The 5 Best Pillows to Enhance Your Sleep Experience

One sure-fire way to enhance your sleeping experience and to ensure a long, refreshing, and satisfying night’s sleep, is to select the best pillow for your needs. After all, the wrong pillow can lead to unwanted health issues such as increased shoulder or neck tension, headaches, discomfort, wheezing, or sneezing. It could also lead to exhaustion and a lack of focus after a never-ending stream of restless nights. So, while you can’t every sleeping habits, you can still enhance the quality of your sleep and wake up ready to take on the day by selecting the right pillow for your sleep type.

While it’s important to select the right mattress for you, it’s just as important to find the best pillow to suit your needs, habits, sleep style, and bed posture. Pillows play an important role in your spinal alignment and support. However, since we all have individual preferences, there is no universal pillow type for all. What may be comfortable for one person may not be the best solution for another. Many experts recommend that you change your pillow every 12 to 18 months. So, if your pillow is old or lumpy and you’re on the lookout for a new one, this is the perfect time to upgrade your sleep experience. There are just a few factors to take into account first.

Factors Which Can Affect Your Decision

When you’re on the hunt for the best pillow for you, one factor to consider is your preferred sleeping position. This will help you determine the level of support, comfort, and pressure relief that you’re looking for. Some pillow materials are better for breathability and added cooling. The firmness of the mattress can also be a deciding factor for the firmness and thickness level of your pillow. There are also some pillows, which are recommended for those with allergies to feathers or certain materials. Other pillows are designed to target issues like neck, back pain or even snoring too.

How Does Sleeping Position Affect Pillow Needs?

Most people have a preferred sleeping position, whether it’s sleeping on their side, flat on their back, or on their stomach. Some people prefer to mix It up and move from side to side throughout the night.

Back Sleepers

Sleeping on your back has the effect of producing the least amount of pressure while you lay on the bed. Back sleepers should ideally look for a pillow that supports your head and fills your neck curve. The ideal pillow would be medium firm with extra loft at the bottom. This should ensure that as you lay back, then your head, neck, and spine are all supported and neutrally aligned.

Side Sleepers

Sleeping on your side is the most common sleep type. This position may not be necessarily bad for your spine, but you might want to look for a pillow to help with alignment and relieving pressure. This means you should look for a slightly firmer and thicker pillow with loft, for a blend of support as well as pressure relief. The pillow should help ensure you’re in perfect alignment and support the distance between your ear and outside shoulder.

Stomach Sleepers

Sleeping on your stomach may put extra strain on your back. As it’s not ideal to raise your head too much, you may find it more comfortable to sleep with a thinner pillow under your head, that is filled with a lighter and more versatile material. Another option is to add a thinner pillow under your stomach for extra support. This can help maintain the curvature of your spine and help avoid any lower back pain.

Combination Sleepers

Combination sleepers prefer to sleep in a variety of positions throughout the night. So, you might want to look for a softer or medium-thick pillow to ensure it is responsive to movement and that it can be comfortable sleeping in variety of positions.

Choosing the Best Pillow Filling

If you suffer from asthma, allergies, or are looking for pressure relief or extra support, then these can all be affected by the pillow material filling. Here are some of the features, pros, and cons of the most popular pillow fillings on the market:

Down or feathers offer lighter but yet firm enough support. One advantage is that the pillow stuffing can be moved around to provide support where needed. However, one drawback to these pillows is that it may fall out of shape easily and feel lumpy. It may not be recommended for those with allergies as well.

• Latex pillows are a great hypoallergenic option. Latex also provides contouring support and tends to be more breathable and cooler than other options.
• Memory foam is ideal to offer better support for your head, spinal alignment, and neck but is not so responsive if you move around during sleep. However, memory foam can also be hotter and less breathable than other materials.
• Microbead pillows are great for comfortable support while you sleep, and often used as travel pillows.
• Synthetic pillows are made of polyester, so they are hypoallergenic and can be easily washed.
• Wool or cotton is a great option if you suffer from allergies as they are resistant to dust. However, they are firmer and less squishy than other pillow filler types.

Mattress Firmness

Another major factor in your pillow decision will be the firmness level of your mattress. If you choose a mattress that is very soft, then it might allow you and your pillow to sink into the mattress more. Therefore, you would need to allow for this extra sinking and choose a thicker and firmer pillow. In this case, you could also add extra pillows for added support too.

If you choose a medium-firm or a firmer mattress, then there will be less chance of the pillow sinking into the mattress. However, just as important to choose the right pillow that will complement the firmness level of your mattress and provide the right balance between support, thickness, firmness, and comfort.

For more information and advice, you can check the links for Web MD and Environmental Health & Safety.

Here are our top 5 best pillow picks for different types of sleepers:

1. B­­­­est Pillow for Side Sleepers

Side-sleepers should look for a firmer pillow with loft, for a blend of support as well as pressure relief for their back. Ecosa’s flagship pillow is recommended for side-sleepers and is ergonomically designed to perfectly contour to your head and neck at all the right pressure points. The pillow is firmer for support, but still comfortably soft. It also features a breathable 3D structure to disperse heat and moisture, activated charcoal memory foam for antibacterial protection, and a machine-washable cover.

2. Best Pillow for Back Sleepers

Dreamcloud offers a contour pillow, which is an ideal choice for back sleepers. It features a memory foam shape and the contour is great for offering the right balance of support and pressure relief for your head and neck. It also keeps its shape and offers a cooling gel layer for a comfortable and breathable effect while you sleep.

3. Best Pillow for Combination Sleepers

Latex For Less offers a solid natural latex option pillow, which is recommended for those who toss and turn in their sleep. The pillow provides the right balance of responsiveness for your head and neck and is naturally springy. This means it’s ideal for any sleep position and the solid latex conforms to your body when you lie down and move. The pillow also provides an optimal level of airflow to help keep you cool at night.

4. Best Cooling Pillow

Latex pillows are an ideal choice for greater breathability and the material offers cooling benefits while you sleep. Saavta offers a latex pillow, which features a blend of cotton, microdernier, and shredded 100% American Talalay latex fiber. The material is both cooling and is very responsive to mold to the shape of your head, so it is also recommended for neck and spinal support.

5. Best Memory Foam Pillow

Memory foam pillows are ideal to provide a combination of support, loft, and responsiveness. Nectar offers a memory foam pillow, which is designed to offer the right balance between comfort and support. The pillow features two shells. The inner shell is made of two types of foams, for extra durability, firmness, and support. The outer shell is designed to be softer for extra loft and comfort. It is also over-filled with foam, so you can remove the stuffing to control the firmness and get the best sleep experience for you.

Conclusion

If you’re looking to sleep better, then choosing the best pillow for you can be a sure-fire way to enhance your sleeping experience. As we can see, there are various factors that could affect your decision. So, the best way to start is to identify your sleep type. The firmness of your mattress can also be a factor, and if you have any allergies. Then you can shop around and consider the best level of firmness, support, or pressure relief you’re looking for, and the most comfortable pillow filler for you. You can also consider a pillow that’s great for cooling. In addition to the brands we have listed, you can also find great reviews of other brands on our website, so feel free to browse before making your final decision.