Looking For The Perfect Pillow
Kevin Harris
Your pillow can be your best friend or your worst enemy. After
all you spend one-third of your life with your pillow and it
knows better than anybody how you sleep best and how you sleep
worst. Doesn't it make sense to make the right choice to
provide yourself the most comfort and the best sleep during
that significant portion of your life.
In order to get the most out of your pillow you really should
give it more than a passing thought. But if you've ever been to
the pillow department and seen all the choices, you have
probably suffered from "pillow shock" at the amazing array and
the stunning expense.
First things first, are you looking for a "sleeping pillow" or
a "looking good pillow?" Around my house, there are pillows we
sleep with and pillows we put on the bed to look good. This
article focuses mainly on "sleeping pillows." However, we'll
say this about pillows that are meant to look good: Pick a good
pillow that will retain its shape and choose the length and
shape that looks best to you. If it's not meant to be used,
those are really the only things that matter.
Now, sleeping pillows have a very specific purpose: To help you
sleep your best. There are several options to consider:
SIZE - There are basically three sizes available. Standard,
King, and Queen. A King or Queen pillow may be too long for
sleeping unless you're looking for a body length pillow.
Occasionally you may find full-body length pillows available.
FIRMNESS - Pay attention to the firmness of a pillow when
you're purchasing it. The required firmness of the pillow will
change depending on the position you sleep in. Your pillow
should give you proper head and spine support. The shape and
support that your pillow provides changes if you are a back
sleeper or a side sleeper. If you're a back sleeper you will
need a fairly flat or soft pillow. If you're a side sleeper,
you might need a pillow that has some more substantial support
that can support your head. Here are some quick and dirty
guidelines:
Stomach Sleeper - go for 'soft'
Back Sleeper - go for 'medium'
Side Sleeper - go for 'firm'
Of course if you're like me, you might flop around in some or
all of those positions making your firmness choice a bit more
difficult.
FILLINGS - Pillow fillings are important to your pillow choice
and have a great deal of impact on pillow comfort, durability,
and even air quality. You have quite a few options available to
you and each has it's own positives and negatives. Cotton is
naturally hypoallergenic, but can compact over time. Down or
down-blend is considered the height of comfort, longevity, and
adjustability. Even though some progress has been made in
hypoallergenic down pillows, those with allergy sensitivities
may still have problems with down pillows. Feather pillows use
different blends of down and feathers in many different
combinations. The same warning for allergy sensitive users
should apply here. Polyester comes in a couple of different
grades, regular polyester is pretty common but can become
compacted, like cotton. Siliconized polyester feels similar to
down and will not become compacted like regular polyester.
Latex foam rubber gives good support and maintains its shape
but will break down over time.
COVERING - The ticking (cloth covering) for your pillow serves
several purposes. It should keep the filling in and keep the
dust out of your pillow. For a down pillow, look for a 250
thread count on the ticking. For other fillings, 200 thread
count should be sufficient.
Don't cheat yourself when choosing a pillow. It can really be
more important than you can ever imagine. Once you've slept
through the night with the right pillow, you'll never want to
go back.
About The Author: Kevin Harris owns
http://www.EmeraldPillows.com
which strives to bring great
pillow resources to consumers who are shopping for a new pillow
but don't have a clue where to turn or how to sort through the
dizzying selection in the pillow department.
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