Choosing a Pillow

HOME · GLOBAL

Choosing a Pillow

Loft by sleeping position, fillings, when to replace and neck pain

A pillow does one job — keeping your head in line with your spine — and the right one depends almost entirely on how you sleep. That is why recommendations from other people are so unreliable.

Loft by sleeping position

Side sleepers need the most height, to fill the gap between the shoulder and the head. Back sleepers need medium height supporting the natural curve of the neck. Front sleepers need very little, or none at all.

Have someone look at you from behind while you lie down. The head should be level, neither tipped up nor dropping towards the mattress.

Fillings

Memory foam moulds and holds a shape, supports consistently and retains heat. Latex is responsive, cooler and more durable. Down and feather are soft, adjustable and need frequent plumping.

Polyester is inexpensive and flattens within a year. Shredded fillings can be adjusted by removing some, which is the most practical way to fine-tune height.

Sleeping hot

Solid memory foam is the warmest option. Gel-infused, ventilated and open-cell foams help, and latex and natural fillings run cooler.

Neck pain

Waking with neck pain or a headache frequently means the pillow is the wrong height rather than the wrong type. Try adjusting height before changing anything else.

Persistent neck pain, or pain with numbness, tingling or weakness in the arms, needs a doctor rather than a different pillow.

When to replace

Most pillows last one to three years. Fold it in half — if it stays folded rather than springing back, it is finished.

Specialist pillows

Contoured and cervical pillows suit some people and feel wrong to others, and there is no strong evidence that one shape suits everybody. Buy from somewhere with a returns policy.

Pregnancy and body pillows support the hips and bump for side sleeping, which is the position recommended in later pregnancy.

Travel

A hotel pillow is a lottery. Many regular travellers carry their own pillowcase, which costs nothing in luggage and makes an unfamiliar bed feel considerably more familiar.

Children and babies

Babies under twelve months should sleep flat on a firm mattress with no pillow at all, which is what safe sleep guidance specifies, because of the suffocation risk. Toddlers generally move to a thin pillow around eighteen months to two years.

Hygiene

Pillows accumulate skin cells, moisture and dust mites. Use a protector, wash it weekly with bedding, and wash or replace the pillow itself as the label allows.

For dust mite allergy, barrier covers and weekly washing at sixty degrees have reasonable evidence behind them.

WHERE TO BUY

Ready to shop Memory Foam Warehouse? Use the link below to visit the official store.

→ Shop Memory Foam Warehouse — official site

Visit this site