I have many sleepless nights. My neck hurts with or without a pillow.

I have arthritis in my neck, I finally gave in and bought a special pillow, to be honest I thought they looked uncomfortable as anything, turns out they are fabulous, makes a huge difference to my pain levels, I've one of these...

In Dartmouth, Massachusetts, there is a surgeon who has perfected neck disc replacement surgery. He replaces the deteriorating discs with ceramic discs, which function in the same way as your own spine.

He goes in through the front of the neck with one long incision on one side, moves your vocal cords aside, and the ceramic replacements are put into place.

The scar is placed to the side of the vocal cords where there is a natural shadow, and is usually not noticeable once it heals.

I used to work with a woman in the office, at Homeless shelter. She had the surgery, and she said the worst pain from it was the sore throat she experienced afterward.

I don't know where you live, but knowing that such surgeons exist should give you some hope. You might want to find out if there are similar surgeons nearby.

In the meantime, buy a My Pillow, and place it under both your back and your neck. It should raise you up a bit and is more comfortable.

Try cervical exercises, this will strengthen the muscles and relief your pain. I guess that would be natural and long lasting solution.

I have to use a thinner pillow & usually sleep on my side, helps with neck tension

For me squeezing two soft pillows ~ on top of each other ~ into one pillow case solved the issue.