During waking hours, the postural muscles of your neck contract in order to provide support to your head. When you are in a state of relaxation, your postural muscles relax. When lying in bed, your head and body are kept in alignment with the help of gravity. When sitting upright in an airline seat, gravity will not do you any favors, especially when you are attempting to relax. Standard travel pillows are horseshoe in shape and provide your chin with little support. This means that your head will naturally fall forward on relaxing. Standard travel pillows hold excess padding. This padding is unnecessary as the high-back chairs on flights are there to provide support. Furthermore, the excess padding pushes the head forward even more than is necessary. This means that your neck is under stress due to the misalignment of the head. Not only is this uncomfortable but you will prove unable to fully relax. You are likely to become more tired, sore and even injured from the strain.

When you lie in bed, you naturally position yourself in a neutral alignment. This minimizes the stress placed on your spine and the postural muscles of your neck. When you are sitting in an airline chair, you should aim to mimic this alignment to the best of your abilities. If you end up cocking your head to one side or hanging it forwards, you will not only feel uncomfortable but this position will place a great deal of stress and strain on the postural muscles of your neck and on your spine. The best type of pillow to use when traveling is one that will provide you with full support, including underneath the chin. This type of pillow will help you to maintain correct alignment while you are sitting in an upright position. Maintaining the correct alignment is vital for your own personal comfort and it will reduce the stress placed on the body.

If your chosen airline no longer provides you with pillows on their flights, purchase your own travel pillow for ultimate comfort and relaxation.

Buying a good travel pillow can help you get that much needed rest on long plane trips. There are several different types available and you can even find travel pillows for made especially for kids. The inflatable travel pillows are very popular, since they are very easy to pack and inflate with just a few breaths. Most of these pillows have a soft outer layer that will feel good against your skin as you sleep.

A second type of travel pillow that is becoming more popular is the memory foam model. These pillows provide great support for your head and neck and are recommended for people who have a hard time falling asleep while traveling. There are also full body travel pillows for people who are looking for back support as well as support for their head and neck. If you suffer form allergies, you can find hypoallergenic travel pillows that would work for you.

If the whole family is planning a long plane trip, you may want to consider getting travel pillows for the kids as well. Some children can fall asleep anywhere, but a travel pillow will help keep your child’s head from wobbling side to side as they sleep. For younger children, travel pillows are available in bright colors or look like there favorite cartoon characters. There are special travel pillows made for infants as well. Most parents already know the benefit of helping their children rest while traveling. Cranky, tired children are difficult to deal with, especially if you are starting out on a vacation and looking forward to having a good time.