Pillows Overview

Depending on how much you sleep, you spend between 1/4 and 1/3 of your life in bed. In other words, a person who lives to be eighty spends between twenty and thirty years with their head on a pillow. It makes sense then to have a pillow that keeps you comfortable. A good night’s sleep, after all, has a great impact on your energy and effectiveness during the day, and as Dan Schecter of the Carpenter Company says, “A quality pillow can be the single most important investment you make in a good night’s sleep.”

 

Choosing a pillow can be a very simple or a very complex task. Pillows are available scores of retail stores, and a basic pillow might cost you only ten dollars. On the other hand, specialty pillows that have specific designs sell for up to several hundred dollars.

 

The most basic pillow decision, however, is determining what size you want. A standard pillow is designed for a twin-sized bed. Two standard pillows fit a queen bed, and three pillows fit a king. The opposite of a standard pillow is a king pillow, but contrary to what you might expect, it takes two king pillows to fit a king-size bed. Standards and kings are the most common pillow sizes, but you can also find queen pillows as well as euro (square) and travel pillows.

 

After choosing the size of your pillow, consider the filling of your pillow. Synthetic foam is the most economical filling, but it does not last as long as down. Many people, however, prefer the especially soft feel of down or feather pillows, and these fillings last longer than foam, but they are more expensive. 

 

While many people can sleep with any size pillow or with any pillow filling, they draw the line at pillow firmness. When purchasing a pillow, consider your ideal pillow firmness, which, in most cases, is related to your sleeping position. Side sleepers should use a firm pillow while stomach sleepers should sleep on a soft and flat pillow, and back sleepers should have medium firmness.

 

Finally, you may run across a few non-traditional pillows. Contour pillows, for example, have extra filling in the neck area. If you suffer from neck pain, a contour pillow could help by supporting both your head and your neck. Orthopedic pillows, cervical pillows, and neck pillows all employ this same idea. If you have back pain, try using a knee pillow while you sleep. Placing a knee pillow between your knees helps keep your spine aligned. If you are considering a full body pillow, keep in mind that you can twist your spine by sleeping on your side and throwing your leg over one of these pillows. With that exception, body pillows can increase your sleeping comfort by supporting your entire body rather than only your head. A final alternative pillow is a memory foam pillow. Memory foam (which also appears in mattresses) “remembers” your head and conforms the pillow’s shape to match your head.