Five things to know before buying a hospital pillow

 You could literally lose sleep if you choose the incorrect pillow.

There are numerous fillings and degrees of firmness available, with prices ranging from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars. Finding the proper one for you can be difficult—and pricey.

Here are the five things to be known before purchasing a hospital pillow.

Be particular about stiffness

Do you like to sleep on your back, side, or stomach? In general, if you sleep on your side, you want a bigger cushion to compensate for the space between the bed and your upper back and shoulder blades. To reduce strain, maintain your neck aligned with your spine rather than tilted. Because of the curve of the upper back and shoulder blades, back sleepers require flatter pillows. If you sleep on your stomach, a small pillow is sufficient to maintain the natural curvature of your neck.

 

And don't only look at the label to see how firm a cushion is. To determine the true firmness of the pillow, press down on it. Shake, fluff, squeeze, and even sleep on it to get a sense of what you're getting. If the pillow is constructed of a loose filling rather than a slab of foam, see if it retains its shape after fluffing it and if there are any bumpy places. You want a hospital pillow for sale that has a consistent shape and thickness.

Understand your mattress 

To support your body while sleeping, your pillow must operate in tandem with your mattress. You want a thinner cushion if your mattress is softer. This is true whether you sleep on your side or back. The argument is that a softer mattress allows the body to sink into it, resulting in a smaller gap between your head and the mattress. Firmer mattresses prevent you from sinking in as much, leaving a greater gap between the mattress and your neck to fill, necessitating a larger pillow.

The primary criterion for a wonderful pillow: The fullness or firmness of a pillow is quite important. A cushion that is excessively firm or full forces your head into an unnatural position, which might induce restlessness or tension.

Take into account breathability

A heated and sweaty body does not make for a pleasant night's sleep. You want a hospital pillow that lets air travel through rather than trapping heat. As a general rule, the denser the pillow filling, the less breathable it will be for your head and neck. The cool pillows are constructed of polyester or shredded foam. The least breathable were those constructed of a single block of foam.

What about cooling gel-infused pillows? These initially provided our human participants with a slightly pleasant feeling, but this shortly faded, and the pillows showed out to be among the least breathable.

Examine the care label 

Some pillows cannot be washed; for example, some labels may state that just the cover can be cleaned. The majority of the pillows we test are machine washable in a cold setting. If you have a dust mite allergy, you should wash your pillow in hot water (130° F) once a month to eliminate any bugs.

Inquire about return policies and trial periods

Before you buy a pillow, see if you can test it out at home first. Retailers provide a full refund with a receipt within a certain time frame. Some manufacturers provide a 100-night sleep trial during which you can return the pillow for a refund if you are dissatisfied.