Pillows Buying Guide

Pillows support and cushion your head while you sleep, aligning your head and neck with the rest of your body to give you the ease of a good night's rest. One of the most important things to consider when buying pillows is the position in which you most often sleep. A flatter pillow is comfortable for back sleepers, while a firmer one is usually better if you sleep on your side.

Pillows for sleeping

Down pillows are generally considered the ultimate in pillow luxury, as they can be fluffed and molded to suit every sleeper. ''Down'' is the small, fluffy cluster of feathers close to the body of birds -- geese and ducks in particular. Used for insulation in pillows, comforters and featherbeds, down is renowned for its softness and warmth. As the feather clusters intertwine, tiny air pockets are created, trapping body heat to provide a constant temperature. High-quality goose down pillows will last up to 10 years with proper care. Purchase allergen-blocking pillow covers to use under your pillowcase if you have an allergy to down.

Circle-of-down pillows are a new type of down pillow that offers a unique pillow-within-a-pillow design. Circle-of-down pillows feature a core of resilient feathers for support surrounded by the softness and loft of pure down.

Down alternative pillows are filled with high-tech polyester or other synthetic fibers which simulate the loft and softness found in down pillows. Down alternatives are excellent choices for those who may be allergic to the dust particles in natural down fill.

Buckwheat pillows offer another natural pillow filling. Traditional in Japan, they provide firmer support than down-filled pillows by conforming to your body shape, so the alignment of your head and neck is attuned to the angle of your spine. Buckwheat hull filling is resistant to breakage, deterioration and burning and is not treated with chemicals.

Polyester foam-filled -pillows are the inexpensive alternative to natural materials and are probably more popular than any other pillow, since they come in many shapes, sizes and levels of firmness. They also have great elasticity, retain their shape and never need fluffing. A good foam pillow may last for up to three years.

Memory foam pillows are a byproduct of the space age. They are made of highly dense and resilient foam developed by NASA to cushion astronauts during lift-off. Memory foam is created by mixing chemicals that expand as they react, forming tiny air bubbles in the material. The flexible memory foam pillow molds itself to the shape of your head but returns to its original shape when not in use. Memory foam pillows last up to ten years, much longer than other latex and foam-filled pillows.

Contour pillows are a specific shape of memory foam pillow, created to provide better support for your head and neck than other materials. Contour pillows are thinner in the center and thicker at the top and bottom edges to provide alignment and specific support for your head and neck.

Pillows with other purposes

Decorative pillows come in many sizes, shapes and styles. Smaller toss pillows make great upholstery accents on beds, sofas and chairs; larger floor pillows can be strewn about a room, stacked for impact or used as extra seating. Euro pillows are large and square, most often used on top of the bed coverlet. Only your imagination dictates the use of decorative throw pillows.

Backrest or wedge pillows keep the head raised above the body while sleeping, which benefits asthma and acid reflux sufferers.

Body pillows are fairly large and come in many shapes and styles. Some body pillow shapes appeal to specific sleepers, being made to hug the body in various ways to bring the utmost comfort to the owner. Favorites are the large, U-shaped body pillow and the tall, tube-shaped long pillow, both of which will mold to the body as desired.

Maternity pillows are also called snoozer pillows, comfort pillows and cuddle pillows. They come in several shapes and provide support for an expectant mother's back and abdomen.

Neck pillows are favorites of frequent travelers. The small U-shape wraps around the neck, cradling the head and keeping it upright. On long trips, it helps prevent the discomfort that is common after falling asleep in a sitting position. Other popular travel pillows are beaded to bolster circulation during that long, holiday commute.

Small wedge or saddle-shaped pillows are used in office chairs or in an automobile seat and offer extra support for the lower back while sitting or traveling for long periods. These are also used to angle the hips and legs for best recovery after some types of surgery.

Therapeutic leg pillows are large wedge-shaped pillows designed to elevate the legs and provide orthopedic support while sleeping. These pillows aid circulation and offer some relief of leg cramps, lower back pain, varicose veins and muscle spasms. Sometimes a backrest wedge pillow turned in the opposite direction can serve as a leg pillow, although they do not usually raise the legs as high as a leg pillow made for that purpose.

A pillow in the perfect size

Pillows come in several sizes and shapes to accommodate all widths of beds and all kinds of sleepers:

• Standard or twin pillow: 20 inches wide x 26 inches long
• Queen pillow: 20 inches wide x 30 inches long
• King pillow: 20 inches wide x 36 inches long
• Toss pillow: 10 to 14 inches square
• Euro pillow: 16 to 24 inches square
• Tubular body pillow: 3 to 5 feet long
• U-shaped body pillow: 6 to 9 feet long
• Backrest pillow: Approximately 20 inches wide x 20 inches long x 6 inches high
• Therapeutic leg pillow: Usually 20 inches wide x 24 inches long x 8 to 10 inches high.

Note: Bedding companies do not make queen-size pillowcases, only standard and king sizes. Choose standard pillowcases for use on a queen-size pillow.

The properties of pillows

Memory foam density: A memory foam pillow is rated by density in pounds per cubit foot of foam. Three to five pounds is the most common density rating. For more information on memory foam density, visit the memory foam buying guide.

Down fill power: This is done by measuring how many cubic inches in one ounce of down fill. The higher the fill number, the more firmness and loft there is in a down product. This is not a big factor in pillows, but it is more relevant to comforters and featherbeds.

Hypoallergenic: Products designed and constructed with materials that minimize the potential of allergic reactions.

Thread count (TC): The number of threads per square inch in material coverings of pillows. The term is most commonly used to designate the quality of fabric in belour mattress pads, pillow covers, mattress covers, duvet covers, comforter covers and sheets.

Preserving your pillow

Foam, memory foam and buckwheat pillows are generally not washable. Their pillowcases may be washed or cleaned according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Decorative pillow coverings, if not removable for washing as instructed on the label, should be spot-cleaned.

Down pillows may be laundered with low-suds detergent in a front-loading machine. Rinse more than once so the down is completely suds-free, and spin off all water. At a low temperature, tumble dry the pillow with a few tennis balls to help fluff the down.

Caution: Most home washing machines are too small to wash large down-filled pieces. Washing in water may cause down to clump and degrade its ability to insulate. If it is not dried thoroughly, natural down will mildew and rot.