Your Guide to Finding the Ultimate Pillow

Finding the Ultimate Pillow – A Step by Step Guide

We all spend hours sleeping. Many people spend hours and hours deciding which mattress is the best option, but don’t take much time choosing the pillow, they are using. Pillows are a smaller purchase, but when it comes to your sleep quality, they are almost as important as your mattress!

Why your pillow matters

Your choice of pillow – just like your choice of mattress – contributes to the quality of your sleep. Pillows have a great affect on your sleeping position (1). With the right pillow for you, your sleep posture will be in alignment, from knee, to hip, to spine, shoulder and neck. An aligned and therefore comfortable neck is key to relaxed muscles, which will lead to a healthy blood-flow to your brain, no more headaches or feelings of stiffness in the morning – so let’s find out, which pillow is best for you!

Guidelines for choosing your pillow

Everyone is different and so is every sleeping arrangement. Therefore there are no strict rules to follow, your preferences and feelings are important and can’t be forced into a pattern. But there are some guidelines and questions to ask yourself, while searching for a suitable pillow:

• Is your mattress on the firmer or softer spectrum of density?

  If your mattress is quite firm, then a softer or lower pillow may be the better option. That’s because the pillow is lying on an already firm surface and can’t sink in, so it’s not a good idea to create the same situation for your head on top of the pillow.  If you’re sleeping on a softer mattress, then a firmer or higher pillow may be a good choice to keep your head and neck straightened (1).
• What sleeping position do you prefer?
 Nearly no-one stays in one sleeping position throughout the night, but most people have a preferred sleeping position – maybe the one you are often choose to fall asleep in, or the one you find yourself in every morning?Generally, a good option for side sleepers is a thicker pillow. To help choosing the correct thickness for you, look for one that’s as thick as the distance between your ear and the outside shoulder. If that sounds too complicated, ask someone to observe you while you’re laying down. If you’re sleeping on the side, your temple should be parallel to the ground. If your temple is, you have the right thickness and your neck can rest in alignment with the rest of your body.Back sleepers should go for a flatter pillow in a medium density. This way, the head is neither propped too high, nor too low (2).

  Belly sleepers often prefer soft and thin pillows, just to give a comfy ‘sink in’ feeling for the head, without lengthen the neck too much and possibly create a neck strain (2).

   

• Which filling do you prefer?

  All our pillows are made out of 100% natural fillings, so you can rest your head peacefully on top, without worrying about any chemicals, glues or other nasties so close to your body.

Latex pillows are our bestsellers, they come in different shapes, densities and thicknesses. Therefore, this filling can be chosen for every sleeping position. Latex is naturally antimicrobial, dust mite resistant and hypoallergenic. Bacteria, mildew or mould can’t live in latex foam. These characteristics combined with the durability of natural latex – it is the most durable natural material filling on the market – make it an optimal and diverse filling material.

Our buckwheat husk pillows are something completely different. Definitely on the firmer side, these pillows give you a strong neck support and don’t compress or compact  during the night. We offer them in two sizes. One in 40×60 cm and a smaller ‘travelling’ option in 36×50 cm. The husk or hull is the non-edible outer part of the buckwheat grain and are loose inside the pillowcase. Because of this, the pillow can be brought into different shapes, e.g. keep it flat for belly-sleepers, or bring it into a thicker shape for a comfortable side-sleeping position. The chosen shape will stay all night. Once you achieve a comfortable position, the muscles can relax and you are able to stay in this position effortlessly, with the support you need for a great night’s sleep. The buckwheat filling remains cool in summer and warm in winter, the grainy structure is noticeable through the cover and you can hear a soft rustling sound when you move your head – relax and enjoy!

We also offer a cotton and wool filled pillow in three different thicknesses – in “Skinny” (12-13cm), “Medium” (13-15cm) and “Thick” (15-17cm). To create the most comfortable place to rest your head, we layer unbleached cotton from Australia and alternate it with gently washed sheep wool from New Zealand. The wool is untreated and still contains the lanolin-oil, which has a soothing effect for sleeping, similar to the effect of lavender. Because of the different thicknesses we create with this filling, you can also choose the cotton and wool filling for every sleeping position.

Get in Touch

If you still have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us personally! If you’re living close, it may even be a good idea to come to our showroom and test some pillows.

Our team of sleep specialists is available Monday through Friday 10 AM to 5 PM and Saturdays between 10 AM and 2 PM in our showroom in New Lynn, Auckland – or give us a call on 0508 466 288 or 09 838 0087. You can also write us an email to info@innature.co.nz with your remaining questions.

References:
(1) Breus, Michael J. PhD (2017): How to pick the perfect pillow.
(2) Duckham, Chelsea (2013): A three step guide to choosing the perfect pillow.