Having the knowledge of various pillow shapes and fills can ultimately mean the difference between a good quality sleep and one where you are constantly tossing and turning.
There are many pillows out there claiming to offer all sorts of advantages. Pillows that benefit from breathability, that promise to conform to your head shape. Pillows that keep your head cool or that provide pressure relief.
Let’s highlight some common pillow types – what it takes to make one successful in achieving pressure relief and where some types of pillows fall short.
Here are five pillow types listed in order of their pressure relieving qualities, starting first with the one that provides the least pressure relief.
5. Feather pillows
Often seen as a luxury purchase, feather pillows definitely provide you with a comfortable option. You can scrunch them up to make them mould to you, seemingly offering you some support.
However, that support doesn’t last long – it requires one to continually loft the pillow in order to keep it plump. Even after it’s plumped up, it starts to sink again as soon as you lie down on it.
It’s this lack of continual support that ultimately means that it provides little to no pressure relief, and for this reason it’s only deserving of the last place on this list.
4. Fibre pillows
One of the most common pillows on the market, fibre pillows are often seen as a budget-conscious pillow choice. Due to the cheaper materials used they tend to readily lose their shape and supporting qualities.
That said, higher-quality fibre pillows do offer more support, and tend to emulate down pillows in offering comfort. But as with feather pillows, they offer little resistance and as such fall short in providing any great pressure relieving qualities.
3. Memory foam pillows
Memory foam has become very popular over the years due to its NASA backstory and way it sculps to the body. Many have bought into the idea of nesting into their pillow and having something mould to you .
Well they may feel comfortable however, comfort can be misleading. Memory foam offers pressure relief, but falls short of providing proprioception and postural management needed to make for both a super comfortable and good quality sleep.
2. Ergonomic pillows
Ergonomic pillows are especially for people suffering from chronic neck and back pain and other medical issues. In this setting the person is wanting support and pressure relief to allow for an improved quality of sleep.
With soft padding and unique design elements, they aim to promote the best sleeping position. The curvature of the pillow supports your natural position, preventing you from putting too much pressure on your spine during sleep.
Revolving around the user, ergonomic pillows aim to maximise efficiency and comfort. Varied dimensions and elevations ease the tension normally placed on pain points such as the neck, shoulder, head and spine.
Its composition and shape promote pressure relief for the person sleeping and that’s why we rate it highly for this purpose.
1. Levitex posture pillow
Of course Levitex posture pillows were going to be the best! But we don’t just want you to take our word on it. That’s why Levitex pillows are the only clinically evidenced pillow that offers pressure relief.
Modelled on latex, extensive independent research has gone into the revolutionary design and formulation of the foam.
One study highlighting the effect of latex pillows on pain and disability in patients showed it can reduce discomfort and improve neck mobility in as little as four weeks.
Levitex foam provides pressure relief for comfort, and resistance for support. It achieves pressure relief by offering softness like traditional memory foam, but firmness like a sprung mattress, all in one composition.
Its unique properties are made from 25% compression (light squeeze) . The softness takes all the pressure off your body. However at 65% compression (firm squeeze) the firmness supports your body and maintains your posture.
Made with an optimum foam formulation that considers posture, pressure and proprioception, Livetex pillows also come in different sizes ensuring you get the correct pressure relief for your unique shape and size.
With lots of information now at your fingertips and various types of pillow on the market, the choice is yours to decide which one to go for.
With that said, please always consider your sleep posture – the surface you sleep on and the position you sleep in. That way you’ll go a long way to heading for a great quality sleep.
