The Pillow – A Critical Piece to Restful Sleep

Did you forget something?

You have a new bed, a new mattress, perhaps a topper; you are looking forward to a good night’s sleep. Hold on! If you haven’t investigated the importance of your pillow(s), you aren’t ready for that good night’s sleep yet.

Often overlooked in the buying process, a pillow supports your head and neck, and that support will impact your entire body. The best mattress in the world won’t alleviate morning soreness, if your pillow is not doing its job. It’s hard to know which type of pillow you need, but you can make a better choice if you understand a bit about each type.

Smart pillow choices

1. The Natural-Fill Pillows :Now offer a much broader choice of pillows. These use to be filled with feathers, down or a combination of the two. Newer more modern versions of the Natural Fill Pillows are kapok, wool, and shredded natural rubber. The stand out benefits of these various pillows is that it they conform to your head and neck and thus keep your body contour in a good position. Another benefit is many of these are adjustable meaning you can unzip the outer cleanable casing and remove whatever amount of filling for ideal comfort and adjust for the support you desire. Most of these pillows are excellent for people with allergies even some down and feather versions so read packaging for specific details.
2. Memory Foam: Just like this type of mattress, the pillow also conforms to the head and neck and provides additional support as well. They are offered in a variety of firmness’s to accommodate nearly every comfort and support need you have.  They can be  an excellent choice for some people with allergies. One word of caution – you should not wash and dry memory foam pillows only the removable casing if the casing is washable. Read the individual instructions.

1. Synthetic Pillows: These are usually filled with polyester and, as such, are cheap; however, they certainly are not as durable as the first two, and you will be replacing your pillows often. Also, these pillows do not conform to the head and neck as well.
2. Foam Pillows: These are not a great option for sleeping, and like many of the synthetic pillows usually are used for the stuffing of decorative pillows. Most polyurethane foam pillows are neither durable nor supportive.

More Pillow Choosing Tips:

Firmness of the pillow is also a consideration and is specifically important relative to sleep positions. For those who sleep on their backs or sides, a firmer pillow is preferable. For stomach sleepers, however, a softer pillow is recommended, so that the head and neck are not placed in an unnatural position during sleep. (Article: Best Pillow For Back Sleepers)  (Article: Best Pillow For Side Sleepers)

Another consideration, especially for side sleepers is support that will keep a body contour correctly. For this reason, it may be wise to invest in either an additional pillow or a long pillow, either of which can be placed between the knees. This will keep the spine in the appropriate position throughout sleep and will certainly reduce back stiffness or soreness when first getting up. And the older one gets, the longer it takes to recover from such soreness!

Whatever pillow you determine to be the best for you, understand that you should replace pillows at least every 4-5 years. As well, they should be regularly cleaned, either by washing or dry cleaning. All but memory foam pillows can be placed in washers and dryers, but cheaper pillows tend to lose shape and smoothness of filler. Memory foam pillows must be dry cleaned. Just as with your mattress, dead skin cells and dust mites will accumulate, and a good reminder is to clean your pillows with every seasonal change.