Various forms and fashions of pillows have been around for entire millennia. Starting with those made from stone, these "hard as a rock" pillows were the only form available in Mesopotamia around the year 7000 BC. Age-old stone pillows, in no way, could have been that comfortable. Still, they functioned to fulfill an entirely different objective than the luxurious pillows we have access to today.
Advancing to today's advanced society, full of specialty sleep products, pillows are expected to supply noticeable comfort and support as you sleep or lounge around in bed. The pillows of today have certainly evolved, providing many styles or types to choose from, including pillows created for specific sleep positions. Pillows exist that have the potential to help you manage unwanted muscle tension, pain, or symptoms of medical conditions, such as snoring from Sleep Apnea.
Despite the abundance of exceptional-quality pillows and other premium sleep products we have access to today, many people experience nights where it's always something or another that prevents them from getting the deep sleep they need and deserve. From now on, let it be your pillow, no more!
Next, the sleep experts at Bed Tech will explore different ways to reduce pain or discomfort and improve sleep, considering alternative perspectives beyond focusing on your mattress, such as upgrading and replacing your pillow.
Looking to Improve Recovery & Sleep Better? Find a Pillow That Balances the Upper Body and Aligns the Spine
A common pursuit among many individuals today is to find reliably comfortable sleep products, such as pillows or sheets, that help to lengthen their sleep duration and improve sleep quality overall.
Still, like many, getting the best quality sleep isn’t always that straightforward. At times, achieving improved sleep may seem like a complicated puzzle to solve. And, most of the time, people associate sleeping well or improving sleep with the quality and satisfaction of their mattress.
While this is true—sleeping on a mattress fit for your body certainly can help you sleep better— there's also something to be said about other sleep-related products, such as the supportive qualities, or lack thereof, of your pillow.
If you consider yourself to be a highly active person, or even relatively inactive, daily recovery from reaching all levels of sleep—light, deep, and REM or SWS sleep—is especially important. To achieve these healthy and complete sleep cycles, you should attempt to boost support and balance your body while eliminating sleep disruptions from pain, tension, or discomfort in your top half. In this scenario today, we'll focus on the upper body and your pillow.
Your pillow should embody a suitable shape to fill into your curves and slopes to support the spine, promoting balance within the upper body, including neck and shoulders. A pillow that is beneficial for sleep and recovery will help to boost neutral spine alignment— the closest placement to the unique curvature and inherent position of your natural spine.
Benefits of a Pillow With an Appropriate Fit
A good pillow that's right for you will support the weight of your "noggin" and the curve of your upper cervical spine. A proper fitting pillow will also keep your head in a neutral position, alleviating shoulder pressure and making sure your spine remains straight rather than forced into an unnatural angle or uncomfortable position. The right pillow for you will ultimately help ease muscle tension or strain in the areas surrounding the head, neck, and shoulders.
So, take it step by step to find the best sleep products that fit, like a new pillow, for you. Don't rush through the selection process.
If your mattress is comfortable, start with an emphasis on replacing your pillow, then shift focus to other angles of perfecting sleep quality—like upgraded sheets, such as Thread Bamboo Sheets or by adding an adjustable bed.
After you "fine-tune" the comfort and support of your sleep system as a whole—a central part being your pillow—this should help you to sleep a lot better, even, better than ever!
Need to Reduce Shoulder Pain or Pressure Points? Use a Properly Fitting Pillow
So, what does that even mean— a "properly fitting" or "appropriate fit" for a pillow? As all sleepers have a unique body shape, pillows need to come in a variety of heights, forms, and firmnesses to accommodate everyone.
Not one size fits all with your mattress, the same rings true for your pillow. The vast spectrum of body types and sizes may explain why there are so many mattress and pillow options that exist today.
How a Proper-Fitting Pillow Reduces Shoulder Pressure
A pillow that fits you well will help to reduce shoulder pressure by promoting a neutral, balanced spine while reinforcing spinal alignment for side sleepers. A balanced spinal column can help prevent the head and neck from staying in an unnatural, tilted, or curved position. Positions like this can leave you waking up feeling like pain and tension, which many refer to as an undesirable "crick in the neck."
Good pillows also supply pressure alleviation for the shoulder joint, as the support of a decent pillow helps to prevent spinal compression from an uncomfortable firmness or unsupportive pillow height. Keeping the neck and shoulders in a relaxed position, paired with an ideal combo of support and shoulder pressure relief, will help promote enhanced circulation while lessening strain or tension surrounding your head, neck, and shoulders.
Find an Ideal Pillow by Analyzing Your Sleep Habits & Physique
If you're trying to figure out what a good pillow looks and feels like for you, first, bring your attention to a certain couple of aspects that impact your ability to sleep well, like your body type and "go-to" sleep position.
Take Note of Your Sleep Position(s)
Of course, the need for a pillow will change based on your personal preferences for support and comfort. All the while, these are general guidelines, and your physique may fuel the need to modify the following pillow recommendations.
For side sleepers, one of the most favored sleep positions, a slightly taller or thicker pillow, like the Copper Bliss, is helpful to fill in the space between your head, shoulders, and the mattress. Side sleepers need a pillow that will keep the neck and spine straight and aligned with the rest of the lower body, including the hips, mid, and lumbar spine.
Back sleepers typically prefer and can benefit from using a medium-height, also known as medium-loft, pillow. Medium loft, however, is subjective to the individual. Still, back sleepers need a pillow that will align the neck and shoulders while avoiding strain or any uncomfortable slanted position.
Stomach sleeping pillows often feature a common theme of being low or small yet supportive. Nevertheless, stomach sleepers most often need a low-profile, low-loft, or very thin style of pillow to discourage the neck from staying in an uncomfortably bent or tilted position for too long.
Examine Your Upper Body Shape
As you browse for a new pillow upgrade, consider the loft or height of the one that you're considering purchasing coexisting with your upper body length and shape. By having awareness of the length of your neck and the width of your shoulders, maybe not to the exact centimeter or inch, but be mindful if you have a lengthy neck or super broad shoulders.
In the case of either a longer neck or broader shoulders, you may want to try a slightly taller or thicker pillow than what's recommended for your sleep position.
Pillow Features to Consider
The main objective of your pillow is to support your natural spinal curvature within your neck while keeping your spine in alignment with your head and reducing pressure on the shoulders. When you have a balanced spine in appropriate alignment, your muscles have improved relaxation potential; this reduces tension, lessening sleep disruptions from pain or discomfort while enhancing your sleep quality overall.
Pillow Height
As mentioned above, certain pillow heights are more suitable or appropriate for specific sleep positions. For instance, stomach sleepers often use a low-profile pillow to avoid a "crick in the neck" or pain from an uncomfortable, hyperextended sleeping position. As well, your body type will influence the type and pillow height that you'll need.
Pillow Density
Different pillow materials provide various firmnesses or densities designed for sleepers of all positions and body types. A pillow's firmness, or lack of, will either help or hinder your sleep cycles. Ideally, a suitable pillow will give balanced support to the sleeper's head, neck, and spine.
For example, solid memory foam pillows often feel dense and firmer compared to pillows filled with feathers or alternative shredded material. Pillows with an outer encasement and loose materials inside are more easily shapeable. Still, soft pillows with loose materials inside may not provide the lofty support that you need for your body type or sleep position.
Pillow Material Type
Just like the density, the type of material that the pillow is made out of will directly influence its ability to support the weight of your head and neck. Take, for instance, memory foam. When in shredded or solid pillow form, memory foam offers robust, dense support by nearly perfectly conforming and cradling to the shape of the sleeper's head and neck.
Compared to a feather pillow, memory foam pillows hold their shape much longer without falling flat into a "pillow pancake." Still, some people prefer a shredded memory foam pillow because it is more malleable, like a feather pillow, but still less firm or dense than a solid memory foam pillow.
Other Important Pillow Characteristics to Consider
After going over several aspects that are important in the process of choosing a pillow, you should also consider these final few pillow characteristics that have the potential to provide benefits and boost satisfaction with your sleep quality.
The following aspects are true for the best pillow options available today.
The Best Pillows Have an Ability to Help Balance Temperature
Certain pillow materials and technologies, like phase-change, can help balance your sleep climate temperature more effectively than others. A pillow with a cooling cover and breathable ventilation will help you avoid getting too hot or too cold near your head and neck while you sleep.
Bed Tech Bella Pillow: A "Best Case Scenario" to Help Enhance Your Sleep Quality
The remarkable benefits of consistent, healthy sleep can lead to waking up feeling truly refreshed, and the overall benefits of getting adequate sleep regularly are astounding. The link between our health and sleep is certainly something to hold with high regard, and when you sleep well, your mind and body can work smarter and faster. When you sleep better, you feel better, so you actually think and move more robustly with pronounced abilities to tackle whatever comes your way.
The future is near, and if you want to sleep better daily, eliminate sleep debt, and improve your long-term sleep health, be sure to browse these top-quality, Italian memory foam pillows, made by Bed Tech:
Aside from the USA-finished, Italian memory foam pillows, Bed Tech also offers a variety of other pillows, some with customizable options, such as:
- Blue Ice™ Cool Tech Pillow- Low, medium, and high profile options and a temperature-balancing cover.
- Copper Bliss Pillow- Malleable pillow utilizing shredded material, suitable for all sleep positions.
- Blue Ice™ Cool Tech Curve Pillow- Solid memory foam material, temperature-balancing cover with curved "shoulder cut-out" for side sleepers.
- The Cool Comfort Pillow- Versatile, customizable height pillow for all sleep positions.
When it comes to a good snooze, it enables you to work smarter—not harder. A good pillow and a good sleep can help your body heal and recover from pain or stress, and contribute to your overall daily and long-term health and well-being. If you're intrigued by the idea of focusing on your pillow as a viable sleep solution for you, don't hesitate to check out the high-quality assortment of Bed Tech pillows in the online shop or inside your local mattress store as soon as possible!