We flatten them with our heads. We crush them under our bellies. Sometimes (just for fun), we swing them around at other people. Our pillows have to take a lot and we still expect them to help us sleep well. That makes good pillow choices a priority.
Just like the rudder of a ship, a pillow might not seem like a big thing – yet it has a big effect on the course of your night’s sleep. Picking the right pillow is therefore important. It’s also a decision that you will probably need to make more often than for a mattress or bed base. Pillows last for between months and a few years before the punishment described above takes its toll. Then it’s time to change – if you value good quality rest.
How Do You Sleep?
The first factor for picking your pillow is your sleeping style. If you sleep mainly on your back, a good down pillow or memory foam pillow may be best. For sleeping on your side, similar choices apply including microfiber filling, but with a little more thickness this time. Conversely, tummy sleepers (you sleep on your front) will often do better with softer pillows.
Allergies and Eco-friendliness
Microfiber pillows are hypo-allergenic and synthetic. However, it’s also recyclable. Memory foam won’t harbour mites or microbes, but be sure to choose a pillow made from high-quality synthetics (not low-grade chemicals). Down pillows are a natural and traditional solution, but may cause problems to allergy sufferers. Natural latex pillows are eco-friendly and dust and mite-free. Bamboo and aloe vera pillow fillings have natural health-enhancing properties that help keep users in great shape during the night and for the day that follows.
Special Sleep Situations
We go through phases in our life when we are more exposed to back problems or other challenges that make it more difficult to get a good night’s rest. Suitable pillow fillings and shapes exist now for practically all of these situations. Neck pillows, lumbar supports, body pillows and pillows for pregnancy and maternity are all available.
What is Your Budget?
Good pillows can still be highly affordable. More expensive pillows may provide the right solution to specific needs, but a higher price doesn’t necessarily mean a better solution for you in particular. Down pillows and memory foam pillows tend to cost more, but also provide degrees of comfort that others cannot. On the other hand, it may be wise to avoid very cheap offerings because they often rapidly lose their shape and their support.
Your Pillow Wardrobe
You may even find that a combination of pillows suits your requirements best. Unlike mattresses and bedframes, you can benefit from using more than one pillow at the same time. Medium-priced, good quality pillows of different types can help you make your ‘pillow wardrobe’ to select exactly the ones you need according to how you feel and how you want to sleep tonight.
