This post is part of the complete guide for picking the right sleeping pillow
Everyday rules of life necessitate as much comfort as you can get. Your sleeping space should essentially stand out in every regard ranging from the mattress, stand, headrests, and pillows.
A popular notion with pillows states that “as you lay your bed, you lie on it.” It should be your watchword when choosing furniture and bedding for your bedroom.
In this post you will learn all that you need to know so that you can get the best pillow possible that suits your personal needs. Many factors come into play when choosing a pillow. Notable ones include your sleeping posture, the filling material of the pillow, and the cost, which varies from one manufacturer to another.
Curious to learn a lot more? Read on as we discuss all you need to know about getting a comfortable and affordable pillow.
Why Pick The Right Pillow For my Sleeping Position?
Pillows have been around for so many decades, and you might wonder why people now pay rapt attention to getting the right one? Well, pillows aren’t just placed on beds to serve the cliche look that everyone considers familiar. They serve a fundamental purpose which, if absent, can make you very uncomfortable in your bed.
Do you enjoy a great night’s sleep that is free of any form of pain or stiffness? There you have it! A pillow fosters this, when you have just the one that suits your sleeping posture.
Pillows support your neck by keeping the shoulders and the head aligned to reduce pressure on the neck. Furthermore, pillows raise the head above the chest and reduce snoring. Pillows also drain sinuses to ensure your nose isn’t stuffy when you wake up. All these various functions pillows serve are excellent.
However, you only enjoy these if you pick the correct pillow that suits your situation. For instance, babies should only use hard pillows and only people who sleep in a position that requires little or no resistance should use soft pillows.
Before choosing a pillow, let us examine the various kinds of sleepers. Doing so will make your pillow buying decision easier as you will know what type of pillow to look for. Once we have that down, there will be a list of the best affordable pillows for all sleeping positions.
What Pillow For What Sleeping Position?
Back Sleepers
Back Sleepers, as the name implies, refers to people who sleep on their back. In most cases, a back sleeper needs a medium pillow. That is a pillow with a medium height that maintains the alignment between the head and shoulders. Also, the pillow should be mediumly firm and conform to pressure enough to keep the head intact over the night.
To explain in more detail how a medium pillow serves the back sleepers, let’s take a closer look at the core features of a medium pillow.
- Medium Height/Loft
The medium loft relieves pressure between the neck and shoulders by creating a comfy buffer between the neck and mattress. An above medium loft will make your head craned and uncomfortable. On the other hand, a lower loft makes you feel like you’re sleeping flat on your mattress.
- Medium Firmness
Medium Firmness ensures you remain comfortable even during many hours. Your head remains aligned with your spine due to the support this pillow provides you. A soft pillow doesn’t work for back sleepers as it’s likely to lose its shape over the night.
- Less Resistance to Pressure
An adequate response to pressure keeps the head comfortable and neutrally aligned with the neck. Also, back sleepers who sleep with their head tilted to one side have a place to rest their temples with this pillow feature.
Side Sleepers
Keeping a neutral spine and preventing arm pain is essential for side sleepers. Side sleepers lie on their beds with their sides. Hence, they need a higher loft and more resistance to pressure. Pillows made of materials that can shape and conform to the body are also great options for side sleepers. Let’s delve into more details below:
- High Loft
If you’re a side sleeper and feel your shoulder sinking deep into your mattress, your pillow isn’t lofty enough. A pillow with the requisite height for a side sleeper keeps the head up to sustain the neutral alignment with the spine. It keeps the shoulder relieved from the burden of bearing the body weight of a side sleeper.
- More Resistance to Pressure
A side sleeper needs firm support since more pressure is put on the pillow to keep the head and shoulders aligned. A pillow that doesn’t meet this firmness level will sink in after hours of use. It displaces your spine out of alignment, which might lead to neck stiffness.
- Flexibility with Shapes
For side sleepers, adjusting to firm pillows may be an arduous task. As a result, getting pillows with materials like kapok, down or down alternative, is a great choice. These materials easily allow for one arm below the pillow, which makes most side sleepers more comfortable.
Stomach/Front Sleepers
Stomach or Front sleepers lie down on their beds with their stomachs and chests on the mattress. Moreover, their spine tends to get curved out of alignment in this position. These factors have made many experts advise against sleeping in this position.
However, excellent pillow support for people already comfortable with this sleeping position helps to address this issue. This concept entails using a pillow with a low height and very minimal resistance. Hence, pillows with filling materials that compress are the best for the stomach and front sleepers. Read on for more details on the roles these features play.
- Minimal Height
Stomach sleepers need a shallow loft/height of about two inches or less. It comfortably maintains the neutral alignment of the spine. That is, supporting the natural C curved shape of the upper spine.
- Mild Support
A pillow with very mild support creates a comfy buffer between a stomach sleeper and your mattress. Such a pillow keeps your head from getting propped up, and a more resistant pillow does the exact opposite. Not using a pillow with this feature can trigger soreness when you wake up.
- Compressible Filling Materials
Pillows with filling materials like feathers or down alternatives are more comfortable for stomach sleepers. Stomach sleepers can easily use them below their stomachs instead of putting their arms on the side. A significant edge is using pillows that have adjustable fills!
What Kind of Pillow Should be Used by People With More Than One Sleeping Position?
Although we share similar qualities as humans, preference comes into play a lot of times. Moreover, there’s a lot of peculiarities that exist with each individual person. As a result, pillows that attend to all sleeping positions are now in demand. Places like hotels and even homes need pillows that can suit any guest or family member’s needs.
To solve this, adjustable pillows has become more popular since they provide a great deal of flexibility. To help you pick, we have compiled a list of 9 highly vetted pillows with proven satisfaction to different users across the globe.
The 8 Best Affordable Pillows For All Sleeping Positions
Top pillows which are great for the various sleeping positions that exist with pocket-friendly prices are:
1. Coop Home Goods Adjustable Loft Pillow
The Coop Home Goods Adjustable Loft Pillow is adjustable with lots of extra filling to suit any sleeping position. It’s filled with shredded memory foam and microfiber. The mix of these fillings creates an impeccable balance between the memory foam’s firmness and the down pillow’s plushness.
Moreover, adjusting the filling to the right level takes very few steps. All you need to do is unzip the cover and liner, then adjust to the desired height. Coop Home Goods also adds 0.5 pounds of extra filling to make the pillow fit your taste. However, Coop’s Home does not provide storage back for this filling.
Coop’s Home also provides a 100-night sleep trial to get the right fill for your sleeping position. After complete purchase, you get an exceptional 5-year warranty at the cost of around $60.
2. Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
The Xtreme Comfort Shredded Memory Foam Pillow is the definition of quality and affordability. It offers similar flexibility with adjustments like the Coop Home Goods pillow. Removing the shredded foam to adjust firmness is effortless with this pillow, and you can wash it using a machine.
Moreover, the Xtreme Comfort Shredded Memory Foam Pillow is resistant to dust mites due to its bamboo cover. However, you might perceive lots of chemical smells on your first purchase. And Xtreme Comfort offers just a year warranty on its Shredded Memory Foam Pillow.
3. Zen Chi Buckwheat Hull Pillow
The Zen Chi Buckwheat Hull Pillow looks deceiving to many due to its small size and thin loft. However, it’s an impeccably breathable pillow that you can easily shape as you please. What’s more? You get to add or remove buckwheat hulls to achieve firmness that suits you personally.
However, this pillow is just 14 to 20 inches. Sleepers accustomed to 20 to 26 inches might not find this comfortable. Also, it’s slightly flatter and firmer than the conventional pillows.
4. Casper Pillow
Casper makes its pillows with a fluffy-down alternative instead of memory foam. It is a surprise for many users since Casper is renowned in the memory foam mattress industry. The Casper Pillow has a two-inch gusset which provides just the proper support for side sleepers. Sleepers who switch between the stomach and sides would enjoy its thick and soft build.
For washing convenience, you have an inner and outer pillow that are separable. This comfy pillow costs around $50 with evident value for money.
5. Tempur-Pedic Cloud Breeze Dual – Cooling Pillow
The Tempur-Pedic’s, as the name implies, provides a soothing feel for hot sleepers. It has a dense memory coat that works simultaneously with a gel layer to maintain a cool temperature. Note that your pillowcase fabric can reduce the cooling effect. Hence, you should pick cautiously.
Also, the Tempur-Pedic pillow is very dense and heavy. However, it can get soft with years of use. With a five-year warranty, you should have no worries.
6. Zoey Sleep Pillow
The Zoey Sleep Pillow has more fiber blends, unlike the Coop’s Home, which has more memory foam. Hence, it feels less lumpy compared to other pillows. It also provides more support, and its curvy design suits any kind of sleeping position.
Moreover, it’s an adjustable pillow with a storage back for extra filling. Zoey makes filling easier with lines that prompt you how much to fill to get a certain level of firmness. A five-year warranty, 100-night sleep trial, and machine washable covers make this pillow a great pick.
7. Leesa Cooling Pillow
Leesa is a renowned producer of U.S manufactured memory foam and hybrid mattresses. Leesa makes its pillow with memory foam. To serve all kinds of sleepers, Leesa provides a five-inch loft that is responsive to pressure.
Moreover, there’s a 30-night return policy, a 3-year warranty, and you can win one in ten pillows when you purchase a Leesa mattress. The Leesa cooling pillow is breathable and retains its shape without flipping or fluffing.
8. Best Contour UTTU Sandwich Pillow
Contour pillows are dynamic supporters for different kinds of sleepers, especially combined sleepers. Unlike other memory foam pillows that have adverse effects when climate changes, the UUTU remains unflinching all year.
It serves all sleepers dynamically due to its flexible middle layer. Simply unzip the cover and remove the requisite centerpiece to get the loft that suits you best. However, it might take a while for the pillow to retain its shape after adjusting.
Conclusion
After a detailed perusal of these impeccable pillows with pocket friendly prices, picking a pillow that suits your preference shouldn’t be an issue anymore.
Manufacturing companies are constantly making dynamic changes to pillows to suit the needs of all sleepers. There are many more but the best options are listed above. Enjoy more blissful nights with these pillows!
Picking The Right Pillow For Sleep: A complete guide – Parts:
1. Why do we Sleep on Pillows? Here’s what research says
2. Pillow Stuffing Types: Pros and Cons of All Common Materials
3. Do You Need a Soft or Firm Pillow? A physiotherapist weighs in
4. How High Should Your Pillow Be? Ideal height for your sleeping position
5. What is The Healthiest Pillow to Use? Based on science
6. When to Replace Your Pillow? Average lifespan of all pillow types
7. How to Recycle Your Pillow? 12 things you can do with an old pillow
8. How Much Do Pillows Cost? Average price of all pillow types
9. The 9 Best Affordable Pillows For All Sleeping Positions
