If you want to reduce back pain, ease a sore neck, improve allergy symptoms and get a better night’s sleep, you’ve probably already considered the switch to a memory foam pillow.
While these pillows offer a number of benefits to improve your sleep, you might have heard that they need breaking in. Others say that new memory foam pillows have a certain smell after opening the packaging. If you’ve never used one before, here we cover everything you need to know about sleeping on a memory foam pillow.
How to use a memory foam pillow?
Place your memory foam pillow down flat, with the fuller side facing the end of your bed. Lie down with your head in the centre of the pillow and level with the rest of your body. This offers the most support for your head, neck and back.
If your chin is pointing up or down at an unnatural angle, try adjusting your head and neck so that they remain flat. It’s important to keep your body in a neutral position at night to reduce aches and pains and improve your overall sleep quality.
Why does my memory foam pillow feel hard?
At first, your memory foam pillow might feel hard. This is normal because memory foam works by reacting to your body’s temperature and pressure to give you personalised support. It takes a few minutes for the memory foam to start working, but soon you will feel your head sink into the pillow as it adapts to your natural shape.
Memory foam pillows slowly spring back to their normal position without pressure, so it might take a few days to break in.
How to use on a memory foam pillow for your sleeping position
Sleeping on your back
Sleeping on your back is already the best way for your spine, since your body is in the most neutral position. Back sleepers can use a memory foam pillow like normal to help promote proper spine alignment, which minimises lower back pain and neck ache.
Sleeping on your side
Side sleepers should use a thicker memory foam pillow which fills the gap between your head and shoulders. Keep the fuller side of the pillow facing the end of your bed to ensure your head and neck stay correctly aligned. You can also try side sleeping with two memory foam pillows, using the second one between your knees to help keep your body neutral.
Sleeping on your front
It’s not a good idea to sleep on your front, as this can cause neck and back pain, preventing you from getting a comfortable night’s sleep. But if you find yourself sleeping on your stomach, use a thinner memory foam pillow to help stop your neck from bending in an unnatural position. You should also consider using a second pillow placed underneath your stomach to keep your spine aligned.
How to remove the smell from a memory foam pillow?
When you remove your new pillow from the packaging, you might smell a chemical odour which is known as ‘off gassing’. This is common for memory foam pillows and will fade away after a couple of days. Alternatively, you can deodorise your pillow with baking soda to remove the smell.
Last update on 2024-04-26 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
