3 signs that you’re sleeping on the wrong pillow

Getting a restful sleep requires the correct tools. You need a mattress that suits the needs of your body, a pillow that offers support to your neck and shoulders, and enough layers on the bed to keep you warm and snuggly throughout the night, without making you feel hot or sticky.

For the most part, working out exactly what works for you comes down to trial and error. You need to test a few duds before your find the perfect fit. With that in mind, we spoke to Richard Christianson, musculoskeletal physiotherapist, who is currently working with Dunlopillo, about how to tell if you’re sleeping on the wrong pillow, and how to pick a winner.

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3 signs you're sleeping on the wrong type of pillow

1. You can’t get comfortable

“One of the main features you should be looking for in a pillow is self-rated comfort,” says Richard. “A clear sign that your pillow may not be right for you is persistent tossing and turning in the first 20-30 minutes of trying to sleep. Make sure you trial pillows as comfort is a personal preference, not a science.”

2. You wake up with a sore or stiff neck

“Another sign is waking up within the first four to five hours of going to sleep due to a stiff or sore neck,” says Richard. “The use of a high-density material, such as latex or memory foam, may hold their shape for longer, allowing for more uniform comfort and support.”

3. Your body is incorrectly aligned

“A simple self-assessment is to take a picture of you lying either on your back or side and see if the pillow fills your natural curvatures of your spine, thus allowing your head to rest in alignment with your chest and shoulders. If your head is angled up, then your pillow profile may be too big, and if your head is angled down then your pillow profile may be too low. If you like to sleep in either positions, then a dual contour pillow may be a great option.

What are the best pillows for every type of sleeper?

“Side sleepers need to fill the gap between their shoulder and midline so that their head doesn’t hang lower than the midline, or is propped up to high above midline. The variables which will determine the profile of your pillow for side sleepers is your frame width and the comparative density of the mattress to the pillow.”
“Back sleepers - due to the smaller curvature of the cervical spine – only have a small gap to fill, so a lower profile pillow may be all you need.”
“The main factor to be aware of for stomach sleepers is the extra degree of neck rotation it causes. When you already have a sore neck, this position is usually an uncomfortable position to adopt. So, when buying a pillow, look for shapes and designs that can help lessen the rotation angle of the neck.”

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Want more advice on getting a better sleep? Watch the video below.

Laura Barry

Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.