According to sleep experts, you should sleep with only one pillow under your head, however, preference and sleeping position often take the lead when it comes to considerations for the ideal number of pillows. Read on to learn why we recommend sleeping with a high-quality single pillow.
Most people tend to sleep with two pillows. But research suggests that you really should only be sleeping with one under your head.
In some cases, it's worth sleeping with two pillows. For side sleepers, it is recommended that people sleep with one pillow under their head and one pillow in between their knees. Back sleepers may want to place a pillow under their knees.
The average person sleeps with 2.2 pillows, according to a poll by the National Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit group that advocates healthy sleeping (as opposed to tossing and turning, which nobody advocates).
For side and back sleepers and people with wide shoulders, one sleeping pillow may not comfortably fill the gap between their head and the mattress. This lack of support in bed can lead to neck pain, poor quality sleep, and even headaches.
To gauge the severity of this symptom, doctors often ask people how many pillows they need to lie on to avoid feeling short of breath in bed. For example, "three-pillow" orthopnea is worse than "two-pillow" orthopnea, because you have less tolerance for lying flat.
Most experts recommend replacing pillows every 1 to 2 years. Doing so helps to ensure that you're using pillows that are supportive, clean, and free of allergens. It is also important to care for the pillows you use to ensure their longevity. Generally, you'll be able to tell when it's time to replace your pillows.
Even though many people sleep with two, three or even four bed pillows, the recommended number is just one. A single pillow is all you need to support your head throughout a night's rest. The whole purpose of a pillow is to keep your neck aligned with your spine.
Increased support underneath the head
Some sleepers stack multiple pillows to elevate their head and upper torso while sleeping to address specific issues, including acid reflux and snoring. Some sleepers prefer to sleep on top of multiple pillows to achieve more height just because it's more comfortable.
If you sleep on your back a majority of the time, you're better off buying a pillow with a low profile. This ensures your neck doesn't get bent at a bad angle. However, if you sleep mostly on your side, you'll require a medium or even large profile pillow.
So, the bottom line is that you should change your pillowcase at least once per week. That's even if you don't sleep with a pillow right under your neck or face. If you want to do it every few days, that's even better.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
The general consensus from the men who copped to only owning one pillow was that it's a strictly functional choice. Jake, 26, summed up his decision-making with: “Beds are for sleeping, anything more is just a display. No one needs that much comfort."
The recommended number of pillows to sleep with is actually just one, as it has been suggested that sleeping on any more than one can result in straining various areas of your body. As well as this, issues with posture and spinal alignment can arise which none of us want!
As a general rule, one pillow is better than two pillows if you suffer from neck pain. Pillows have an average height of 10cm. If you stack two pillows on top of each other, it will result in a pillow that is 20cm in height, resulting in neck pain due to misalignment and overextension.
Situating a pillow between your lower half helps keep the knees aligned on top of one another, which in turn keeps your hip and pelvic area aligned. It can also reduce stress on the hips: A firm pillow between the knees can prevent the upper leg from pulling the spine out of alignment.
Putting a pillow between your legs keeps your pelvis neutral and prevents your spine from rotating during the night. Maintaining good alignment can relieve some of the stress from the tissues in your back and may potentially reduce pain caused by a herniated disc or sciatica.
But generally speaking, most people will be fine with one to two blankets on their bed. One blanket will trap plenty of hot air between itself and your body, but another blanket will create another layer of warmth. This will give you plenty of heat in the winter.
Your shoulders should not be on the pillow. Not So Great: On your side, with your legs curled up towards the chest. This does not provide spine alignment for the shoulders and neck. It also does not evenly distribute weight throughout your body and can lead you to waking up in the morning with back pain.
Sleeping without a pillow can help some people who sleep on their stomach, but it is not a good idea for everyone. People who sleep on their side or back will usually find that sleeping without a pillow puts pressure on their neck. By doing this, it can ruin a person's quality of sleep and lead to neck and back pain.
Reisacher suggests sticking to one pillow, which can actually reduce snoring and keep your airway open. While you're looking for the cure to your snoring, remember that you can also block the noise with earplugs for sleeping.
Sweat. We all sweat at night, and over time sweat can seep through your pillowcase and onto your pillow. Eventually, this will cause your pillow to yellow. Sweat stains are the most common reason for pillow yellowing.
Why do we even need to change our bedsheets? To cut to the chase, Dr Browning says we should be changing our sheets once a week, or every two weeks at the most. Hygiene is a big factor, and one of the reasons is sweat. If you've ever tried sleeping in a heatwave, you'll know how difficult it can be.
Most people should wash their sheets once per week. If you don't sleep on your mattress every day, you may be able to stretch this to once every two weeks or so. Some people should wash their sheets even more often than once a week.