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December 2023

All about pillows: which pillow is best & should I invest?

Confused by pillow choices? Don't worry, its not surprising. If you thought the world of mattresses was vast and confusing the world of pillows is no different. Whilst there are thousands of models of beds, there are probably thousands upon thousands of variations in pillows. This article is going to help you identify the different pillow options and which is best for you to sleep soundly.

At John Ryan By Design, we’ve spent decades uncovering everything you could ever need to know about mattresses. All to help you make the very best decision when buying a new mattress. Choosing a suitable pillow is just as important a decision, albeit not as expensive as a brand-new mattress. It still shouldn’t be rushed or just guessed at!

How to choose the perfect pillow

How to pick the perfect pillow

What is a pillow for?

A pillow’s primary purpose is to provide your head with enough elevation to align with your spine so that you are comfortable when you sleep.  The position of the pillow should align your head, spine and back to a place that you feel comfortable with.

We have all had experiences with unsuitable pillows and neck aches from hotels, guest bedrooms and buying the wrong pillow. All of which impact our sleep quality and can make us grumpy the next day. So choosing the best pillow for your sleeping position and preference is essential.

Front sleeper mattress advice

What else can you use a pillow for?

Pillows are not just for under your head. There are many other positions and uses of pillows to help you sleep better.

Whether that’s between your legs, under your back or as a ‘pillow baby’ (a pillow to hold and sleep with in a hug or cradle position).

Many sleepers find comfort and relief by strategically placing a pillow between various parts of their body during the night. This practice is often tailored to address specific sleep preferences (side, back or front sleeping), and health considerations (like sore hips), or alleviate discomfort.

Pillow buying guide

Here’s a breakdown of why some sleepers opt for placing a pillow between their legs, back, or stomach:

Pillow Between the Legs

    • Spinal Alignment: Placing a pillow between the legs, especially for side sleepers, helps maintain proper spinal alignment. This can reduce strain on the lower back and hips by preventing the legs from pulling the spine out of alignment. It pulls the legs and spine into alignment.
    • Comfort for Pregnant Women: Pregnant women often benefit from placing a pillow between their legs to alleviate pressure on the hips and lower back. This position can enhance comfort and improve sleep quality during pregnancy.
    • Reducing Knee and Hip Pain: Individuals experiencing knee or hip pain may find relief by using a pillow to cushion and support these joints, promoting a more comfortable sleep experience. It stops joints from overextending when the knees are placed together at night.

2. Pillow behind the Back

    • Additional Lumbar Support: Placing a pillow behind the back can provide extra lumbar support for those who suffer from lower back pain. This helps maintain the natural curve of the spine and minimizes discomfort. Acting as a helping hand to keep the spine properly aligned.
    • Preventing Rolling onto the Back: Some sleepers who prefer sleeping on their sides use a pillow behind their back to prevent unintentional rolling onto their back during the night, which can be disruptive for those with certain medical conditions.

3. Pillow Under the Stomach

    • Spinal Alignment for Stomach Sleepers: Stomach sleepers may benefit from placing a thin pillow under the stomach to help maintain a more neutral spine position. This can alleviate strain on the lower back and prevent excessive arching of the spine. This is especially true on super soft mattresses where front sleepers can overextend causing an overpronounced arch in the back.
    • Relieving Pressure on Organs: Placing a pillow under the stomach can also relieve pressure on organs and reduce discomfort for individuals with certain gastrointestinal issues.
    • Enhanced Comfort for Pregnancy: Pregnant women who prefer stomach sleeping can use a small pillow under the abdomen to support the belly and reduce strain on the back.

How to choose the perfect pillow

Choosing the perfect pillow follows the same rules as that of buying a new mattress. By understanding your pillow requirements you can then easily sortlist the best pillow types to help you sleep better at night. Unfortunately, most people just guess when buying pillows or choose whatever is on offer in the local home furnishings shop or online retailer. But if you’ve spent a lot of time and money on a new mattress you should also apply the same care to choosing a new pillow for you and potentially your partner.

Perfect Pillow Checklist Below

  1. Choose the right material (natural fibre vs synthetic)
  2. Pick a tension that suits you (soft, medium or firm)
  3. Decide if you need a breathable pillow (ie Natural fibre pillow)
  4. How much rebound you want (memory foam vs latex)
  5. Your pillow budget (Natural fibres/Latex are the most expensive, polyester and memory foam the cheapest)

Which pillow is best feather or memory foam?

Memory Foam Pillows

Memory foam pillows are made of Vasco elastic heat retentive foam. Which makes them slow to respond to movement. As memory foam pillows warm up they soften and become mouldable to the sleeper’s head. This leads to a deep sink that is slow to react, so great for sleepers who sleep in one position all night.

Budget: They are at the entry to mid-point in terms of budget. Anywhere from £10-£100 per pillow depending on the quality of foam, brand and density (the higher the KG the firmer the pillow)

Firmness: Firm

Material: Manmade/Synthetic

A memory foam mattress hand print

Advantages of Memory Foam Pillows

  1. Exceptional Support: Memory foam pillows conform to the shape of your head and neck, providing personalized support. However, this requires them to warm up first and keeps the sleeper in one position.
  2. Hypoallergenic: Resistant to dust mites and allergens, making them ideal for allergy sufferers.
  3. Durable: High-quality memory foam pillows often have a longer lifespan ie £100 per pillow.

Disadvantages of Memory Foam Pillows

  1. Heat Retention: Some users may find memory foam pillows really hot as they trap heat, potentially causing discomfort and night sweats.
  2. Initial Odor: A temporary chemical odour, known as off-gassing, may be present when the pillow is first unpacked as the synthetic chemical VOC’s off-gass.

Feather Pillows

Feather pillows are one of the finest natural fibre pillows available. Feather pillows have a long and luxurious history, dating back to ancient civilizations like Egypt and Rome. Initially a symbol of wealth, feather-stuffed pillows were eventually embraced by a broader audience as technological advancements made production more accessible during the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution.

A feather mattress

Feather pillows are breathable and have high loft, meaning they can support a wide variety of sleepers, not to mention the fact they can be ‘moulded’ into different shapes during the night.

In the 20th century, improvements in design introduced a blend of down and feathers, enhancing softness and loft. Today, feather pillows continue to offer a classic and luxurious feel, combining tradition with modern comfort for a wide range of sleepers.

Budget: They are at the mid-point in terms of budget. Anywhere from £30-£200 per pillow depending on the feather grade and type ie chicken, duck or goose feather.

Firmness: Soft/Medium

Material: Natural fibre

A freshly made bed

Advantages of Feather Pillows

  1. Plush Comfort: Feather pillows offer a luxurious and soft feel, providing a classic sleeping experience which can be moulded and plumped or flattened depending on your preference.
  2. Adjustable Loft: The loftiness of feather pillows can be adjusted by fluffing or compressing.
  3. Natural Breathability: More breathable than some synthetic materials, promoting airflow and aiding a cool restful night’s sleep with no more head or neck sweats.

Disadvantages of Feather Pillows

    1. Allergies: Feather pillows may trigger allergies in some individuals due to dust mites and allergens.
    2. Compression and Clumping: Over time, feather pillows may compress and lose their loft, leading to uneven support. However, a quick 10 minutes on a tumble drier warm air cycle can bring them back to life.

Latex Pillows

Latex pillows are in John Ryan’s opinion probably the best pillows you can buy. They offer the speedy rebound of feathers and plumpness without the heat or slow-to-react nature of memory foam.

Latex pillows stand out as a superior choice compared to their polyester or memory foam counterparts for several reasons.

Latex foam samples take 3

Latex, derived from natural rubber trees, offers exceptional support and resilience, maintaining its shape and durability over time. The hypoallergenic properties of latex make it an ideal option for allergy sufferers, while its inherent breathability ensures a comfortable sleep temperature. Additionally, natural latex pillows (no man-made ‘synthetic’ grey latex pillows) are environmentally friendly, sourced sustainably and biodegradable, contrasting with the synthetic nature of polyester. Choosing a latex pillow over polyester provides a long-lasting, supportive, and eco-conscious sleep solution. However, they do come at a high price tag.

Budget: They are top-end budget-wise. Anywhere from £150-£400 per pillow depending on the type of latex (Dunlopillo vs Talalay), the depth and density (ie 60kg is cheaper than firmer 80kg).

Firmness: Medium/Firm

Material: Natural fibres if you choose 100% natural latex (not synthetic)

Advantages of Latex Pillows

  1. Supportive and Responsive: Latex pillows offer a supportive yet resilient feel, bouncing back to their original shape. They don’t retain heat like memory foam so are super responsive and cool to sleep on.
  2. Hypoallergenic: Naturally resistant to dust mites and allergens, unlike feather pillows.
  3. Durable: Latex pillows are known for their extreme durability, providing long-lasting support in some cases for 30 years if a high-grade 100% natural Dunlopillo latex is used.

Drawbacks of Latex Pillows

  1. Price: High-quality latex pillows can be relatively expensive some of which cost hundreds of pounds.
  2. Heavy: Latex pillows are heavier compared to other types, which may be a consideration for some users. They can be 4 times the weight of a cheaper polyester pillow.

Polyester Pillows

Polyester pillows are probably the most readily available and cost-conscious pillow option available. With a pillow being priced from £5 per pillow these are the mass-produced one-size-fits-all all offerings that most people buy for their beds. Not because they choose polyester but because 80% of all pillows available use polyester (even those that cheekily claim to be ‘feather-like’ or ‘high rebound down like’ pillows.

Polyester pillows are also lightweight and easy to care for, often machine washable. While they may not offer the same level of durability and support as some other materials, their low cost and low maintenance make polyester pillows a practical choice for many individuals seeking a comfortable and economical bedding solution.

Budget: They are entry-level or low-end. Anywhere from £5-£30 per pillow depending on the brand of amount of polyester wadding in them.

Firmness: Soft /Medium

Material: Manmade/Synthetic

How to choose a polyester pillow

Advantages of Polyester Pillows

  1. Affordable: Polyester pillows are generally more budget-friendly compared to some other types.
  2. Hypoallergenic Options: Polyester pillows can be found in hypoallergenic versions, suitable for those with allergies (but these need to be teamed up with pillow protectors which can be washed – see below maintenance guides)
  3. Easy Maintenance: These pillows are often machine washable and easy to care for (but some care needs to be taken as they often clump and turn lumpy).

Disadvantages of Polyester Pillows

  1. Less Durable: Polyester pillows may have a shorter lifespan compared to some other materials such as feather pillows.
  2. Less Support: They may not offer the same level of support as memory foam or latex pillows.

How much to spend on a pillow?

The big question we get asked all the time when buying pillows, is how much should you spend? Firstly it depends on the material you have chosen for your pillow and secondly, it depends on longevity. A £100 pillow that lasts 10 years is better than buying a £20 pillow every year for 10 years! If budget allows a minimum of £30 per pillow should be accounted for to ensure a durable and comfortable night’s sleep. But the more you can spend the higher the quality of the features of the pillow.

Our guide below gives some indication of what to spend

  • £5-£40: Polyester entry-level pillows
  • £20- £100: Memory foam pillows
  • £50 – £150: Feather pillows such as goose or duck down at the higher end
  • £100-£400: High-end natural Latex pillows

A Artisan 1500 natural fibre mattress

Pillow Care & Maintenance: how to make a pillow last

The best advice we can give you with pillows is to use pillow protectors underneath your pillowcases. This is an essential piece of bedding to help reduce staining, sweat, bacteria and dust mites from taking up home in your pillows.

A pillow protector can be taken off and washed each week with your pillow case and enables you to keep allergens in the bedroom to a minimum. Usually, a pillow protector is far thicker than a pillowcase and captures stains or sweat as you sleep.

All bedding should be washed on a 60-degree cycle to get rid of dust mites, bacteria, sweat, urine or other bodily stains that your bed may encounter throughout its life.

Turning, shaking and fluffing your pillow each morning is also essential to even out settlement and air the pillow. Airing pillows allow any humidity to be released and keep your pillows dry and fresh.

Can I machine wash a pillow?

Yes, you can machine wash certain pillows, but it depends on the pillow. So it is worthwhile double-checking that the pillow in question, usually a polyester pillow, can be machine washed and what the maximum temperature is so they don’t shrink or warp.

There are also a few warnings to bear in mind with ‘machine washable pillows’ to avoid some of the disasters we here of.

  • Always check your pillow can be washed
  • Latex, Memory foam and Feather pillows should never be washed in a washing machine only sponged clean
  • Ensure your pillow is fully stitched. Polyester pillows have a habit of breaking free in the washing machine and stuffing can clog your machine damaging it beyond repair
  • Remove the pillow as soon as the cycle finishes and reshape it by hand
  • Dry on a low-heat tumble drier setting for polyester pillows
  • Never dry your pillows on top of a radiator or oven as they may melt

Can I wash my mattress

Summary

When it comes to buying and choosing your pillows its worthwhile running through the requirements and the features of each of the four main pillow types. If you’re on a tight budget a polyester pillow maybe the only option, but if you can a feather or latex pillow really is worth the investment. They last longer and offer a cooler sleep surface, meaning no waking up with the sweats or having to readjust your pillow throughout the night.

Do you have questions about mattress care, pillow and maintenance? If you now need to swap your old uncomfortable mattress for a more suitable new mattress then why not get in touch with our friendly team of experts on 0161 437 4419. You can also browse our online shop of handmade luxury mattresses.

Sleep well

John & Ryan

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