According to sleep experts, you should sleep with only one pillow under your head, however, preference and sleeping position often take the lead when it comes to considerations for the ideal number of pillows. Read on to learn why we recommend sleeping with a high-quality single pillow.
In some cases, it's worth sleeping with two pillows. For side sleepers, it is recommended that people sleep with one pillow under their head and one pillow in between their knees. Back sleepers may want to place a pillow under their knees.
Even though many people sleep with two, three or even four bed pillows, the recommended number is just one. A single pillow is all you need to support your head throughout a night's rest. The whole purpose of a pillow is to keep your neck aligned with your spine.
For a full size bed, Wolf recommends two standard pillows, two standard or Euro shams and one to two accent pillows. Queen beds can easily hold two queen pillows and two queen shams, plus two to three accent pillows or a single bolster.
For side and back sleepers and people with wide shoulders, one sleeping pillow may not comfortably fill the gap between their head and the mattress. This lack of support in bed can lead to neck pain, poor quality sleep, and even headaches.
The bottom line: Sleeping with multiple pillows may seem like a supportive choice, but it could be disrupting your spine's natural alignment. For this reason, sleeping with one thicker pillow is generally the preferred option.
To gauge the severity of this symptom, doctors often ask people how many pillows they need to lie on to avoid feeling short of breath in bed. For example, "three-pillow" orthopnea is worse than "two-pillow" orthopnea, because you have less tolerance for lying flat.
Most experts recommend replacing pillows every 1 to 2 years. Doing so helps to ensure that you're using pillows that are supportive, clean, and free of allergens.
The recommended number of pillows to sleep with is actually just one, as it has been suggested that sleeping on any more than one can result in straining various areas of your body. As well as this, issues with posture and spinal alignment can arise which none of us want!
It's generally recommended to use a pillow if you sleep on your back or side. However, what's most important is that you feel comfortable and pain-free in bed. If you have neck or back pain, or if you have spine condition like scoliosis, sleeping without a pillow may be unsafe.
The notch above the sternum is called the suprasternal notch. These two areas should be level when lying on your side. If the philtrum is lying higher than the suprasternal notch then your pillow is too high. If the philtrum is lying lower than the suprasternal notch then your pillow is too low.
Your shoulders should not be on the pillow. Not So Great: On your side, with your legs curled up towards the chest. This does not provide spine alignment for the shoulders and neck. It also does not evenly distribute weight throughout your body and can lead you to waking up in the morning with back pain.
To align your spine and ensure that you're getting the support that you need, it is recommended to sleep with one pillow beneath your head, and one between your knees.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
Sleeping without a pillow can help some people who sleep on their stomach, but it is not a good idea for everyone. People who sleep on their side or back will usually find that sleeping without a pillow puts pressure on their neck. By doing this, it can ruin a person's quality of sleep and lead to neck and back pain.
This article references oxytocin as the “trust hormone,” and points out that it's known to “lower anxiety, improve memory and act as a stress-reliever.” Therefore, the act of hugging your body pillow can improve both your mental and physical health, because it calms the mind and eases physical aches and pains ...
Number of Pillows
Which means it really is a personal preference. It also depends on how big your bed is. From a design standpoint, I personally think that no more than eight pillows are best. Eight or less won't take over the bed, looks great, and has a nice symmetry.
Aligning Pillow Height with Sleep Position and Body Size
If the pillow is too high when sleeping sideways or on the back, the neck is bent abnormally forward or to the side, causing muscle strain on the back of the neck and shoulders.
Sweat. We all sweat at night, and over time sweat can seep through your pillowcase and onto your pillow. Eventually, this will cause your pillow to yellow. Sweat stains are the most common reason for pillow yellowing.
If your pillow can be washed, it should be washed at least twice a year. If you eat in bed, have pets, or sweat a lot, you should wash pillows quarterly. Special pillows like body pillows or throw pillows should be cleaned every 3 to 6 months.
So, the bottom line is that you should change your pillowcase at least once per week. That's even if you don't sleep with a pillow right under your neck or face. If you want to do it every few days, that's even better.
For most sleepers, omitting the pillow is likely to have detrimental effects on sleep posture. When a back sleeper lies on a flat surface, the head and neck may fall into a downward tilt, leading to pressure in the neck.
Putting a pillow between your legs keeps your pelvis neutral and prevents your spine from rotating during the night. Maintaining good alignment can relieve some of the stress from the tissues in your back and may potentially reduce pain caused by a herniated disc or sciatica.
Too Much Sitting, Lying Down Could Increase Heart Failure Risk by 42% in Older Women. An analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative details the detrimental impact of sedentary behavior on the risk of heart failure in older women.