When you are trying to achieve a comfortable and pain-free sleep we tend to focus on the mattress. Rightfully so as that makes up 75% of your sleep surface, but that doesn’t mean we should discount the other 25% – your pillow.
In the photo I’ve demonstrated on a Queen Sized bed that your pillow is truly 25% of the sleep surface, and when you are laying on the bed the pillow actually supports 20% of your spine as well. Sleeping with a pillow that doesn’t fit your body could be causing you aches, pains, and costing you valuable recuperative sleep.
Pillow Basics
Pillows come in many varieties including Down/Feather, Memory Foam, Latex, Gel, Fiber-fill, and combinations of the above. Plus there are even specialty pillows such as Buckwheat and other creative options. We shouldn’t worry too much about what is in the pillow (unless you have allergies to something) but worry more about the loft (height), density, shape, and I’ll call the last category general comfort.
Loft. The height of your pillow is probably the first factor we should look at. If you are a side-sleeper and have very broad shoulders a high loft pillow might be the ticket. However if you are very petite a high-loft pillow might cause your neck to bend in an uncomfortable angle. Typically side-sleepers need a higher-loft pillow than a back sleeper. Another factor to determine loft besides the distance from your head-to-shoulder would be the type of bed you are sleeping on. If you are sleeping on a soft, memory foam bed your shoulder might go into the bed several inches, thus shortening the loft needed.
Density is a much more subjective thing when it comes to pillows. Some like pillows very hard and rigid, some like them squishy and malleable. The main thing is to pick one that once positioned, scrunched, whatever… helps you to maintain proper spinal alignment.
<—- a pillow designed for side sleepersShape. At one time all pillows were rectangles, however many pillow manufacturers are now making pillows to be more ergonomic; designed to fit your body. There are pillows for side-sleepers that have cutouts for your shoulder, neck-pillows for a back sleeper that contour under your head to support your neck, and others.
General Comfort. This is the “wildcard” portion of pillow selection, meaning “whatever works for you”. We can measure, advise, and recommend all we want but at the end of the day the pillow that helps you sleep better is the right pillow.
-Pete