You deserve to sleep comfortably. Are you getting the sleep that you need? You should be getting at least eight hours of sleep per night – and not just eight hours of dead sleep, but eight hours of great, comfortable sleep. If you’re often tired and groggy when you have to keep at the top of your game at work, then we’re almost sure that the way you sleep can be blamed. The way you sleep can even be the cause of your headaches, sinus problems or – gasp! – snoring. And you can take care of all of these problems with just making one simple change: Could all of these problems go away when and if you were to change your pillows to something more comfortable?
If you’re not sleeping comfortably, then it could be the simple fact that your pillows aren’t right for your sleeping position – you could be a side-sleeper, a front-sleeper, a back-sleeper or what we call a combination sleeper instead. And which pillows you’re using to compliment your sleep really matters. Here’s a look at just how you can figure out what kind of sleeper you are – and what to do about it once you know.
Sleep clinics
The science of sleep is such an extensive one that it’s a field of study all on its own: Yes, there are scientists who study specifically how people sleep, and there are sleep clinics (or sleep labs) that are set up specifically with the idea of studying sleep – and helping people fix a range of sleeping disorders from insomnia to sleepwalking. Why does this matter to you? If you’re having issues with sleep, you should make an appointment at a sleep clinic to rule out any other issues for your sleeplessness first – a sleep clinic can help you figure out if you should just stop eating cheese before bed and you’ll stop having nightmares, or if your sleeplessness is instead due to your mattress, pillows or any combination of the two. Of course, you’ll have to trade your own bed for a night or two for a sleep clinic’s, but it’s a small sacrifice to make if you want to get to the bottom of the sleep issues that you’ve been experience.
How do you sleep?
If you want to find out just how you sleep, a sleep clinic is a great way to find out – yes, they should be more than happy to provide you with footage of what you look like when you’re asleep, and you can find some very helpful clues from this. If you don’t want to go to the effort of visiting a sleep clinic right away, then you can test this from home by setting up a webcam to record you at night – or, you know, you can just ask your partner if you’re married or in a relationship. This will help you figure out what kind of position you sleep in for most of the night, and how many times you switch positions in the same night – while there are a few people in the world who sleep in the very same position for most of the night, most people don’t. If you want to figure out where your sleep problems, discomfort or pain start, you’ll want to take a very good look at the way you sleep.
People sleep in different ways
People sleep in different ways. You know that, right? But have you ever really stopped to think about what this means? There are people who mostly sleep on their side – either left or right, that’s down to their own personal preference and what’s comfortable; then there are people who choose to sleep mostly on their back – these types of people, you should know, are a little more prone to snoring and sinus issues because of it, and sleeping on your back is never recommended by doctors for that reason. Then, there are people who sleep on their front – and people who sleep on their front, but a little bit to the side, which we’d guess means that they count as front-side sleepers instead. What’s comfortable for one person might be the most uncomfortable thing imaginable for someone else. And, the weird position you’ve been sleeping in lately that causes that pain in your neck could just be because of your pillows.
What’s a combination sleeper, then?
Do you know what kind of a sleeper you are yet? If you see that you move positions several times throughout the night – and pretty much go through all of the positions we’ve mentioned above – then you’re what’s called a combination sleeper instead. That’s good to know, right? Combination sleepers happen for various reasons, sometimes they have an old injury that nags if they sleep in one position for too long, and some people just sleep like a windmill. If you’re a combination sleeper, you might have noticed that you need a larger bed – if you’re a single person, a single bed might be too small for you. You might have also noticed that you have to keep turning your pillows around the entire night – or you keep losing pillows off of the bed. Combination sleepers need to make some adjustments to their pillows if they want to have a comfortable night’s sleep.
Pillows, pillows, pillows
So, then, let’s talk about pillows. There’s absolutely nothing worse than having the wrong pillows, or having pillows that are so old that they’ve gone flat over time – and by that point you can know that they’re infected with all sorts of things that include dust mites. You don’t want to think about the kind of gross things that you’ll find in old pillows. So, we’ve established that you’ve got to replace your pillows regularly. We wouldn’t recommend bamboo pillows or traditional cotton-stuffed or feather pillows for combination sleepers – they just don’t offer the right kind of support, and the traditional feather pillows have to be replaced way too often. Next, let’s talk about the rules of buying pillows.
The rules for buying pillows
There are a few rules that go along with buying new pillows. If you stick to these, you’ll always be happy with your pillow purchase – without exception.
- First, you’re looking at the comfort levels of your chosen pillow. If it feels like you’re laying your head down on a brick or well, bed of roses that still have the thorns in, you aren’t going to buy that pillow, right? So, the comfort factor is arguably the most important factor when you’re buying.
- Next, you’re looking at the durability of the pillow you want to buy. Obviously, you want something that’s not going to tear or tarnish, you want something that’s going to last – and you want a pillow that you won’t have to replace again in two months when it’s gone completely flat.
- The overall quality of the pillow you want to buy matters too. You want a good quality pillow that does what it was advertised to do, and you’re looking at something with a decent warranty to it – so remember to ask the store you’re buying from.
- Are you buying online? Go to an actual mattress store and see if you can test out the exact model of pillow that you’re looking to buy online – that way, you can take it for a decent test run and see if it’s the right level of comfort that you’re looking for.
The best pillows for combination sleepers
Are you a combination sleeper looking for comfort? Here are some of the options that you can try out for a test run if you find that your current pillow setup isn’t doing the thing for you anymore…
One of the top reasons combination sleepers don’t sleep comfortably is the fact that they constantly have to turn their pillows around because they keep going hot and flat – if you’re a pillow-turner, you’ll appreciate a cooling pillow. These are usually made with a combination of memory foam and gel so there’s no need to turn, and it fits whatever position you are in.
Memory foam is beneficial for the fact that it’s hypoallergenic, and for the fact that it conforms to the shape of your neck, head and body as you sleep: Memory foam is thus a preferred option for many, and one that you’ll find more comfortable if you change positions very frequently.
Should you consider a body pillow? First, it works by offering support for your entire body and not just your head: This is perfect for combination sleepers who like a little bit of extra support, and if you’re someone who can’t sleep without clenching a pillow between their knees – as is the case with a lot of people, combination sleepers or not – you will find sleeping with a body pillow the most comfortable thing on earth. And, they happen to be made from memory foam too most of the time – so they’ll conform to the shape of your body.
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