What pillow is best for you?

Because the space between the shoulder and the neck requires support, side sleepers do best with firmer pillows. As raising one’s head too high while sleeping can cut off circulation, soft pillows are best for stomach sleepers. And if you sleep on your back, medium density pillows are in order.

Once you determine whether or not you need a firm, soft or medium density pillow, you’ll need to consider what type you’d prefer.

Feather Pillows

One needs to be careful when buying a feather pillow. “All Down” and “Pure Down” are incredibly loose terms, and widely abused. An “All Down” or “Pure Down” pillow may be filled with all kinds of feathers.

If a pillow is labelled as “All Goose Down,” it’s an entirely different matter. Goose down is much softer than “All Down”. There are also different levels of goose down (some softer than others).

Goose down pillows are a great choice if the fill is dense enough, and if they’re hypo-allergenic. In order for any down or feather pillow to be hypo-allergenic, the down or feather being used must be cleaned by a special process, prior to being used as a fill.

Wool Pillows

Wool and its softer cousin Alpaca are the longest lasting and healthiest natural pillows you could hope for. Wool or Alpaca pillows are naturally inhospitable to dust mites, wick away moisture and hold their shape for years. One should however note that wool and Alpaca are not hypo-allergenic.

Wool pillows tend to be quite firm. Great for support but lacking in softness, healthy but not sumptuous, wool pillows are generally preferred by side sleepers.

As for a little trivia, cashmere (the finest of wools) comes from the underbelly of the goat, and Alpaca comes from the underbelly of the Alpaca.

Memory (Viscoelastic) Foam Pillows

See “What about memory foam?” to see if these are for you.

Latex Foam Pillows

See “What about latex foam?” to see if these are for you.

Cotton Pillows

All cotton is a great choice for those that need a firm pillow. If you’re sensitive to multiple chemicals, it’s good to note that there’s nothing in an all cotton pillow, that can trigger an allergic reaction in even the most sensitive of individuals.

Synthetic Pillows

When it comes to value, synthetic fibre filled pillows are hard to beat. They can be firm, sumptuous or soft. It’s the density of the fibre that determines the feel.

Most synthetic pillows are hypo-allergenic, resist mould and mildew, and dry out quickly, making them in inhospitable to allergens that prefer a moist environment.

And best of all, when they need to be retired, you don’t have to take out a loan to buy a new one.

Top