I can tell you exactly how much thought went into my last mattress purchase, and exactly how little went into the pillow that came after it. I grabbed whatever was on special, used it until it went flat, kept using it for another year anyway. I think most of us do some version of that. It’s an odd blind spot, because the pillow is doing a fairly specific job every night. It holds the head and neck in line with the rest of the spine for seven or eight hours, and the right one has a lot more to do with how you actually sleep than how it feels for ten seconds in a shop.
Here’s how I’ve come to work it out.
Signs your pillow isn’t working
You don’t need a sleep study for this one. I’ve found a few signs tend to show up on their own:
- You wake up with a stiff neck or sore shoulders that ease off by mid-morning
- You fold the pillow in half, or stack two, to get comfortable
- It’s gone flat or lumpy, or it doesn’t spring back when you press on it
- You genuinely can’t remember when you bought it
Two or more of those sounding familiar is usually the sign to start fresh.
Start with your sleep position
This is the single biggest factor, and it’s the one I skipped past fastest for years. The goal is a neutral line between neck and spine, and the gap a pillow needs to fill changes depending on how you lie.
Side sleepers have the largest gap to fill, between the ear and the outside of the shoulder. A firmer pillow with a higher profile keeps the head from tipping down toward the mattress.
Back sleepers sit somewhere in the middle. A medium-firm pillow supports the natural curve of the neck without pushing the chin toward the chest.
Front sleepers need the least height of all. A soft, low-profile pillow cuts down the twist and strain on the neck, and some front sleepers find they do best on something very thin, or nothing at all under the head.
Anyone who moves around a lot through the night is usually better off with a medium profile and a fill that can be shaped a little as they go.
Microfibre or natural fill?
Once the height and firmness are sorted, the next decision is what’s actually inside, and this is where I notice most people stop reading the label.
Microfibre is easy-care and hypoallergenic, which makes it a sound choice for allergy-prone households. It’s soft, holds an even profile, and is usually simple to wash.
Natural fills breathe more and have more give. That tends to suit people who run warm overnight, particularly once an Australian summer gets going.
If you’re weighing up options, the Canningvale pillows range lists the fill, profile height and recommended sleep position on every product, which takes a fair amount of the guesswork out of matching a pillow to how you actually sleep.
Standard vs European pillows
Pillow sizing trips people up more than it should, me included the first time I bought a set.
A standard pillow is rectangular and fits most everyday pillowcases. This is the one you’re actually sleeping on.
A European pillow is large and square, usually 65cm by 65cm. Most people use them decoratively, propped against the headboard in front of the standard pillows, though they’re also handy for sitting up to read or watch something in bed.
Buying new pillowcases at the same time is a good moment to double check sizing, since it’s easy to end up with one that doesn’t fit either.
Looking after your pillows
A good pillow lasts noticeably longer with a bit of care.
- Use a pillow protector. It sits under the pillowcase and keeps sweat, skin oils and dust off the pillow itself. Washing a protector every couple of weeks is a lot easier than washing the pillow.
- Follow the care label. Some pillows are machine washable, others really aren’t. Worth checking before anything goes in the machine.
- Air them out. On a dry, sunny day, a few hours outside freshens a pillow up and helps it hold its loft.
- Give them a daily plump. A quick shake while making the bed keeps the fill spread evenly rather than settling in one corner.
When to replace a pillow
The usual rule of thumb is every one to two years, though a well cared for pillow can run a little longer than that. A simple test: fold it in half, or press firmly into the middle if it’s a firmer one. If it doesn’t bounce back, it’s done.
It’s also worth replacing a pillow sooner if sleep position changes, during pregnancy, after an injury, or after switching from front to side sleeping, since the pillow that worked before may not suit the new position at all.
A quick checklist before you buy
- What position do you sleep in most of the night?
- Do you need a high, medium or low profile?
- Do you run hot, or does anyone in the house have allergies?
- Standard size, European, or both?
- Have you got a protector to keep it fresh?
Get those five right and the pillow does its job quietly, night after night, without anyone really thinking about it again. And if you’re still waking up sore a few weeks into a new one, it’s worth a chat with a GP or physio, since the cause may have nothing to do with the bedding at all.
