Velpeau Soft Neck Brace for Neck Pain and Support, Sleep Apnea, Blue M | Cervical Collar for Sleeping in Bed, Snoozing, Sleeping Upright, Anti-Snoring for Women & Men, Comfort Version

I bought this to keep my jaw from dropping during the night and causing apnea events. I was having about 3-5 per hour when I was using tape to keep my mouth shut with a nasal cushion. I get congested at night, so there were times when breathing was difficult. I decided to try a hybrid CPAP mask (full face) with the soft cervical collar instead. As a result my sleep has improved. I'm down to almost zero events per hour (several night it is zero). I'm also leaking a lot less with my cushion. It is comfortable to wear at night and supports my jaw and neck.

VELPEAU has produced a small, well-designed neck brace that has offered complete comfort for me. I'm awaiting a procedure for pain relief yet meantime will depend daily on this amazing brace - just bought a second one to keep in the car! Neck proficiency is required for driving, making turns and this has afforded me complete comfort!!! Thank you, VELPEAU. Carolyn Giger

This is a great brace! I will be getting most of my cervical area fused and while waiting for the surgery, I was going to sleep in this. It's formed in a way that makes sleeping as comfortable as can be with any brace on. It's soft so the edges don't dig into areas of the shoulders to parts of your body. The sizing chart is accurate for me. My neck is 14" which puts me on the cusp of sizes. I went with the larger size as I didn't want to feel strangled and it fit perfectly. The back edges with the attachment strap fit edge to edge which was very comfortable. The cover is very soft and makes the foam not warm. Only 4 stars because the version with the hard attachments comes in two heights - 3" and 3.5". The sleep version is 3.5" tall and is too tall for my neck. The back pushes on my occipital area making me push my head forward and it hurts. 5 stars if this came in two sizes. I recommend highly, however, I don't know if it helps for snoring.

I measured my neck for this neck brace and followed their instructions to order it, to choose the larger size. The Large size I ordered is too wide for my neck. The Medium would have been better, but wouldn't be long enough to go around my neck as the large was about right. I had trouble getting my chin on to the brace. Then I tried sleeping with it on. It kept my head elevated and my mouth closed. However, my snoring got worse, more from the back of my throat vibrating. As soon as I relaxed to go to sleep, I would snore and wake myself up. I had to take it off and it will be returned. The neck brace is well made and sturdy. The fabric is soft. Just be sure that the size will work for you.

Update: After I initially wrote this review in 2018, Velpeau has now introduced more height choices. Now the old Classic version is called the 'Comfort' version, and the old Plus version is now called the 'Enhanced' version. I'm here to try buying the Enhanced version to see if it works as a collar for sleeping when sitting up on a plane or car ride. I use the comfort version every night in bed for reducing sleep apnea and it is perfect for that, but it is not quite stiff enough to use as an airplane pillow, thus I will try the Enhanced. Original review: Be careful, there are several different models of Velpeau neck collars, there are two on this page (the Plus and the Classic) and a different Velpeau model (also blue) sold on a different Amazon page. I bought the blue VP0201 Classic. If you wanted a harder brace (e.g. to prevent movement), I think you would buy the the Plus (brown). The blue VP0201 Classic has medium support, it is cushiony but somewhat firm. I have tried several types of neck collars and some were a lot softer and some much firmer and all have different uses so it is important to know what you are ordering and what you need. I love that there are different circumference sizes to choose from, and you should measure your neck to choose which one will fit. Unfortunately, there are not different heights, I wish Velpeau would offer that. Based on the reviews for this collar and other collars that I looked at, people with the same neck circumference have a great variety of neck heights. Some say the collar is way too high, others say it is too short. If you don't get the proper height collar, it is just not going to work for you at all. I wear this while sleeping to help reduce sleep apnea episodes and it also seems to help reduce acid reflux during sleep. (If I'm having reflux, I have to really tighten up the collar to push on neck.) Even though I wear a full-face CPAP mask, without a cervical neck collar, my mouth opens and I think my tongue position causes apnea episodes. I am not comfortable wearing a chin strap (or taping my mouth as some people do) and this works much better for me. If I forget to wear my collar on a specific night, my CPAP machine statistics shows I have about 4-5 times more apnea or hypopnea episodes. The shape of this collar works a lot better than most cervical collars I've tried since my chin doesn't drop behind it. This collar is very well designed anatomically, the manufacturer simply needs to make more heights available to fit more people.

I had neck fusion surgery 4 years ago, and sleeping has always been an issue as well as driving for more than 45 minutes. I've done PT, which helps to a point, but doesn't help when I sleep because of my head falling to one side or the other, causing pain when I try to straighten out. I finally thought about trying a soft neck brace and this one has been a tremendous help. It keeps my head from falling to either side and supports my neck when I'm on my side.

I thought I was being so smart by using this brace on an overnight flight to Europe to get better support than a neck pillow. Specifically I was interested because my head 'bobs' forward when I sleep and the coverage in the front for the brace is much better than a neck pillow. SO WHAT HAPPENED? It worked fine for the first 3 hours but at some point I slept in a position that put pressure on my carotid artery causing lack of blood flow to my brain. I got nauseous instantly upon waking up. I stood to race to the bathroom and passed out in the aisle of the plane. Fast forward, and they make the dreaded 'is there a doctor on the plane' announcement. After many tests to make sure it wasn't a stroke, heart attack, dehydration, or prescription drug interaction, we did a differential analysis to discover the only thing that changed was the use of the neck brace. I eventually recovered after 30 minutes and had no recurrence of any issues for the rest of the trip. I'm lucky that the lack of blood flow woke me up enough to pass out in the aisle where I was noticed, rather than in my seat with the neck brace still attached. There should be a WARNING on the pillow that the brace should not be used to sleep upright. (or at least a study to confirm if my experience is possible to happen to others.) BTW: never had this issue when sleeping in bed. (this pillow was purchased in 2021 and used for years without issue when sleeping horizontally).

Got one of each type, the soft and the firm, and can tell you both of them are great. The firm one is foam, so it's not uncomfortable, and it does the trick of support when you really need the relief. The soft one is comfortable but also offers support, my mom loves it. The small size is pretty small, so it's for a small person or kid even. It is adjustable with the velcro however so can fit a slightly bigger neck but will leave a gap in the back side.

Not stiff. Dip in front makes it comfortable. Protector sleeve makes it comfortable. Good purchase.

needed to be biger for me

Supportive but uncomfortable

Very good item. Sleeve over the brace is removable, so easy to wash. Sizing easy to adjust if you want (ex) ice pack underneath. I’ve worn it with a soft scarf overtop, so I don’t get questions about why I’m wearing it. I’ve slept with it when my neck is chronically sore. Velcro tab is adjustable, secure and hasn’t come off without me removing it. Great for the airplane with support but I still needed a travel neck pillow as well for positioning.

Well made, but too much height for my neck. Measure before you order. I had to return it.