When it comes to picking a new pillow, there are so many options
on the market, it can be really overwhelming. What's up,
world? It's Tony, the sleeve accessories editor and therefore pillow expert for
Mattress Clarity. If you're looking for a best pillow, I'm here to help
you out and I'm going to walk you through through how to pick the pillow
for you. I build everything you need to know into three major
considerations, so stick around. Remember, if you want to read more
in depth information about pillows, mattress, and bedding, you can find it
mattressclarity.com. And I've also put some coupons to some
of my favorite pillows down below. Let's get started.
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Back sleepers need a pillow that has a loft or the pillow's
height of around three to five inches.
This is going to keep your head in a neutral position, which is the name
of the game here. Three to four inches are going to work better for
light and average weight back sleepers, while four to five inches is probably
going to work better for heavier back sleepers. But again, you want to
find something that blends both comfort and support. One of my
best pillows for back sleeping is the Brooklyn Bedding Pillow Latex Pillow,
because it combines comfort and support and it comes in two different
lofts. Moving on to side sleepers, I am one
myself, so I am especially qualified to help out here.
Side sleepers need a pillow that ranges and lofts from about five to
six inches tall. This height is what's going to keep
you head elevated and in a neutral position, because side sleepers
don't want their head craning too far down, which will cause neck pain
later on. And firmer pillows tend to work better for side sleepers as well.
But we'll talk about firmness a little bit later. My favorite pillow for
side sleeping is a pillow designed by side sleepers. For side sleepers,
it's the Pillow Cube. It has a perfect loft and
it's going to be nice and supportive. It's designed to fit into your neck and
your shoulder, so this is the one to look at for side sleeping. Finally,
we have stomach sleepers. Stomach sleepers don't want a pillow that's
any taller than three inches, and that's because your head is
already turned to the side, so anything taller will push
your neck up, which again is a recipe for neck pain developing.
My favorite pillow for stomach sleeping is the Coop Home Goods adjustable
pillow. And that's because, like its name suggests, it's an adjustable
pillow, so you can take out a lot of the fill, make it nice
and flat, and it's very soft for stomach sleeping.
The second consideration for picking a new pillow is firmness. Now,
admittedly, this is definitely the most subjective consideration,
but keeping this in mind with your preference and your sleeping position can
play a role, starting with soft pillow. If you love that
classic cushion soft feeling to your pillow, then obviously go
for that. Stomach sleepers actually will enjoy soft pillows the most,
because often you can compress a soft pillow much
easier and get it flat enough for stomach sleeping.
Now we have medium firm pillows. Medium firm pillows
blend comfort and support perfectly, and they work best for back
sleepers. This is because you're still going to get some nice comfort,
but they're just firm enough to provide some good support,
too. Lastly, we have firm pillows. Firm pillows are going
to work best for side sleepers because your head is not going to compress
a firm pillow that much, which will keep your head and neck in a
neutral position while you're side sleeping. But really, if you're looking for
support, a firm pillow is the way to go.
Consider the materials when you're picking a new pillow as well. This can
influence things like the feel of the pillow and the price as
well. There are tons of different types of pillows, but the
three most common I've encountered are down, down alternative, and memory
foam pillows. Down is the most traditional feel for a
pillow, and it often combines down clusters and feathers.
But they're going to provide that really soft, cushioning feel.
And down pillows do tend to deflate a little bit more than
other types of pillows, but that makes it an ideal pick for stomach sleeping,
because you do need a flat pillow. Because down is an animal
product, they do tend to be a little bit pricier than other types of pillows
out there. Then we have best, best down
alternative pillows name suggests is an alternative to down. This is
a synthetic material, and the feel can go either way, depending on
how much still is in the pillow. They can feel really soft or they can
feel really firm. But the best thing about down alternative pillows
is that they are the most accessible and often the most affordable types
of pillow. Because, let's face it, I'm sure you've seen a $10
down alternative pillow somewhere. The last material I've seen most
commonly used for pillows is foam, and even that can be broken up
into a few more subcategories. You've got single slabs of
memory foam, latex foam, and shredded memory
foam. Thank you, Robbie.
Single pieces of memory foam are going to work great if you're looking for
something super slow moving and will contour to
your head and neck. And they often provide really good pressure
relief, too. Shredded foam, on the other hand,
is going to work better if you're a hot sleeper, because there's
more room for airflow in between these little pieces of foam.
And shredded memory foam pillows are often adjustable, meaning you
can take out this foam to adjust its firmness or it's lost,
too. Finally, the last type of foam is latex.
And this is going to feel much different than traditional memory foam.
It's going to feel really springy, really responsive, and very easy
to move around on. And latex often works better for hot
sleepers, because if you get, like, a single slab of latex foam,
those pillow cube often perforated with holes to allow for airflow.
So if you're a hot sleeper, this is the one for you.
So those are the three considerations you should keep in mind when picking
a new pillow. Quick recap. They are your sleeping position,
the firmness you prefer, and the materials used in that pillow.
Remember, if you want to find in depth information about pillows and mattresses
and bedding, you can find it mattressclarity.com. And to help you
navigate the marketplace a little easier, I put some coupons for some of my
favorite pillows down below. I'll see you next time.