How To Pick the Perfect Pillow

Having a hard time sleeping? Do you wake up to a flattened pillow and an aching neck?

Maybe it's time to invest in yourself by upgrading to a top-rated pillow. But with so many pillow options available, how do you choose the perfect pillow for you? We've compiled some of the top pillow qualities and considerations to help aid in your decision-making process.

A comfortable pillow can provide you with more than just a sound night of sleep, it can actually improve your health. For pillows that rest your head too high or low, there is strain put on your neck muscles which can cause a narrowing of your air pipe, a condition that can lead to snoring and other obstructed breathing. The right pillow will elevate your head and neck to a degree ideal for orthopedic support by aligning your spine and helping it rest comfortably. Aligning the spine also helps to relieve pressure across your body, and helps to alleviate neck, back, hip, and shoulder pain. The traditional feather or a down alternative pillow is particularly ill-suited for achieving proper support since they tend to flatten out.  An orthopedic or contour pillow can help get you settled in the right position to properly support your lower neck’s cervical curve as a back sleeper.  For those who are side sleepers or want an all position sleeping pillow, bamboo shredded memory foam pillows are the most self-adapting to ensure both proper support and comfort all night long.

Does Your Sleeping Position Matter When You Buy a Pillow?

Yes, sleeping position can play a big role in your overall pillow comfort and supportability. If the pillow you're interested in isn't adjustable, then you'll definitely want to take style into account. For back or stomach sleepers, you don't want much of a head angle off the pillow. That means looking or adjusting for thin or medium-thickness pillows. A pillow that raises your head up too high can put stress on your lower back if you're on your stomach, or result in neck muscle kinks and snoring if you're on your back.

For side sleepers, look for medium to high-thickness pillows that are firm. You need a lot of pillow to raise your head up above your shoulders to achieve that ideal spinal alignment. You may also want to consider a second pillow or a bamboo shredded memory foam body pillow to keep between your knees to align your pelvis and hips with your lower back.

A high quality shredded memory foam pillow is made from prime or possibly excess mattress grade foam after a mattress is made. Traditionally, shredded foam pillows used lower end foam that was not of the quality you would find in a mattress, but with Snuggle-Pedic, only extra high-quality mattress grade foam is used and it is a great use of this excess foam that would otherwise be wasted, instead of being used to make a much better quality pillow that would otherwise be used due to its high level of cost.  Using all the memory foam during manufacturing is also an environmentally friendly way to reduce your global impact and a cost-saving measure that offers high-quality materials at a reduced price. Shredded memory foam is resistant to dust mites, which makes it a great choice for a hypoallergenic pillow. Also, because it's shredded material, the pillows are easily adjustable to your specific needs.

An adjustable pillow means you can easily access the pillow material, usually through a zipper, and the material inside contains individual pieces such that some of it can be removed or more added to create the perfect pillow height for you. Anyone looking for their next perfect pillow should seriously consider an adjustable option to tailor the pillow to their needs.

Bamboo pillows have a special covering that is sometimes included with memory foam pillows. You might be picturing a pillow covered with hard bamboo, but bamboo pillows are actually made from flexible viscous of bamboo threads that are interwoven into a comfortable, sustainable, and hypoallergenic cover for your pillow. Temperature adapting, microbial fighting, and static suppressing are all qualities of the best bamboo pillow types available.

Be careful if you're looking for "Made in the U.S.A." labels when shopping for your perfect pillow. Your intentions of shopping to support the American economy are honorable, but often manufacturers will give the impression of using all USA components when their products are really just "Assembled in the U.S.A.," with some or even much of the pillow and mattress components still being imported from China.

If you want to be sure you're getting a fully American product, look for the MADE IN THE USA CERTIFIED® testing accreditation, which ensures a third-party audit of all supply chains and guarantees American-made materials and assembly.

Still confused about what type of pillow you should purchase? Check out this customized quiz for more insight. 

Sources:

• Snuggle-Pedic
• Spine-health.com
• Thriveglobal.com
• Sleepsherpa.com
• BedfordChiropractic.com