Introduction
Your choice of pillow should require as much thought as your choice of mattress and duvet. A number of factors should determine which pillow you invest in including shape, size and the position you sleep in. Sleeping on the correct pillow for you is vital if you want to sleep soundly and comfortably!
This helpful guide has been designed to make your decision as easy and hassle-free as possible, directing you towards the right pillow for you.
When is the right time to buy a new pillow?
You may not be aware of the fact that the normal life span of a pillow is 2-4 years. It important to make sure you regularly replace your pillows as they can become unhygienic. They also lose their shape and more importantly their support they provide you with at night.
Signs to look out for if your pillow is on the way out:
Discolouring of the pillow:
You can lose up to a pint of sweat during the night which unsurprisingly means that pillows can become stained and discoloured over time. Not only is this not very nice to look at, it is also incredibly unhygienic as it also allows for bacteria to grow within the filling of the pillow.
Waking up with a stiff neck:This is a major sign that your pillow has become flat and no longer supportive in the way it should be. It is also a sign that your pillow is not suited for your sleeping style.
Waking up feeling wheezy and/or a blocked, runny nose: This could be an allergic reaction to dust mites inhabiting in your pillow, new pillows are dust mite free!
Pillows have much more of a limited life span than mattresses or duvets as the weight of our heads lying on them every night flattens them substantially. This means that the level of support that your pillow offers will deteriorate dramatically over the years.
There is also a test that you can carry out on your old pillow to determine whether you need a new one.
Natural Pillow:
- Place the pillow on a flat surface. Next, fold the pillow
in half, squeezing out all the air.
- Next release the pillow. If it does not return to it’s
original shape, this is a sign that you need a new pillow.
Synthetic Pillow:
- Place the pillow on a flat surface. Next, fold the pillow in half and place a medium size shoe or trainer on the folded pillow.
- If the pillow fails to throw off the shoe or trainer and return back to it's original shape then this is a sign that your pillow needs to be replaced.
What type of pillow is best for me?
Animal feather and down pillows keep their shape and support longer than synthetic pillows. They have a light and airy feel making them heavenly soft to lie down on. The more feather in the pillow, the more firm it tends to be, whilst down adds softness.
However the allergens which are found in these pillows can make them unsuitable for allergy sufferers. Therefore you may want to opt for synthetic material pillows which are hypoallergenic, meaning that they naturally repel bed bugs and dust mites. This means that allergy suffers can sleep peacefully and soundly at night, without the worry that they will be disturbed during the night. However some people just simply prefer synthetic filings and parents might want a more cost-effective option for their children.
Non-allergenic
There is a lot of non-allergenic fillings available on the market at the moment so price and quality can vary considerably.
Luxury Microfibre Pillow
- Our microfibre pillows have all the plush properties of feather and down making them a great alternative.
- Made with only best quality breathable microfibre, our pillows can draw away any
excess moisture away from your body whilst you sleep. This allows you to remain at
the opitimum temperature throughout the night.
Contoured Memory Foam Pillow
- The revolutionary design of contoured memory foam pillows fully supports your head,
neck and shoulders.
- Being temperature sensitive means that the memory foam moulds around the
contours of your neck, cradling you while you sleep.
- Sleeping on a contoured memory foam pillow can help to reduce snoring and can help
suffers of sleep apnoea by causing less restrictions on the airways.
Moulded Memory Foam Pillow
- Our moulded memory foam pillow is made with the highest quality, visco-elastic
memory foam which instantly reacts to your body’s pressure, sculpting around the contours of your body.
- Fully supporting your neck, shoulders and back, this pillow will promote the correct
spine alignment which eliminates upper back and shoulder pains.
Natural Feather and Down
The natural luxury and support provided by natural fillings make these pillows a popular choice. Air pockets can become trapped between the feathers/down which allows it to form around the shape of your head and neck. The ratio of firm feathers to the soft down determines whether or not the pillow will be firm or soft.
Furthermore in this type of pillows, the quality of the down itself will also have an affect on the softness and cosiness of the pillow. Different types of birds all produce different sizes of down, in general, the bigger the down cluster, the softer and higher the pillow will be.
Duck Feather and Down
- Our supremely soft duck feather and down pillows offer excellent support at an affordable price.
- You can sink into these lavish pillows without the worry that you will wake up with a sore neck as they support your neck fully whilst you sleep.
Goose Down surrounding feather
- A more luxurious option is our goose down and surrounding feather pillows which are
exceptionally soft and snug to sleep on at night.
- Geese tend to have larger down clusters, which makes for a wonderfully plush pillow
which feels blissful to lie down on.
White Goose Down
- Airy and breathable make our white goose down pillows scrumptiously soft to lie down
on.
- Surround yourself in idyllic softness night after night as the goose down cradles you
during sleep.
Hungarian Goose Down
- Our premium Hungarian Goose Down pillows fit snugly around your head and neck,
offering complete comfort and support.
- The most luxurious option we have available, Hungarian goose down is known for it’s
sublime softness and plushness.
Which pillow is best for my sleeping style?
Taking your time finding the correct and most suitable pillow for your sleeping position is a worthwhile investment which can lead to you achieving the best night’s sleep possible, night after night. Your perfect pillow can be determined by a number of factors including, body shape, size, personal preference and most importantly what position you sleep in. Everyone’s style in which they sleep is unique, therefore the pillow that is most suited to you, may not be for your partner. To help find the pillow which is best for you, we have put together a few tips on which pillows are best for what sleeping position.
If you sleep on your back or stomach…
Back or tummy sleepers need a soft but not too dense pillow that will mould delicately around your head and neck, providing full support.
If you sleep on your side…
Side sleepers require a firmer pillow, or pillows depending on personal preference, in order to make sure that your head is correctly supported and aligned with your spine.
What pillows are most suited for children?
A child’s first pillow needs to be soft so their little necks are not strained but a baby must be at least 12 months old before they sleep with duvet or pillow. Just like pillows for adults, the firmness of children’s pillows is determined by the ratio of feather to down.
It is also not advisable to allow your baby to sleep on a memory foam pillow unless it is one that has been specially designed for babies.
