Good night sleep is the key to a good day. Hence, it’s essential to keep a proper sleeping posture to sleep soundly and comfortably. What is the right sleeping posture you wonder? It’s a body alignment with the spine maintained in anatomical position from the head and neck through the shoulders and chest to your back. Many people think that a quality mattress is enough and don’t pay that much attention to the pillow. Yet, a good pillow is of great importance, too. It is the pillow that supports your neck and shoulders and if they are propped up incorrectly, it might lead to strong discomfort, strain, muscle stiffness, and even insomnia. So, the right pillow really matters and can significantly improve the quality of your sleep. Where to start from to find your perfect pillow? There are several core factors to consider before you pick a pillow and hopefully, our tips will help you with that.
The right pillow can change the way you sleep, however, first, it’s worth taking some time and find out what is your preferred sleeping position. Throughout the night, all of us change sleeping positions several times, yet, surely you know which one is the most comfortable for you to fall asleep. If not, spend several days taking notice in which position you usually wake up in the morning - this way you’ll find out what your favorite sleeping position is. Some people like to sleep on their back while others spend more time sleeping on one side or on their stomach. So, in order to choose the right pillow, it might be helpful to consider these basic guidelines tailored to suit the needs of different types of sleepers.
- Side sleepers are recommended to have a thicker and firmer pillow for added neck support. To keep your spine aligned, the pillow should be as thick as the distance between your ear and shoulder.
- If you are the one who likes to sleep on their back, your perfect pillow is medium thick and moderately soft. To get some extra support for the neck, a pillow that is a bit thicker and firmer at the bottom will also work.
- Stomach sleepers definitely need a flat and soft pillow to let their neck stay in line with the spine. In fact, stomach sleepers can do without a pillow at all.
- There are also some people who find many positions comfortable to sleep in, and during the night they can sleep some time on their back occasionally shifting to one side or turning over on their tummy. If you are a mixed sleeper, you’d better choose a medium thick and pretty soft pillow to easily customize it to different sleeping positions.
Your sleeping style is only one of the factors to be regarded when selecting a proper pillow. There is also a number of other aspects, special needs, and some health conditions that greatly impact your sleeping comfort and should not be neglected.
- If you have asthma or suffer from some kind of allergy (not necessarily the allergy to down or feather), it’s better to refrain from getting a pillow stuffed with natural goose or duck down and stick to the one filled with hypoallergenic synthetic fibers.
- Those who have such sleeping problems as snoring and apnea know firsthand that finding the right pillow is not an easy task. If it sounds like you, choose from specialty pillows designed to reduce and relieve snoring and apnea symptoms and help you sleep better. Normally, these are contoured, curved or adjustable pillows that provide added support to your head and neck to clear your airways.
- Acute or chronic neck and back pains due to some traumas, injuries, or specific health conditions are often the reason for sleeping discomfort. Yet, there are specific orthopedic pillows created to alleviate neck and back strain during sleep and maintain your body in a proper position. Check that when selecting a pillow.
- The type of mattress you have should be taken into consideration as well since the mattress and pillow work together to help create a restful and relaxing sleeping environment for you. This way, if your mattress is firm and supportive, go for a softer pillow, and if your mattress is pretty soft, choose a pillow that feels firm. By combining your bed items this way, you'll be able to create an optimally straight position for your head and neck while preventing unnecessary curves and angles.
Despite being a common bedding item, you won't find a one-size-and-shape-fits-all pillow. There's a whole variety of pillow models available, that vary in shape, size, filling type, cover fabric and softness, plus in addition to regular pillows you have body pillows and travel pillows as well.
- In general, there are three types of pillow fillers to choose from. Natural fillers are feathers, down, cotton, and wool. Down and feather pillows are light, soft, and easy-to-adjust. Yet, they are not the best option for allergic individuals. Wool and cotton pillows are naturally hypoallergenic, resistant to mites and mold, and are normally pretty flat and firm. Besides, wool is a good choice for colder seasons when some extra warmth is needed. Fiber fillers include synthetic down and polyester. They are elastic and affordable, yet, are not long-lasting and are prone to lumping. Finally, special fillers refer to latex and memory foam that became extremely popular during recent years. Not only do they perfectly hold their shape and provide a due head and neck support following your body contours but also they are wear-resistant and boast longer service life.
- A pillow shape and size are predominantly a matter of personal comfort and preference. You can go with a smaller or larger pillow or choose a contoured one, the key point is that it should maintain correct sleep posture and keep your head, neck, and shoulders anatomically aligned with your spine.
- When it comes to a cover fabric, choose natural and breathable materials that will keep away excess heat and moisture.
- As we’ve already mentioned, the softness of your pillow depends on your preferred sleeping position. Again, your body should stay aligned during sleep. Avoid your head drowning in a too soft pillow or being propped at an angle that can cause unwanted muscle strain.
With all that in mind, we feel that a luxury bamboo pillow with memory foam from Snuggle Pedic can be the perfect choice for everyone.
In Snuggle Pedic, they know pretty much everything about a sound and healthy sleep. It’s a reputed bedding brand highly ranked for the top quality and long service life of its products. The manufacturer has designed a whole line of mattresses, mattress toppers, and pillows to provide just the right support to your body and deliver the maximum level of comfort during sleep. An adjustable bamboo pillow from Snuggle Pedic is the brand’s top seller that stacks up against competitors in many ways. See for yourself.
This model is built around the concept of customizable comfort for all sorts of sleepers. It means you’ll have a chance to adjust the pillow softness and thickness to your individual needs by simply varying the amount of filler in your pillow. The pillow comes tightly stuffed with shredded memory foam and you can take out some pieces to find your desired comfort. Memory foam is by far the best pillow material known for its dust mite resistance, hypoallergenic qualities, and excellent orthopedic support. Light and fluffy, yet, resilient and durable, it will adjust to your body shape and promote correct posture in any sleeping position. Hence, no matter if you are a back, side or stomach sleeper, it will fit you just right. And the model is available in three sizes (Standard, Queen, and King) to perfectly match your mattress.
Another indisputable merit of the Snuggle Pedic pillow is two covers it comes encased in. The outside cover is made from bamboo viscose, polyester, and lycra and has a soft textured pattern for extra comfort. Besides, it has a special Kool-Flow® fabric lining to keep the pillow duly ventilated and prevent you from sleeping hot that often happens with memory foam pillows. Meanwhile, a thin inner cover is meant to neatly keep memory foam shreds inside.
Created with the maximum user comfort in mind, the Snuggle Pedic also cares for your health and the health of the environment. The memory foam filler meets the highest quality and safety standards set out for this material. They use Biogreen and CertiPur-US certified foam tested under UL laboratories strict GreenGuard protocols. As a result, the foam is extremely low in VOC and has only a mild chemical smell characteristic of memory foam, yet, it is much milder than most of other new memory foam products. And the smell will quickly fade away after several days of use. What’s more, the memory foam is extra dense and ideally holds its shape, so, the pillow will serve you for years to come.
At the same time, being 100% sure about the pillow quality, Snuggle Pedic not only gives a 20-year warranty on its product but also provides a 120-night trial period, which means you can return the pillow and get a full refund in case you are not satisfied with your purchase due to some reason.
To sum it all up, if you want a pillow to orthopedically conform to your body contours and adjust to your individual sleeping needs, you can’t go wrong with the Snuggle Pedic bamboo pillow.
No matter how good your pillow is, you cannot use it forever and it needs replacement from time to time. How to know that your pillow has seen its best days and you need to find a new place to rest your head? First off, the recommendation of the National Sleep Foundation is to replace your pillow every 18 months or so. Yet, that’s an average term. Usually, natural pillows last longer than synthetic ones and a memory foam pillow can be used up to 3 years. Besides, you can do a very simple test. If you fold your pillow and it doesn’t spring back flat, that’s the first sign your head and neck don’t get the necessary support. That’s not to say about unpleasant smells, stains, and tear marks.
All in all, to choose the right pillow that will become your comfy sleeping companion for many restful nights, thoroughly analyze your sleeping habits and special needs first, and never hesitate to try the pillow out if you have a chance to.