Buying pillows for the bedroom is an important step that involves so much more than one would assume. You health, comfort, and essentially your whole life can be affected by this simple decision that we sometimes don’t think through. As silly as it may sound, this mistake that we often make can affect every aspect of our life
Finding the Right Support
The first step when buying a pillow is to understand the basics of pillow support. Finding the right support is important to ensure that you get a restful night of sleep and eliminate the chance of neck or back pain which could lead to consequences later in life.
The support of a pillow is dictated by how thick it is, how soft it is, the shape, and the material used to fill it. All of these come together and play a part in the support offered. They also influence the price which you will pay to get this proper support and comfort.
The Key Question to Ask Yourself: How do you Sleep?
While having the proper support from your mattress is ideal, it is often far too expensive to achieve thus making your pillow support that much more important.
On Your Back
If you are a back sleeper then your main concerns when sleeping will be your neck, shoulders, and back. The support is often achieved with more than one pillow. A firm pillow for neck and shoulder support plus a back wedge would be appropriate. If uncomfortable on a back wedge then choosing a head pillow with less thickness will decrease the amount of support needed for the back by lessening the unnatural angle of the body.
On Your Stomach
Sleeping on your stomach can put you in an awkward situation when seeking support. As odd as it may sound, you may need negative support as you do not need your neck to be elevated for better support of your back. You will most likely need a thinner soft pillow that allows more flexibility.
On Your Side
Side sleepers often complain about headaches and neck aches from the awkward angle which they typically sleep in throughout the entire night. In addition to neck support, a side sleeper must also consider the alignment of the back and angle at which they place it in while sleeping. A side sleeper would likely need a firm thick pillow for head support and body pillow to place between their knees while sleeping. This will provide full body support.
Restless Sleeper
Restless sleepers have it harder and easier when it comes to choosing their pillow. Harder in the sense that they have little idea of what support they need, however, easier in the sense that it doesn’t matter yet. If you are restless sleeper then the first step to finding the right support in your pillow is finding one that helps you sleep better and in the same position for a longer period of time. Try them all – Soft and Firm, Thin and Thick. The number one goal is to get a full night sleep without restlessness to see which works for you. Once you have determined your ideal resting pattern then move on to finding the right support.
Knowing the Link between your Pillow and your Health
Common pains and discomforts caused by improper support from pillows include:
- Neck Pains
- Headaches
- Backaches
- Spinal Displacement
- Circulation Problems
- Jaw Pain
- Breathing Problems
Some may find these to be extreme problems and not ever come to know or understand that proper support in bed could actually alleviate these pains and discomforts. The truth is a pillow can help or hurt your health in many unbelievable ways. Unfortunately it is not common that a person suffering with these issues look to their pillow for solutions meaning more money wasted on unnecessary health care without ever reaching a proper solution. The answer could be nothing more than an appropriate pillow for correct support at night.
Setting Your Budget for Pillows
If someone told you that for $150 you could get a year of eight hour per night sleep, have better posture, be less stressed, eat less, eliminate headaches, and have more energy everyday would you do it? Of course you would! Why? Because that could change everything about your life and it would all be for the better!
Well, when it comes to setting your budget when buying pillows for the bedroom this is a very important aspect to consider. Yes, you can get some cheap pillows for five bucks and they would be okay, but you don’t get the added features of a good quality pillow suited to support you in all the ways necessary for an honest night of solid sleep.
Set a budget knowing that this will be what will affect the quality of your sleep, and therefore your life, for about a year. The benefits that come with the cost are well worth every penny of the cost of a nice suitable pillow.
The Decorating Aspect of Pillows
When it comes to decorating with pillows the rules are very clear and simple. It is a step-by-step process.
- Pillows to fill the Pillow Shams. These will be used for mostly decoration. The pillows can be cheaper if not being used and should be medium thickness and firmness to fill out properly. The pillows should be the size of the bed (twin bed – standard pillow, full bed – standard pillow, queen bed – queen pillow, king bed – king pillow).
- Pillows to fill the pillow cases. These will be your primary sleeping pillows and should be of proper thickness and support for sleep. Again, pillows should be sized according to the bed (twin bed – standard pillow, full bed – standard pillow, queen bed – queen pillow, king bed – king pillow).
- 2-5 Decorative pillows including neck rolls, throw pillows, and perhaps body pillows if being used at night.
Quick-Guide to Buying Pillows for the Bedroom
- Determine your sleep style (position) and what support is necessary.
- Determine the size and number of pillows you will need.
- Decide on how many decorative pillows will be needed and what styles and colors will be considered.
- Set a realistic and generous budget for the pillows. Remember, you are paying for a healthy restful way of life not just a bag of stuffing.
- Shop for the pillows and purchase in stores that will accept returns.
- Test the pillows for 1 week.
- Evaluate the end result and how the pillow is working for you.
- If unsatisfied return the pillow immediately and continue your journey of buying pillows for the bedroom. The right support is out there, you just have to find it.
