Not sleeping with a pillow can be great for stomach sleepers to align the spine but bad for back and side sleepers, potentially causing neck pain, stiffness, and headaches by misaligning the spine and straining muscles; the key is maintaining a neutral spinal alignment, which often requires a pillow for back/side sleepers but not for stomach sleepers, who might need a thin pillow under their hips instead.
A pillow helps fill that gap, taking pressure off your neck and other parts of your body. That's why it's important that back and side sleepers don't skip out on the pillow. Neck pain can ruin the quality of your sleep and leave you tossing and turning all night. With the right pillow, your neck will thank you.
Sleeping without a pillow may help some people who sleep on their stomachs, but it's not a good idea for everyone. Side or back sleepers often find that sleeping without a pillow puts pressure on their neck and back. This can reduce the quality of sleep and lead to back pain and neck strain while sleeping.
While it's not necessarily bad for everyone, sleeping flat can prevent you from getting truly restful and restorative sleep. The position in which you sleep can have a significant impact on the quality of your rest and overall health.
The unhealthiest sleeping position is generally considered to be sleeping on your stomach (prone position), as it forces your neck to twist and flattens the natural curve of your spine, leading to neck, back, and shoulder pain, numbness, and poor sleep quality. An overly curled fetal position is also harmful, causing joint stiffness and restricted breathing, while sleeping on your back can worsen snoring and sleep apnea for some individuals.
The 2-2-1 pillow rule is a popular interior design formula for arranging five pillows on a sofa or bed, creating a balanced, layered look: two large pillows (often squares/euros) anchor each end, two slightly smaller pillows nestle inside them, and one unique, smaller statement or lumbar pillow goes in the center as the focal point, adding texture and color. This method provides symmetry and visual interest by using graduating sizes and contrasting textures, making furniture look polished and inviting.
In ancient days, pillows were not as we know them. The earliest known pillows appear to be carved stone bolsters in Mesopotamia from 9,000 years ago. Sometime later, the ancient Egyptians constructed headrests from wood or stone, which lifted and cradled the head off the sleeping surface.
Back sleeping
Lying flat keeps your spine neutral and distributes your weight evenly. Some people with lower back aches may need an additional pillow beneath their knees to reduce pressure and stress on the lower back muscles.
Side sleeping is considered the optimal position for breathing, helping keep the airway open. This can cut down on snoring and mitigate sleep apnea, since the tongue and other soft tissues don't relax into the back of the throat. (See “Unusual signs of sleep apnea.”) It can hamper heartburn.
As scholar Roger Ekirch uncovered through historical study of literature, art and diaries, people would once head to bed when it got dark, sleep for four hours, wake for a while, and then slide into a “second sleep” for another four hours.
Pillows can be easy to overlook because you use them every night, and they blend into the fabric of your day-to-day. But they actually make a big difference in how rested you feel each morning. A quality pillow supports proper alignment, helps you fall asleep faster, and keeps you sleeping soundly through the night.
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
The rarest major sleeping position is often cited as the Starfish (on your back with arms up), with only about 5-7% of people sleeping that way, but stomach sleeping (prone position) is also very uncommon, with less than 10% of adults preferring it, making it a strong contender for rarest, though sometimes considered a major type, not just a variation. More niche or minor variations, like specific fetal or "T-Rex arms" (bent wrists), might be rarer still, but data focuses on broad categories.
Sleeping on one's back could impair waste clearance mechanisms in the brain and may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, including Alzheimer's.
Sleep quality and regeneration
In addition, sleeping on the right side may worsen breathing, especially for people with sleep apnea or snoring. Studies have shown that changing sleep position to the left side can reduce the frequency of sleep apnea episodes by improving airflow through the airways.
Yes, you can absolutely correct years of bad posture through consistent effort, though it takes time and dedication, involving exercises to strengthen weak muscles and stretch tight ones, plus ergonomic adjustments and body awareness to retrain your body's habits for better alignment and reduced pain, even if it's never truly "too late" to make significant improvements.
What to Avoid
The koala is famous for sleeping around 20-22 hours a day, which is about 90% of the day, due to their low-energy diet of eucalyptus leaves that requires extensive digestion. Other extremely sleepy animals include the sloth (up to 20 hours) and the brown bat (around 20 hours), with some snakes like the ball python also sleeping up to 23 hours daily.
Biphasic sleep
Before the Industrial revolution started in the 19th century, most people practiced two regular sleep cycles throughout the day. This was known as biphasic sleep, also known as segmented sleep.
As the neck is overextended, maintaining that neutral position becomes impossible. If you sleep on your back, sleeping without a pillow can cause your head to tilt downward, causing tension and pain, even headaches. Sleeping without a pillow can be a real problem if you suffer from heartburn or acid reflux.
Another thing to consider is the need for multiple pillows on the bed to breathe while sleeping. This may be a sign of an underlying heart condition. A common question doctors ask when diagnosing a heart condition is, “How many pillows do you sleep with?”
You'll also want to avoid placing your pillow too low. You don't want it underneath your shoulders because this can also lead to pain.
REASONS TO STYLE YOUR PILLOWS WITH A CHOP: It adds variety: Chopping a few pillows and not chopping others adds interest to the room without feeling too manicured. The space feels lived-in: A soft pillow chop gives the look of a loved and lived-in space. The room will look neat and approachable.
The unhealthiest sleeping position is generally considered to be sleeping on your stomach (prone position), as it forces your neck to twist and flattens the natural curve of your spine, leading to neck, back, and shoulder pain, numbness, and poor sleep quality. An overly curled fetal position is also harmful, causing joint stiffness and restricted breathing, while sleeping on your back can worsen snoring and sleep apnea for some individuals.