They're invading the homes of consumers everywhere. You see them on the television, hear about them on the radio, read about them in the papers... Stories abound about how they've miraculously healed numerous ailments. So what is the real story behind the increasingly popular neck pillows? In reality, it actually comes down to basic science.

In grade-school we learned all about the different parts of the body, including our spines. What we didn't realize back then was how the parts of our bodies affected by the spine would ail us as we grew older. Millions of people sleep with improper spinal support, resulting in a population that suffers from severe neck, back and shoulder pain. This in turn, causes fatigue, irritability, and even depression. Fortunately, the remedy for this malady is simple - getting proper spinal support while we sleep.

A number of sleep and neck pillows have hit the market over the past years, and their increase in popularity isn't a coincidence. Luckily for neck pillow manufacturers and retailers, word-of-mouth advertising goes a long way. When one person starts talking about an improvement in their physical condition thanks to a product they've purchased, everyone else is desperate to try it in hopes that it will relieve their symptoms. Even doctors who know the benefits of neck pillows recommend them to their patients.

Even though neck pillows are recommended by health professionals across the globe, it is important to remember that not all neck pillows are created equal. When the popularity of neck pillows began to rise, opportunists began to create cheaper, lesser-quality imitations in hopes of turning a quick profit. As with all things, you get what you pay for. These imitations just don't provide the support that neck pillows are known for, eliminating the benefit of owning a neck pillow altogether.

Knowing how to tell a quality sleep pillow from a cheap imitation is important. Perhaps the cr me de la cr me of the neck pillows are those made of an innovative visco-elastic material, or in layman's terms, "memory foam"?. These pillows are made from a material that was developed for NASA. Because of their molecular structure, these neck pillows offer unsurpassed support to the head, neck and shoulder region, perfectly aligning the spine and relieving chronic neck, shoulder and back pain in those who use them. When thinking of purchasing a neck pillow, if quality counts, make sure you look into purchasing one made of this cutting-edge material.