Best Pillows

Types of pillows for sleeping positions

The way you lay, scrunch or scrawl your body when you go to sleep is an important consideration when selecting a pillow.

The point of a pillow is to keep your spine in alignment as you sleep - called a neutral position. This keeps your neck and back - as well as your head - properly supported, which minimises strain and relieves pressure.

Choosing the wrong type of pillow for the way you sleep can throw off the neutral position of your spine, leading to pain and poor posture in the morning.

Stomach sleepers

Sleeping on your stomach puts a lot of distance between your back and the mattress.This gap causes the shoulders and back to slump, throwing off the neutral position that supports your spine.

The aim here is to reduce the distance between your shoulders and spine and the mattress - using a good pillow. Choose a soft pillow that's also flat, or low-profile. This will prevent your head and neck from becoming too elevated and misaligned with the spine. Sometimes also propping a pillow under your shoulders can add some extra support. Sleeping with no pillow can also keep the spine in alignment.

Side sleepers

If you sleep on your side, you need a pillow that allows you to keep your ears in line with your shoulders. For this, your neck should be on the pillow, and be properly supported.

For most side sleepers, choosing a firm pillow with a medium profile (height) will be a safe choice. The firmness allows your neck to remain supported, while the medium profile stops the neck from arching upwards (for a pillow that’s too high) or downwards (for a low pillow).

Choosing the right profile - which influences the pillow’s loft or elevation - also helps side sleepers from tucking their chin towards the chest, a habit that can cause neck pain.

Sleepers with larger frames may find that they prefer a side sleeper pillow that has a higher profile.

Back sleepers

This is the sleeping position that best encourages a neutral spine position. It can keep a healthy curve in the spine, and evenly distribute weight across the body. However, having a pillow that’s the wrong height can still leave you waking up with a sore neck.

With back sleeping, your head and neck should be kept on the same level. This keeps a natural distance and curve between the neck, and your shoulders on the mattress.

A medium profile pillow that has a medium thickness is likely to do a good job. It will prevent an unnatural or exaggerated angle caused by a pillow that’s too high or too low.

Combination sleepers

If you find yourself dabbling in these different sleeping positions all throughout the night, you’re likely to be a combination sleeper.

If this is you, you have the option of buying a pillow that suits the sleeping style you’re in the most. Alternatively, here are some tips to help you find a pillow that’s going to be able to adjust with your movements throughout the night.

• A soft to medium comfort level can encourage movement. In comparison, a firm pillow (especially one made from high-density memory foam) can make you feel locked into a sleeping position. You won’t feel like you can freely move around.
• Two sides to every pillow. Some pillows have a firm side and a softer side, which you can flip over depending on what feels more comfortable for your sleeping position.
• A contour pillow has two heights across the pillow length. One part is slightly more elevated than the other. You can turn it upside down, and right-side up again, throughout the night depending on your shifting position.
• Adjustable pillows are designed with an adjustable loft. You can add or remove filling - such as shredded memory foam or buckwheat hulls - until you reach your desired amount of filling.
• Multiple materials rather than just one, may be naturally more adaptable when you move around at night.

Types of pillow materials

Polyester

Once the stock standard pillow filling, polyester is a synthetic material that has some benefits, but limited longevity compared to other pillow material types.

Foam

This usually refers to polyurethane foam or PU foam. This is generally the most inexpensive pillow to make.

Memory foam

Also known as visco-elastic foam, memory foam is hugely popular when it comes to pillows.

Latex

Pillows made from latex are another popular choice today. There is natural and synthetic latex. Natural latex is derived from the sap of the rubber tree, whereas the synthetic option is man-made.

Feather pillows

Most feather pillows are made from a combination of feathers and down (both of these soft materials are taken from ducks and geese).

Bamboo pillows

This refers to pillows that use bamboo fibres weaved into the pillow cover, rather than inside the actual fill material. (This is also the case for cotton pillows, which refers to an independent filling that uses a cotton pillowcase).

Pillows with bamboo covers are usually filled with memory foam or shredded memory foam.

Pillows for pain relief

If you experience neck, shoulder and back pain during the night or the morning after, a dodgy pillow might be playing a contributing factor in your chronic pain.

To help avoid pain, both your head and neck should be securely positioned on the pillow before you drift to sleep. If they're not, you're starting off your night misaligned, and it's likely to only get worse.

In terms of materials, generally memory foam, latex and water pouch pillows can be effective at relieving pain. They mould to your body and provide a high level of support. They can also take some pressure off joints. Contoured pillows are often also designed specifically as pillows for soothing neck pain.

Everyone is different, so the right pillow for one person who experiences neck pain may continue to cause pain for someone else. Finding your pain-free pillow match does involve some experimentation, which can be expensive.

Look for pillows that have an ‘obligation fee’ style trial period, which allows you to try out the pillow for a set period and be able to return the pillow before that date if it doesn’t work out or still causes you pain.

Allergy friendly pillows

Allergies in the bedroom stem from a number of sources, the main culprits being dust, dust mites and dust mite faeces (gross!) Other allergy triggers include pollen, pet dander, mould and chemicals. The presence of any of these can kick your sinus and asthma symptoms into gear.

Sourcing an allergy-friendly or ‘hypoallergenic’ pillow can go some way in keeping irritants at bay.

Allergy friendly pillows include those made from natural latex, cotton and bamboo. These natural materials all create an inhospitable environment for allergens and discourage their growth.

Tightly woven microfibre, although a synthetic pillow material, also demonstrates resistance to dust and pet dander.

If you’d prefer to keep your current pillow, you can opt for a dust mite resistant casing instead. You zip this casing over your pillow, and can buy matching ones for other bedding like your mattress.

Regularly washing your pillowcase is also an important step when it comes to keeping away allergens.

Hot sleepers

If you have a tendency to sweat a lot throughout the night, particularly during summer, this can contribute to a disrupted sleep that leaves you waking up feeling groggy and grumpy.

Hot sleepers may benefit from carefully selecting a pillow with both a fill material and cover that works to make getting too hot and bothered a thing of the past.

Cooling pillows will often have covers made of cotton or bamboo. These natural materials are breathable, as they wick moisture away from the body. The fill of a cooling pillow can also be made of cotton.

A memory foam pillow shredded memory foam (rather than block memory foam) and a cooling-gel surface can help you keep cool during the night. While memory foam does retain heat, the shredded nature promotes airflow. The addition of gel is considered to help reduce heat, including in other materials like microfibre.

How often should pillows be replaced?

It’s recommended that you change your pillow every 1-2 years. Over time, even the best of pillows flatten and become less supportive. Particularly if the pillow insert is not washable, it can become heavier from skin cells and dust mites accumulating.

If the filling of your pillow is machine washable, you can pop it in the wash at the end of every season. This will keep your pillow lasting longer. However, the cell structure of some pillow fill materials is damaged if washed - for example, you should avoid putting memory foam and latex in the wash.

It may also be time to replace your pillow earlier than the 1-year mark if you notice any of the following: flatness (or it feels like all the loft is gone), lumps, yellow spots or a funky smell. Also consider making a change if you wake up in the morning with sore or stiff neck or shoulders, or you notice an increase in your allergy symptoms, especially when you first climb into bed at night.

All of these tell-tale signs signal that your pillow is on its way out. Changing your pillow at the right time can also prevent you waking up with pain, and the discovery that a pain-free morning awaits you can be pretty exciting.

Finding a pillowcase for your pillow

The material of any pillowcase you buy can determine it's longevity and comfort. You can find both natural and synthetic pillowcase fabrics. While polyester may be soft to the touch, it isn't as durable or breathable as cotton and linen, which are both also easier to wash.

Silk pillowcases are also gaining popularity. Because they have a smoother surface and cause very little friction against the skin and hair, these pillowcases are thought to reduce the likelihood of waking up with frizzy or tangled hair. While they aren't a cure-all for bad hair days, they provide a less rough surface than cotton pillowcases which can both prevent hair breakage and be gentler on the skin.