Given that we spend around a third of our lives asleep, it's pretty important that we give our bed set-up some serious thought if we want to create the perfect sleeping environment. There are lots of easy hacks to turn your bedroom into a good sleep sanctuary, like keeping phones out of the room at night and using neutral tones for a relaxing feel but, according to experts, an adjustable pillow might be just what you're missing.
Dr Naheed Ali, senior editor at Sleep Bubble, says that sleep is 'foundational to overall well-being'. It doesn't just provide you with energy to get through the day but improves the functioning of all areas of our bodies. 'Our cognition, immunity, metabolic health, productive output, and even longevity rely heavily on nightly renewal,' he says.
So, making sure that you're getting the best quality sleep, and the right amount of it, is vital. Pillows play an essential role in this as they dictate how the body aligns throughout the night. Waking up feeling stiff or with a sore neck is a surefire sign that you're sleeping in a position that doesn't support your spine. If this sounds familiar, an adjustable pillow might just be the best investment you could make for your modern bedroom. Here, the experts explain why.
What Is An Adjustable Pillow?
So, what exactly is an adjustable pillow and how does it work? Put simply, an adjustable pillow is one that has removable filling inside it meaning that you can alter the height of the pillow. All you need to do is unzip the edge of the pillow to remove or add in filling, making the pillow the perfect height for you.
Non-adjustable pillows are filled and then sewn shut meaning that the size of the pillow is fixed. With an adjustable pillow, you are able to adapt the height of the pillow with ease to meet your needs and preferences to help you sleep better. As Korina Burkhard RN BScN, a sleep expert at Dozy, explains: 'Adjustable pillows have a zippered opening, which you can unzip to remove the fill to deflate it or add fill to inflate the pillow as you desire. It gives you flexibility over the pillows' height and feel.'
Most adjustable pillows come with three or four inner pads to play around with or they are stuffed with easily removable loose filling which gives you total control over the height. General advice from the experts is that front sleepers tend to sleep with less filling than back sleepers who often enjoy maximum padding in the pillow, but the personalized element of the adjustable pillow is what makes it such a high-quality investment.
'Adjustable pillows bring empowering potential, meeting the consumer precisely where needed,' says Dr Naheed Ali of Sleep Bubble. Not only can you unzip seamlessly to adjust the height of your pillow but various adjustable options offer different types of fillings, meaning that you can choose the filling material that best suits you.
What Are The Benefits?
From body alignment improvement to temperature regulation, there's not a lot that the adjustable pillow won't improve when it comes to your sleep set-up. Even if you have one of the best mattresses on the market, improving your pillows is a great way to create maximum comfort in the bedroom.
'Adjustable pillows not only accommodate diverse anatomies but also offer the flexibility to modify spinal alignment, height, firmness, and temperature preferences to suit individual needs as they change over time,' says Dr Ali.
1. Spinal Alignment
Our body positioning at night is an important consideration to reduce discomfort both while we sleep and throughout the following day. It is, however, a challenging thing to control, and that's why an adjustable pillow is a great way to make your bedroom a better sleep environment.
'Since you can find the ideal height and position, you can maintain the natural spinal alignment, preventing stiff necks, neck pain and discomfort,' says Korina. 'Better spinal alignment leads to better sleep quality.'
By maintaining a neutral spine position not only are you reducing any risk of back pain but you're also promoting a better quality of sleep which improves overall well-being. Where normal pillows have more limited flexibility and diminished support over time, the adjustable pillow can change as your requirements evolve to consistently maintain comfortable sleep. 'This adaptability is essential for reducing discomfort and facilitating deeper, more restorative sleep,' says Dr Ali.
2. Temperature Regulation
Trying to achieve the perfect bedroom temperature is a challenge that is familiar to many. Windows open, windows shut, covers on, covers off, using a blanket, discarding the blanket - all changes that we make as we try to regulate the temperature before falling asleep. More often than not, these are not conducive to the peaceful sleeping environment that we are trying to achieve.
According to the experts, the adjustable pillow has excellent temperature-regulating properties which can help to reduce any need to stress over how hot or cold you are at night. 'The incorporation of phase change materials, breathable fabrics, and ventilation features in adjustable pillows significantly aids in thermal regulation, effectively reducing the potential for overheating and the discomfort of night sweats,' says Dr Ali.
3. Consistent customization
When it comes to how to choose the perfect pillow, it's all about customizing the loft height for your sleep position. 'Rethinking sleep tools through a customized lens presents solutions,' says Dr Ali.
The personalization of adjustable pillows is what makes them a standout bedroom purchase. Our needs and preferences change over time, particularly when it comes to sleep as there are so many other factors at play. A new mattress, an injury, or perhaps pregnancy, are all factors that might alter how you like to have your pillow to achieve maximum comfort. The adjustable pillow means that as your needs alter, you can quickly and easily change your pillow to suit them.
As Dr Ali notes: 'Recent research underscores the importance of sleep environment customization in enhancing sleep quality.' Pillows are certainly not a one-size-fits-all item which is why so many sleep professionals recommend an adjustable pillow for full customization.
'They're also a great option for combination sleepers who toss and turn and switch sleeping positions, as the pillow is flexible enough to accommodate their changing needs,' notes Korina. 'Back sleepers can keep the fill for better support, while side sleepers might need to remove some fill, and stomach sleepers might need to remove more fill as they sleep best with a flatter pillow.'
So, are adjustable pillows worth the investment? The experts certainly think so. 'Unlike other pillows that you could buy and still experience discomfort or give time to contour to your neck with use, adjustable pillows guarantee comfort through flexibility,' says Korina. 'They are a guaranteed investment that will improve the quality of your sleep.'
