Your Complete Guide To Selecting The Right Pillow

There are many factors involved in getting a good night’s rest. The mattress you use, the ambience of your bedroom, avoiding LED lighting an hour before going to bed. More often than not, the pillow is overlooked and is one of the most vital and significant factors to ensure your slumber is effective and you wake up feeling revived without a sore neck.

If you have started your research on which new pillow to buy you have probably discovered the rabbit hole of possibilities. Below we explore the different aspects of pillows, why it is important to choose the right pillow and the affects selecting the right pillow can have on your body.

Why is important to choose the right pillow?

Choosing the right pillow for you can be a daunting task. But knowing the benefits of selecting the right pillow will give you peace of mind, an excellent night’s sleep, and make all the effort of researching worth the while.

There are many factors to consider when choosing the right pillow, and a lot of it comes down to whether you sleep on your side, back, or stomach. These specifics will be discussed further down. For the moment, let's focus on the quality of your sleep. Essentially, the goal here is to select a pillow that will match your body and preference type while also providing comfort and support as a result of a neutral spine alignment. Your sleep quality will improve when your spine is properly aligned and your head is supported in the optimal position.

Let’s just say you’re a back sleeper and you have a high and firm pillow; you will find that your neck will crook forward which will result in a stiff neck and find yourself tossing and turning throughout the night resulting in an interrupted sleep. The National Sleep Foundation defines sleep quality as “…. the measurement of how well you’re sleeping – in other words, whether your sleep is restful and restorative.” In addition to this, when your body is in alignment there is also less pressure on your joints and muscles allowing you to relax and not be in a state of tension resulting in a comfortable sleep.

What are the different aspects of a pillow?

1. Loft

Loft refers to the height of the pillow. These range from low, medium and high. These all have benefits to specific sleep profiles. Although sometimes a memory foam pillow can be suitable for all sleep profiles.

2. Firmness

Firmness refers to the softness or bounce back of the pillow. These range from soft, medium and firm.

3. Conform to pressure

There are materials designed to tightly conform to pressure. The purpose of this is to cradle the head while keeping your head in an aligned position with the neck. Pillows with a bit more loft to them, like medium pillows, are ideal as they will provide extra cushioning without elevating or craning your neck too high.

4. Adjustable fills

Perfect for someone who switches up their sleeping position. You can adjust the fill in your pillow to suit your sleeping position.

5. Pillow materials

Pillow materials are available in a range of materials are some are better suited to certain sleep profiles.  

Understanding Your Sleep Profile & Position

Back Sleepers

Medium loft and medium firmness – this is all about finding the happy medium – literally. A back sleeper benefits from a medium loft and medium firmness as it will relieve pressure in your neck and shoulders while also providing a defense between you and the mattress. You gain enough support to cradle your head while also keeping your spine aligned. If the pillow is too high your head will crane forward and too low you will end up being flat on your mattress. Many back sleepers end up tilting their head to the side which means some extra cushioning helps your temples.

Side Sleepers

High loft and Firm support – Did you know that the most prevalent sleeping position in the world is side sleeper? a taller pillow profile will ensure you get the support you need to relieve pressure from your shoulder. If you have broad shoulders a pillow that is fluffy and shapeable would be beneficial as they can be easily shaped and allow for an arm to reach under the pillow for a comfy embrace.

Stomach Sleepers

Low loft and soft support – 2 inches or shorter is just enough to provide a buffer between you and the mattress. Practitioners will suggest avoiding sleeping on your stomach as this position results in an arch in your back resulting in lower back pain. If the pillow is too high this will not only create an extra curve in your spine but also crane your neck up leading to neck pain.

What does all this mean?

Getting the foundations right in selecting the pillow for your posture, sleeping position and gaining a neutral alignment, will all ensure you get the restful sleep you’ve been looking for. We understand there is an endless supply of lofts, firmness, and materials to consider. That’s why we’re here to help. We hope by reading this article we have been able to answer some of your pressing questions. If you need more guidance in your pillow shopping you can contact our friendly team instore or online.

Ready for a good night's sleep? Shop our full pillow collection today.

References

National Sleep Foundation, www.thensf.org, 28 Oct 2020