Pillows are pillows, right? Well, for anyone who’s slept in a different bed with a different pillow, the response to that statement is a resounding NO!
And if you’ve ever stood in the pillow section of a department store and scratched your head in confusion over the huge range of choices, it’s very clear that while a pillow may be somewhere to lay your head at night, they’re definitely not all the same!
So let’s take a look at some of the things you need to consider when choosing the perfect pillow.
Position
Ever woken up in the morning with a crick in the neck? Chances are your pillow was the wrong height for the position you slept in.
During sleep it’s important that your head is supported, and your neck is in alignment with your spine. Think about it – when you’re on your back your neck is in a completely different position to when you’re on your stomach, so you need a pillow that suits your sleep position.
As a general rule of thumb, stomach sleepers need a thin pillow, back sleepers a medium pillow, and side sleepers a thick one.
Filling
This is where it gets really fun – so many different types of filling, there’s something to suit basically everyone’s needs and tastes!
At the most basic level, you will need to start by choosing synthetic or natural for the fill in your pillow. Let’s look at 3 of the most common fill types.
Lots of people love feather and down pillows because they’re natural and fluffy. However unless they’ve been properly treated, they can cause allergy issues.
Memory foam pillows have gained in popularity in recent years, and being hypoallergenic are great for allergy or asthma sufferers. They mould to your shape, which is great in many instances but may be an issue if you’re a restless sleeper who changes position a lot.
Polyester is generally the cheap and cheerful end of the pillow market. There’s still a good range of options to choose from, but as they tend to flatten fairly quickly, they’re often better used by tummy sleepers.
While sleeping position and fill are two of the main factors in choosing a pillow, there’s other things to think about – but I’ll save those for another day!