Guides

Pillow and sleep guides

26 guides, grouped by what you are trying to work out. Each one answers questions people actually search for, and every measurement in them is one you can take yourself.

Choosing a pillow

How to choose a pillow: four decisions — Height, then firmness, then shape, then material — and why the order is the whole point.
What pillow height do I need? — Two ways to measure the gap between your head and the mattress, and what to aim for in each position.
Gel memory foam vs memory foam — What the gel actually does, how long the cooling lasts, and what moves heat better than gel does.

Neck pain

The best pillow for neck pain: what to look for — Height first, then firmness, then material — and the signs that mean the pillow is not the cause.
Waking up with neck pain — The seven usual causes, in order, and how to work out which one is yours.
What pillow is best for a stiff neck? — Where the stiffness is tells you which way your head was sitting. A table to read it by.
Do pillows actually help with neck pain? — What a pillow can be held responsible for, and how to test the claim on yourself.
What clinicians look for in a pillow — No profession recommends a brand. What practitioners describe is a principle — here it is.
Neck pain: when to see someone — The signs that mean a professional rather than a new pillow, and what to bring to the appointment.

Sleeping position

Sleeping on your side — The most common position and the most demanding. The shoulder, the hips, and the arm.
Sleeping on your back — Far less pillow than most people use, and it belongs under the neck rather than the head.
Sleeping on your stomach — What the rotation costs, and the pillow that helps goes under your hips.
The best pillow for side sleepers — Four criteria in the order they matter, and a table to hold a product photograph against.
A pillow between your knees — Why side sleepers wake with a sore lower back, and how to test it tonight for nothing.
Sleeping without a pillow: who it suits — Better for one position, worse for another. How to tell which you are.

Care and lifespan

How to wash a memory foam pillow — The foam never goes in a machine. What to wash instead, and how to deal with a stain.
When to replace your pillow — Four tests, and the one sign you can read every single morning.
Pillowcase, protector or cover: what goes where — Three layers that all get called a pillowcase, and which one decides how long the pillow lasts.
The smell of a new memory foam pillow — Why it smells, how long it lasts, and how to tell off-gassing from damp.
Why pillows turn yellow — Four causes, which ones you can undo, and the one that also weakens the foam.

Sleeping while you travel

How to use a travel neck pillow — The opening goes at the front. That one detail explains most of the disappointment.
How travel pillows actually work — Why so many people conclude they do not, and a twenty-minute test on your next flight.
How to sleep on a plane — What helps, ordered by how much difference it makes rather than by how often it is listed.
The best airplane seat for sleeping — Window over aisle, forward of the wing, and the rows that do not recline.
Sleeping on a long-haul flight — Ten hours is a strategy: when to sleep, when to stay awake, and the last two hours.
Neck pain after traveling — Why a flight leaves your neck stiff, what helps in 48 hours, and when it is something else.

Looking for the product pages rather than the guides? Start with the pillow itself, or go by name: side sleeper, contour, butterfly, neck support, orthopedic, ergonomic, neck roll.