; avoid towering pillows that jackknife the neck.
  • Stomach: Not ideal; if you must, thin pillow and one leg hiked to reduce lumbar twist.

Pillow Sizing

  • Broader shoulders → taller side-sleep pillows.
  • Back sleepers → medium height, neck-support curve optional.
  • Travel → inflatable lumbar roll doubles as hotel pillow helper.

Pre-Bed Reset (3 Minutes)

  • Box breathing x 4 cycles.
  • Doorway pec stretch 2×20s.
  • Cat–Cow x 6–8 or gentle supine knees-to-chest x 6.

From Dr. Edward Komberg: “If you wake with neck pain, your pillow is wrong for you—not universally ‘bad.’ Match height to your body and position.”

Unsure which pillow fits? Bring a photo of your sleep setup to Dr. Edward Komberg—we’ll size it and stop the morning fight.


About the Author: Decades of helping Angelenos sleep through the night with simple, body-matched tweaks.

About the Author

Dr. Edward Komberg began in La Palma, CA and built three Southern California clinics over 37 years. He’s treated more than 500,000 patient visits, staying focused on calm, effective, patient-first care.