Fact checked by Vincent Wang, MS CPE
Vincent Wang, MS CPE
Vincent Wang is a Senior Human Factors Engineer at Casper and a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) with over 10 years of experience in Human Factors Engineering, Product Design, Biomechanics, Anthropometry, and Strategic Planning.
Choose a pillow based on your sleep position: side sleepers need firm pillows, back sleepers need medium-firm, and stomach sleepers need soft, thin ones. Material and firmness are also important for comfort and support. Replace pillows every two years.
When it comes to getting a solid night’s sleep, a top-notch mattress and a pair of high-quality bed sheets might immediately spring to mind.
But in your search for more rejuvenating rest, you may overlook another vital component of sleep: your pillow.
At the same time, the perfect pillow is as subjective as the right-sized bed. Flat and firm, or fluffy and sumptuous? Memory foam or down? Orthopedic or gel?
While experts can’t crown a single winner in the great pillow debate, you can find one that meets all your sleep needs with a little help from Casper. Keep reading to learn how to choose a pillow — and why they’re often key to restorative (even brag-worthy) rest.
Ever woken up with massive neck pain after barely lifting a finger the day before? Or feel fuzzy-brained after clocking in eight hours of sleep?
Your pillow could be to blame: According to Harvard Health, the wrong pillow can lead to a host of complications ranging from sleep deprivation to disruptions in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment.1
The right pillow, on the other hand, may offer several benefits:
But what makes a pillow the right pillow? Let’s explore.
Plush, firm, thick, thin: The characteristics of your dream pillow are as unique as how you unwind at night. While selecting the right pillow comes down to your personal preferences, revolutionize your sleep by taking a practical approach.
Sleep experts indicate that your sleeping style should be one of the biggest determining factors when shopping for a pillow — again, to keep that neutral alignment intact, maximize comfort and support, and encourage uninterrupted rest.7
If you naturally tend toward sleeping on your side, you’ll find much to love and appreciate about firm, thick pillows, which help keep your head, shoulders, and neck level.8
How can you be sure that the pillow you choose promotes alignment? Here’s what to consider:
Ultimately, side sleepers may benefit most from a medium to full loft memory foam pillow.
One to try: The Original Casper Pillow. The unique pillow-in-pillow design offers mid-loft height to support you all night long.
Being a back sleeper offers several health benefits, such as9:
If you’ve trained yourself to sleep on your back (or you do it naturally), you’ll hit the hay with greater ease by investing in a medium-firm pillow with a medium-high loft.10 You’ll want a pillow that elevates your head and neck without interrupting your spine’s natural curvature.
You may feel your sleepiest when lying on your stomach. But sleeping stomach-down puts strain on your back and spine, which might cause aches and pains throughout your entire body.11 Stomach sleepers also have to twist their necks which, over time, may lead to neck issues.11
In other words? Sufficient head and neck support is especially important for stomach sleepers. A soft, thin (or “low loft”) pillow may reduce the angle of your head and neck and improve your overall sleep posture.10
The Casper Low Loft Memory Foam Pillow might be the solution. Designed to keep your head and neck properly aligned, this soft and squishy low loft pillow gently hugs your upper body.
Your pillow’s materials can also make or break a good night’s sleep.
Luckily, you have many types of pillows to choose from. These include12:
To find your perfect pillow, let your sleeping position and your material preferences inform your choice.
For example, if you’re a stomach sleeper who prizes malleability in their pillow, a microbead pillow (which is firm and breathable) might be your golden ticket to comfier sleep. Happen to be dealing with persistent neck pain? An orthopedic pillow may alleviate pressure by promoting fundamental alignment.13
Still torn? Remember that picking the best pillow comes down to discovering your ideal balance between comfort and support. (Keyword being your.)
The same applies to your pillow’s firmness and support levels.
You may feel drawn to fluffier pillows you can sink your head into, or you may want a pillow that’s firmer and more substantial — you know your body best.
Keep the different levels of pillow firmness and support in mind (as well as your body weight) when you start shopping for the perfect place to rest your head. These include:
Learn more about firm vs soft pillows in our blog.
Further, consider all the factors discussed above. To recap: Side sleepers may need a firmer pillow to cradle their necks. Stomach sleepers should opt for soft solutions. And back sleepers might find their Goldilocks level of comfort and support with a medium-firm pillow like the Original Casper Pillow — a classic, ultra-cozy design that adapts to your movements throughout the night.
Temperature regulation is central no matter where you live in the world. After all, who hasn’t woken up drenched in sweat and found it impossible to fall back asleep?
To this end, you may want to search for a pillow that features:
Tend towards the hotter side when you sleep? If so, you might want to add a cooling pillow to your cart. The Casper Essential Cooling Foam Pillow boasts a super-breathable cover. It’s also cool to the touch and boosts airflow, all to keep you chill and content from lights off to lights on. Learn more about how to stay cool at night with our helpful tips.
Say you’ve found the pillow that meets and even exceeds your expectations. Can you hold onto it for, well, life?
In a word, no. While pillows don’t have an expiration date, per se, they do deal with a lot, from the weight of your head to particles, skin cells, dirt, and dust.14 So, when should you replace pillows? Generally speaking, you should replace your pillows every two years.14
However, you can maintain your pillow’s longevity by14:
Ultimately, if your pillow stops providing the perks it once offered, it may be time to retire it — and start retiring with a newer model.
How to choose a pillow may seem simple enough. But for sleep that prepares you to take on the world, consider your usual sleeping position, your size, and your preferences. All can make an enormous difference between “good enough” and ahhhhhsome.
Casper can simplify the process even further. We offer a wide range of pillows to support every sleeper’s needs, from our uber-cooling Hybrid Pillow with Snow Technology to the Backrest Pillow for remote workers or those who love to lounge upright in bed.
End the great pillow debate with Casper — and reap the benefits of blissful, genuinely rejuvenating sleep.
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