How to find the right pillow

Getting a good night’s sleep depends on how a lot of variables line up. In addition to having a good mattress and comfortable sheets, things like climate control, lighting and mental distractions all play a role in the quality of your rest.

There are many factors that come into play for a good night’s sleep: your mattress, temperature, distracting noises, and light (or lack thereof). But have you ever considered your pillow a significant player?Having the right mattress is a great start to sleeping better, but if your pillow is terrible, you may still be tossing and turning trying to get comfortable.

Choosing the right pillow can make a significant difference in how well you sleep and how likely you are to wake up free of any aches and pains. The purpose of a pillow is to support your head, neck, and shoulders so that they stay comfortably aligned with your spine.Extensive research has shown that different pillow types and materials offer a range of support and comfort, depending on an individual’s sleep needs. We discuss what factors to consider when choosing a pillow and how to test a pillow to know if it’s right for you.

How Do I Pick The Perfect Pillow?

Okay, let’s start from square one. At the end of the day, your pillow’s most important job is to support you in your go-to sleeping position, all night long. And when I say, “support,” I don’t just mean that it feels soft and cozy. The right pillow should keep your head, neck, and spine, all in neutral alignment, and support the natural curvature of your spine. Keeping a neutral spine not only alleviates neck pain, it also relieves pressure throughout your entire body.

Now, here’s the tricky part: each sleeping position requires a different type of pillow in order to maintain healthy posture. But before I tell you exactly what each style of sleeper should look for, don’t forget about the fun part of pillow shopping! Once you’ve covered your body’s needs, and you’ve found a pillow that supports a neutral spine, you can dive into all the little details that satisfy your wants. There are, after all, hundreds of pillows out there, so you might as well find the one that’s perfectly suited to you.

You see, your sleeping position is just one reflection of your slumber habits, and there’s a lot more to consider when you’re on the hunt for your perfect pillow. For example, hot sleepers, memory foam fans, eco-friendly folks, and latex lovers are all likely to want specific types of pillows in order to accommodate their personal preferences. Remember: your pillow should always support a healthy posture, but it should also be compatible with your whole self.

How to Choose a Pillow: Everything You Need to Know

There are many factors that come into play for a good night’s sleep: your mattress, temperature, distracting noises, and light (or lack thereof). But have you ever considered your pillow a significant player?

Having the right mattress is a great start to sleeping better, but if your pillow is terrible, you may still be tossing and turning trying to get comfortable.

Why Does the Right Pillow Matter?

Finding the right pillow can greatly improve your quality of sleep because it helps your sleeping posture. Do you ever wake up in the morning and say, “I must have slept funny,” as you try to massage out the kink in your neck? We’ve been there, too. A good sleeping posture helps you sleep better and wake up without those aches and pains.

The right pillow will help keep your spine stay in alignment while you sleep (a.k.a. help with your sleeping posture), regardless of your preferred sleeping position. With a pillow that supports healthy posture, your neck, shoulders, back and hips will get the support they need so you wake up pain-free.

While the pillow you choose is largely based on your personal preference, finding the right pillow also depends on the sleeping position you prefer. Are you a back sleeper, side sleeper, or stomach sleeper? This will determine the amount of support you need from your pillow.

Best Pillows for Back Sleepers

For back sleepers, your pillow should support your neck and head, but not so much that your neck is propped up at an unnatural angle. Remember, you want your spine and neck to stay aligned while you sleep, so back sleepers probably want a medium-thick pillow—something that’s not too full, but not too flat.

Side Sleeper Pillow Options

If you’re a side sleeper, your pillow should support your head in a neutral position, keeping it aligned with your spine. Because your shoulder takes most of the pressure when you sleep on your side, you may want a fuller, firmer pillow to give your neck the support it needs and take some of the weight off your shoulder.

Pillow Styles for Stomach Sleepers

Stomach sleeping can cause neck, back, and joint pain and is often considered the most stressful sleeping position. Many experts recommend training yourself to gradually change to another position to ensure a better night’s sleep. We know that you can’t change your sleeping habits overnight, so if you do sleep on your stomach, you’ll want a pillow that’s softer and a little less full. This will help keep your spine as neutral as possible.

Why Is the Right Pillow Important?

A pillow is designed to support the head, neck, and shoulders so that the spine can stay aligned during sleep. The position of your spine influences your posture, an important part of overall health. Sleeping on a pillow that doesn’t provide adequate support can lead to a variety of problems, including neck pain and poor sleep quality.

The right pillow can help you get a better night’s sleep. The quality of your sleep can impact almost all aspects of your health, from helping your immune system to improving your mood. Bedding, especially your pillow, is a key element in creating an ideal sleeping environment that can help your body maintain good posture and ensure consistently good sleep.

What Is the Best Pillow Based on Sleeping Position?

When you choose a pillow, you should consider your sleeping position. Whether you sleep on your back, side, or stomach will affect the position of your spine and how much support your head and neck will need while you rest. You can select or adjust a pillow’s size, height, and firmness to accommodate the position you usually sleep in.

Back Sleeper

If you are a back sleeper, it is important to find a pillow that will support the natural curve of your neck. One option is a cervical pillow that is higher in the bottom third and slopes down in the center where your head lies. A standard pillow that is medium to thin in height may also offer enough support for your head without changing the angle of your neck.

Back sleepers also need a pillow with a medium firmness that allows the head to be aligned with the spine. It also prevents the pillow from becoming too flat while you sleep. Consider a memory foam pillow as this type will shape itself around your head and neck.

Side Sleeper

Most people are side sleepers, sleeping in a fetal position or straight on their side. Side sleepers require a larger amount of support from their pillow, both in height and level of firmness.

It is recommended that side sleepers use a pillow that offers about 4 to 6 inches of height, which can help keep the nose aligned with the sternum, filling the space between the ear and the outer shoulder. This position prevents neck strain and helps you maintain a proper posture during sleep. Body pillows may also be a good option for side sleepers, as they can support the pelvis and hips.

Selecting a moderate to heavy firmness can also be beneficial for side sleepers. Fill materials like buckwheat hulls, memory foam, and latex tend to be firmer, while down pillows are usually softer unless densely packed.

Stomach Sleeper

People who sleep on their stomach may need to consider what parts of their body need support in order to maintain good spinal alignment while they sleep. A stomach sleeping position can put stress on the spine or the muscles of the back and shoulders. In some cases, experts advise people with back pain against sleeping on their stomach.

But if you feel most comfortable sleeping on your stomach, a pillow that is softer with a lower height may work best for you. Down and feather fill tends to be less firm than other materials and may be compressed to a comfortable height.

If you sleep half on your stomach and half on your side, or if you sleep with your arms under your torso, you may want to try a body pillow for extra support. Positioning yourself around a body pillow may give you a similar feeling to sleeping on your stomach, but allows you to arrange your head and neck so that they can comfortably align with your shoulders and hips.

Other Elements in Pillow Choice

Design elements like shape, size, and material contribute to how much or how little support a pillow can offer. Depending on the position you usually sleep in, you may want to think about how each of these factors will affect your posture and overall comfort.

The goal is to find a pillow that offers the right amount of support and helps keep your body at a comfortable temperature so that you can wake up feeling well rested.

Pillow Shape

The typical pillow is shaped like a rectangle and comes in several sizes that correlate with the width of twin, queen, or king size mattresses. Other common shapes include cervical or neck pillows that have rounded corners contoured to fit the head and neck and longer body pillows that can provide support from the head down past the hips.

Pillow Size

Pillow size refers to how much space the pillow takes up when it is flat on the bed, while loft refers to how high or thick the pillow is. Pillow loft has a direct effect on how much support is provided to the head and neck and is an important factor when trying to prevent or relieve neck or back pain.

Pillow Fill

Material selection may be one of the most important factors to consider when choosing a pillow. The type of material a pillow is filled with will determine its loft and firmness, which is useful to know when deciding how much support your neck and shoulders may need.

Different materials can influence how well the body regulates temperature during sleep. A lower body temperature tends to correlate with better quality sleep. Pillows made of fill materials and pillowcases that are breathable can lower a sleeper’s body temperature and reduce the likelihood of sweating during sleep.

People who have allergies or who are sensitive to certain materials should also pay special attention to what is in their pillows. Pillow protectors can also be purchased to help minimize contact with potential allergens like dust mites.

Pillows can be filled with a wide variety of materials. Some are more commonly available than others.

• Down: Down fill comes from the undercoat of a duck or goose. Down is an extremely soft material that can quickly flatten. So while it may offer a low loft profile for those that don’t need very much support, a down pillow may need to be frequently fluffed up to feel comfortable.
• Feathers: Feathers also come from birds but are the outer covering of a bird rather than the undercoat. They are flatter than down and include the quill. Feather pillows are firmer than down pillows, and may hold less heat.
• Memory foam: Memory foam pillows can be constructed with a solid piece of foam or with bits of memory foam inside the pillow. It can be designed to cradle the head or shift to accommodate a person’s movement while they sleep. Memory foam can be denser and less breathable than other materials, which may make it harder to stay cool.
• Polyester: Polyester pillow fill looks similar to cotton. It’s the most common type of pillow fill, and it’s also the least expensive. However, dust mites like to live in synthetic pillow fills such as polyester, so people who have certain allergies may want to avoid this material.
• Latex: Latex can be synthetic or a natural material created from tree sap. Like memory foam, it may come as a solid piece or cut into many small pieces. Latex can be heavier and firmer, and it quickly returns back to its original shape after you press it.
• Buckwheat: Buckwheat pillow fill is made of dry seeds. This filler tends to be very firm and can shape itself around the head and neck. Buckwheat also tends to be better for maintaining a cool body temperature.

When to replace your pillow

Experts at the National Sleep Foundation recommend replacing your pillow every 18 months or so. Pillows can be packed with mold, dead skin cells and dust mites.

Totally grossed out? Try adding a pillow protector to extend the healthy life of your pillow. To determine if it’s really time to get a new pillow, test it by folding it in half and seeing if it springs back to flat. If it doesn’t, it’s time to find a new place to rest your head.

While there are dozens of factors affecting how well you sleep, having a pillow that supports your preferences and sleep style goes a long way. With the right pillow and maybe even a smart display to sense your sleep, you’ll be off to dreamland in no time.

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