How to tell if your pillow is the reason you're not waking up feeling refreshed

Sleep is important. Studies have found that regularly getting a good night’s sleep improves brain functioning, lowers risk of a number of diseases, and can help your mental health.

Put simply, we all need our forty winks and in our search for them we might be ignoring a leading culprit for a bad night’s sleep sitting right under our noses: our pillows.

How to tell if your pillow is harming your sleep

There are many ways your pillow can harm your sleep and leave you feeling anything but refreshed. 

Firstly, a pillow is designed to support your head, neck, and shoulders as you sleep, allowing for proper alignment while lying down. If you’re getting pain in these areas when you wake, then your pillow could be to blame. 

This lack of proper support can also cause restlessness during sleep as your body tries to adjust to the uncomfortable situation – leading again to a sleep that’s less than restorative.

A TEMPUR® pillow can really help here. Born from NASA technology, TEMPUR® Material softens and moulds to the contours of your head – relieving pressure and giving your body complete comfort and support, while reducing tossing and turning and absorbing any motion from your partner so you don’t disturb each other.

Finally, your pillows, like your mattress and bedding, can be a breeding ground for dust, mould, and other allergens – especially if you’re not cleaning your pillow regularly or it isn’t hypoallergenic. This can significantly impact sleep quality, leaving you feeling congested, sneezy, and fatigued in the morning. 

Is it time for a new pillow?

Ok, so it’s “tick, tick, tick” as far as the signs your pillow is harming your sleep is concerned. But what do you do now? Well, you might need to change your pillows.

Often people will underestimate the length of time a pillow will last, and like most things, it all depends on the quality of the pillow. At the lower end of the scale, an inexpensive polyester pillow will last about a year, while a top-quality TEMPUR® standard-sized pillow comes with an extended 3-year quality guarantee (and will likely last you even longer than this). 

As a pillow nears the end of its lifespan it will start to sag and develop lumps just as a mattress would. Dust, dead skin cells, and allergens can also significantly reduce a pillow's lifespan. If your pillow is lumpy, discoloured, smells musty, or is noticeably causing you neck or shoulder pain, do yourself a favour and look for a new one.

Are you using the right pillow in the first place?

New or old, you also need to think about whether you actually have the right pillow for you. 

The best pillows for side sleepers are medium or medium firm pillows, as these will better support the neck arch between your shoulders and head. 

Firm pillows are better for back sleepers, as these will minimise neck craning while keeping the head gently cradled, while soft pillows are ideal for front sleepers as they keep the spine neutral and don’t raise the head too high. 

Ranked the number one mattress company for customer satisfaction, quality of sleep, and brand loyalty, TEMPUR® have a range of pillow options for different sleepers – and a 30-night trial for you to try their pillows so you’ll be sure to find the one of your dreams.