The Consumer’s Guide to Body Pillows
Head Over Heels about Body Pillows
Body pillows have recently drawn quite a crowd. Gone are the days when people just pulled down some extra straw to add to the bed pile accumulating on the floor! Whether it’s due to daily stress requiring nocturnal relief, or the result of a lifestyle of decreasing physical exertion, back/body discomfort and overall muscular tension are robbing us of desperately-needed sleep. In comes the body pillow to recreate sweet, sustained slumber with all its sought-after benefits.
What is, precisely, a body pillow? A body pillow, a.k.a. full body pillow or full-length body pillow, is a pillow which supports not only your head and neck, but your entire body, as well. The advantages it affords abound.
A body pillow maintains proper alignment of the spine, arms, and legs. This is due to the increased equal support it provides for the shoulders and hips as you change your sleeping position during the course of a night. In fact, it is particularly supportive of side-sleeping, crucial for back sufferers for whom back sleeping is off-limits. Expectant mothers delight in their newly improved side-sleeping comfort level. Thus a body pillow reduces neck ache and spine-associated pain, promotes muscle relaxation, and provides comfort for injuries. Look for a full body pillow with a buttoned cover for easy heat pack insertion.
Body pillows increase healthy blood circulation. They are a boon to correct breathing and diminish snoring as a result. Headaches, insomnia, arthritis, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome are alleviated by this much-hailed bed accessory. All in all, a body pillow is a real shot in the arm for anyone for whom a good night’s sleep has proved otherwise elusive.
A body pillow is perfect for all who place a premium on an excellent night’s sleep. During the course of a night, our movements maintain blood circulation. But they also cause your ordinary neck pillow to shift position, which causes you to wake up. After you reposition your pillow, you fall back to sleep, with the cycle beginning anew. And that’s where a full body pillow reigns supreme. The equivalent of 3 pillows in one single flowing design, the body pillow will not fall from your bed as you sleep. It faithfully helps you maintain a consistent position, which means less tossing and turning on your part. The high quality and depth of sustained sleep is unparalleled to that attained with any other type of pillow.
Do you like to sit up in bed to read, watch TV, talk, speak on the phone, or nurse a baby? A body pillow will support your waking bed-ly endeavors all the way!
Body pillows are available in assorted shapes and sizes and are stuffed with diverse fillings. Let’s explore the options.
Body Pillows Inside and Out
Out:
Full-length body pillows run (okay, lie) in a range of styles and shapes. The standard model is a single long, extended pillow modeled after the sort you have always known and loved. The u-shaped variety envelops your body and molds itself most closely to your outline. Its L-shaped counterpart is a combination head-and-body pillow. A bean-shaped pillow is long and narrow, while a round one is just that - well, almost. (It is actually oval.) A maternity pillow will support an expectant abdomen. As mother-to-be side-sleeps, tension of abdominal and pelvic muscles is relieved, which in turn eases lower back pain. Of these, there are double pillow models which consist of a pillow for the abdomen and a pillow for the lower back, featuring adjustable panels. (This kind is to be used in conjuction with a standard neck pillow.)
Body pillows accommodate a range of sizes. There are junior child body pillows, petite or mini body pillows, and also upper body pillows if you want a waist-up model. Lengths range from 48” to a whopping 66”, while widths vary from 10” to 20”. Buy a 56”-long pillow for your kids, for travel, or if you measure up to 5’4” tall. 16”-wide is standard; purchase the 20” model if you like extra-wide.
If you favor an extra-plump pillow for increased loft, look for a high density pillow, or for an overstuffed body pillow which contains up to 25% additional stuffing.
In:
A pillow is only as good as the stuff it is made of. You can choose from polyester fibers, goose down, goose feathers, and duck feathers.
Buckwheat hulls are the traditional Japanese pillow filling with which Makura pillows are stuffed. By promoting even weight distribution, they offer excellent support for the lower back and neck. Buckwheat hull stuffing is resilient, breakage-resistant, and practically inflammable. It will last you almost forever!
Body pillows with hypoallergenic synthetic fibers are available for allergy sufferers. They look and feel like goose down; completely synthetic, they are nothing to sneeze at!
Shredded foam filling will compress less than other fillings and thus will do better to retain its shape.
Anti-bacterial fiberfill will inhibit unwanted growth of fungus, mold, and certain strains of bacteria.
A word to the wise. Be sure to look for the warranty, and don’t forget to note ease of washability. Some are actually 100% washable and dryable, while others require TLC with careful spot-washing only.
So if you feel up to your neck in everything, get ahead in life and treat yourself to this latest bed accessory which will not cost you an arm and a leg. A body pillow will be just the thing to give you a real lift. Your dreams will never be so sweet…
