Pillows have been proven to be significant when improving your sleep, and there are so many options, making it hard to understand which is the best and why. To help you, we have gathered information about these pillows, explaining why or why not you could decide to buy that type.
1. Feather pillows
These types of pillows are made from the soft feathers in the wings/backs of the ducks and/or gooses. They maintain the temperature cool and are extremely light in weight.
Pros
-High durability (could be up to 10 years)
-Exceptional temperature control
-Soft
-Supportive and springy
-Could be much more affordable than other pillows
-Hypoallergenic (processes are taken place to clean the feathers)
Cons
-A quill could poke through the pillowcase (not too often)
-Pillow could flatten in the middle of the night
-Feathers have to be extracted from a living being
-Because of the chemical processes done to clean the feathers, pillows could smell bad at the beginning.
If you are interested in a detailed blog of common questions and answers about feather pillows as a whole, do check this blog out.
2. Cotton pillows
These types of pillows are filled with cotton (hypoallergenic material, good for people with allergies), and are extremely breathable as they are naturally absorbent. These pillows are known to be comfortable because of the material with which it is filled.
Pros
-Breathable
-Firm (do not compress easily)
-Comfortable
-The amount of cotton can be adjusted easily
-Unlike feather pillows, these are odor-free
Cons
-High quality is not highly accessible (industries prefer to produce more expensive products)
-Shape does not change according to your body (could cause neck pain)
-Low durability (they clump and flatten after some time)
3. Down pillows
These pillows are called like this as down is the inner, soft, and fluffy layers of feathers from ducks and gooses, which is why these pillows are so compressive and “squishy”. One of the main features and characteristics of these pillows is the ability to maintain temperature, which is normally a thing people look for in pillows.
Pros
-High durability (between 15 and 20 years)
-Shape changes according to your head and neck
-Remarkable regulators of temperature (both in cold and hot climates)
-Quill-free
Cons
-Low accessibility to cruelty-free down pillows (these feathers have to be extracted from animals)
-Absence of firm support
-Could cause allergies (not hypoallergenic)
-Expensive (the average down pillow costs between $80 and $200 in queen size)
4. Latex foam pillows
Natural latex (made from rubber tree sap) and organic latex pillows (latex with next to no chemicals and additives) are very supportive and cool (in temperature), as well as they don’t do any harm to the body (the process of making them is very pure). But these are not perfect as they are heavy and not too conforming.
Pros
-Very supportive
-Cooling
-Bouncy
-Harmless
-Extremely durable
-Biofriendly
Cons
-Expensive
-Heavy (difficult to move and flip during sleep)
-Not conforming
5. Memory foam pillows
This type of pillow is one that with pressure, changes its shape, but when this is released, the shape returns to standard. In formal words, it conforms to your shape. These types of pillows are criticized by hot sleepers for not having many temperature regulations, although new advances have been made, creating new pillows, which cool easily.
Pros
-Conforms to your shape easily
-Aids with neck pain
-Normally hypoallergenic
-Normally not overpriced
Cons
-Retains a lot of heat
-It is not completely organic
-Could be slow to return to its natural state
If you're interested in reading more about memory foam pillow maintenance, feel free to check this out.
6. Microbead pillows
The pillows are made out of mini beads of polystyrene, which are adjustable and make a firm pillow. The main problem with this type of pillow is you constantly run the danger of cutting a part by accident, which would make you have to clean a ton of little beads. It also retains heat a lot, so if you’re a hot sleeper, this would probably not be the better option for you.
Pros
-Great support
-Adjustable
Cons
-Heat is retained constantly
-Not environmentally friendly
-Could end up in a mess
7. Microfiber pillows
These pillows are made of fibers spun out of synthetic materials like polyester and have the function of replicating the experience of non-foam materials (like down and cotton for example).
Pros
-Lightweight
-Affordable
-Adjustable
Cons
-Non-supportive
-Not contouring
-Lack durability
Which type of pillow should I buy?
When reading this, you probably felt more identified with the pros of one type of pillow and felt that it outweighed the cons, or felt that a pillow was not of your fit because of the cons. To choose one, you should try and reflect on your priorities, your favorite feature of a pillow, and whether you have any concerns (maybe you've got constant neck pain, or you're on a budget). It's also very important to know that no pillow, nothing, in the world is perfect, so pillows will always have something you're not entirely satisfied with and that if you buy a pillow that did not turn up to be as you expected, you will learn that for the next time.
If you found this content useful and you are interested in learning more about pillows, do check out other blog posts on our site.
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