What's the Best Pillow?

We have so many customers who are desperate to find a good pillow, it seems logical to discuss how to do so.

In our previous post  “Is a Firm Mattress Better? “ we sought to educate the customer as to how his/her weight, build, and sleeping positions determine, to a very large degree, what firmness of mattress is going to hold the body the most properly. 

As a quick reminder: In a properly supportive mattress, one that keeps your body in a neutral alignment, the spinal column will be supported evenly.  

Meaning that in a side sleeping position, the shoulders and hips should compress the mattress just enough to get support through the midsection and maintain a straight alignment in the spinal column.

In a back sleeping position, the seat should compress just enough of the mattress so the low back concavity gets supported and kept in a neutral position.

What about pillows?

The right pillow for each person depends, again, on build and sleeping positions, but there’s one more thing to take into consideration: the firmness of your mattress.

Why is that?

The deeper your body gets into the surface of your mattress, the less space needs to be filled under the neck to keep it in a healthy position.

A well-fitting pillow will help keep the neck and head in a healthy neutral alignment.

Stand up in a relaxed position and look forward.  Take a look at the space between your chest and your neck.  That’s the same amount of space you need while sleeping in order promote the healthiest position, which allows optimum oxygen flow. Also, this position will allow the neck muscles to relax properly while sleeping.

Imagine finding the perfect pillow to go along with your mattress. Everything is in perfect alignment; you can breathe easily. There’s no stress in the neck. You wake up without pain. You have set yourself up in a beautiful, healthy neutrality while you sleep!

Now take this pillow with you on vacation, where the bed is far softer than yours at home.  Your body sinks in more deeply to the vacation bed. Now, all of a sudden, the pillow that works so beautifully at home is too big! Your head is pitched up at an angle, causing both neck stress and breathing issues. Not good.

Keeping in mind how the mattress itself plays such an important role in finding the correct pillow, let’s now talk about sleeping positions.

Back Sleepers: Generally need lower pillows. Go too tall with a pillow, and your head will be pitched up at an angle.  This is terrible positioning for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it puts a bend in the airway, which impedes oxygen flow, which can cause snoring. Secondly, the neck will not rest in a healthy position. Neck pain upon awakening will generally occur.

Side Sleepers:  Tend to have more problems with finding a pillow that corrects their positioning from the neck up.  There needs to be enough lift under the neck to fill up the area between neck and shoulders, but enough softness under the head itself to allow it to drop into a neutral position.

If the pillow is too short, your head will angle downwards.

If the pillow is too tall, the opposite happens: the head angles upwards. Ultimately, the neck stress and lack of proper oxygenation will happen in both instances.

Stomach Sleepers: Generally don’t need a pillow.  But there are many different “stomach sleeping” positions.

For those who sleep truly flat on their bellies; think about the placement of the head while you’re in that position. In order to breathe, you must turn your head severely to one side. This is wreaking havoc on the neck. Torsion of the neck in this position stresses the musculature and can force the cervical vertebrae out of correct position. Our advice is: Do everything within your power to change your sleeping position! The neck is a delicate region and just cannot withstand such stress and maintain good health.

For those who do more of a “belly crawl”; more of a side/belly combo, usually with one leg drawn up. These sleepers like to angle the pillow in order to hug a portion of it. In these instances, look for a pillow that keeps the head as neutral as possible with the spinal column. If the head is pitched upward or downward, the problems with neck pain and breathing will occur.

There you have it. The best pillow for you is dictated by your body, your sleeping positions, and your bed.

One more thing to think about: most people sleep in both side and back positions. Ideally, your best pillow will be able to keep your head and neck properly aligned in both positions.

This is why we have 17 different sizes of Oxygen Pillow-to accommodate the sleepers’ varying positions while still maintaining neutrality.  You can have proper alignment, more open airways, and wonderful comfort all night long.