Choosing the ‘perfect pillow’ can be a total nightmare! Your pillow should fit you and allow the natural curves of your neck to be support whichever position you lie in. Before getting into detail let’s look at the 3 main sorts of pillows:

They are natural, synthetic, and memory foam.

Of course there are others such as water, hemp, wool but for this article I am going to stick with the 3 main groups.

Natural

These are made of feather and/or down. They are soft; supportive; extremely comfy; sometimes luxurious; sometime the cheaper feather quills poke out; not good for the allergy sufferer; expensive; rarely easy care but and they last a very long time.

Synthetic

Technology now means that the texture of the synthetic pillow is quite incredible. It feels as soft as down yet it has so many more upsides. It is hypoallergenic; supportive; comfy; inexpensive; and easy care, you can just put it in the washing machine. But it doesn’t last as long as a natural pillow.

Memory foam

A bit like marmite, those that love it really do love it.
 It has transformed some of my patient’s night’s sleep.
 It’s perfect if you prefer a more firm and supportive pillow and now there are lots of different shapes and sizes which you can choose to suit your needs.  However some of my patients hate it and complain that it is hot and sweaty and smells of chemicals.

Most importantly, when choosing your pillow, you need to ask yourself a few questions:

• What’s your budget?
• What position do you sleep in: side back or front?
• How big are you? If you’re a petite lady, you may need fewer and less pillows, than if you’re a big guy, in which case more and bigger pillows.
• What is your personal preference?
• Do you need a hypoallergenic option?

So…..Good luck in finding the pillow of your dreams!