What height should an orthopedic and a regular pillow be in order to sleep well at night?

When buying bedding, you should pay great attention to choosing a pillow. It is the key to sound sleep, a healthy spine and good health throughout the day. In addition to the filler, the thickness of the product matters. Experts do not say directly what height a pillow should be. The exact value in centimeters depends on age, type of product, and sleep habits. People who sleep predominantly on their sides should use a fairly high pillow, while those who prefer to sleep on their back and stomach should use a low one.

Choosing a pillow by height - the golden rule

A pillow that is too high causes the cervical region to tense up during sleep and impairs the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain. A low product is unusual for most people and causes a feeling of discomfort. We have to look for a more comfortable body position. The whole night can pass in tossing and turning on the bed, and in the morning a person will feel broken and tired.

You should choose the height of the pillow so that your head is at the same level as your body during sleep.

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In this case, the upper spine relaxes: tension is relieved, blood circulation improves. A person manages to recover during the night, and after sleep feels well-rested and alert.

How to choose a pillow by height in cm?

The optimal sleeping height varies from person to person. First of all, when choosing a pillow, you should consider the position in which a person sleeps most of the time.

• For sleeping on your back, you should use fairly low products with a thickness of 5-10 cm.
• To sleep on your stomach, you need to choose products whose height is 5-8 cm.
• To sleep on your side, you need a pillow 10-18 cm high.

However, it is important not to rush into choosing and take into account the type of filler, the person’s age, and shoulder width. The end result should look like in the photo (the spine is stretched into an even line):

Depending on the filler

Conventionally, pillows can be divided into three groups:

• Orthopedic: made of foam, latex, polyurethane foam. All types of orthopedic pillow fillers are elastic and resilient. They follow the contours of the neck and head and restore their shape after the load is removed. No matter what position a person sleeps in, an orthopedic pillow provides exactly the support that is needed. The height of the product is usually 10 cm. However, it is chosen not by height, but by shape and purpose. Square and rectangular pillows made of foam and latex are considered universal. For sleeping on the back there is a “wave” type, for sleeping on the stomach - a “star”, for sleeping on the side - a type with a notch for the shoulder.
• Soft: padding polyester, bamboo, down. They are considered the least healthy, but they are used by most people because of their pleasant softness and feeling of comfort. Such pillows are usually higher - from 10 to 25 cm. Under the weight of the head, they collapse and become lower. When choosing a product, you should lightly press it with your hand and measure the height taking into account the pressure. It is worth considering that during sleep and during long-term use, the filler is crushed and compressed. Products must be shaken regularly.
• With natural solid filler: buckwheat husk, tightly knitted with wool. These varieties are popular in Japan. They are considered the most environmentally friendly and do not accumulate bacteria and dust. The main feature of this type is high rigidity and lack of elasticity. In this case, the products adapt to the head and have a good orthopedic effect. For sleeping on the back and stomach, the recommended pillow height is 5-7 cm, on the side - 10-12 cm.

Depending on the mattress

When choosing the height of the pillow, allowance should be made for the hardness of the mattress. If a soft mattress is used (frameless, polyurethane, with soft springs, without coconut or other hard layers), the head support should be as low as possible. The body sinks into the soft material and minimal support is required for the neck. The best choice would be products with natural filling, orthopedic up to 7 cm in height, or soft, up to 11 cm in height.

Depending on age

Children under 2-3 years old are recommended to sleep without a pillow. From 3 to 7 years old, the maximum permissible height of the product is 6 cm, and from 7 to 10 years old – 10 cm. For an adult, unless there are special indications from an orthopedist, the pillow should be 5-18 cm high.

Depending on shoulder width

These criteria are important if a person prefers to sleep on his side, and at the same time has unusually narrow or, conversely, wide shoulders. In this case, an individual approach is required:

• If your shoulder width is 13 cm or more, you should pay attention to pillows with a height of 12-14 cm.
• If the shoulder width is less than 9 cm, the thickness of the product should not exceed 5 cm.

Questions and answers

How can you tell if a pillow is not the right height?

Restless sleep, tossing around the bed, headache in the morning, feeling tired and stiff in the neck are clear signs that the sleeping area is not organized correctly. However, when using a lower pillow, especially an orthopedic one, after using a down pillow for a long time, you should not rush to conclusions. The body needs time (from 3 to 7 days) to get used to new conditions.

Is it true that the healthiest sleep is without a pillow?

No. Humanity has been using pillows for sleeping since ancient times. Only with support under the head can the spine assume a physiologically correct position. The exception is small children. A child up to a certain age has a head wider than his shoulders, and additional support for the cervical spine is not required, and even causes harm. In addition, in children under 1 year of age, the curves of the spine are finally formed and the neck muscles are strengthened. After 2-3 years, orthopedists recommend using low children's pillows. As you grow older, your shoulders become wider than your head, and an S-shaped curve of the body forms, requiring more significant support.

What happens if you sleep on a pillow that is too high?

Too high a pillow height leads to a forced tilt of the head, the vertebral artery is compressed, and the neck muscles do not relax, but are in constant tension.During sleep, a person experiences oxygen starvation due to impaired blood circulation in the brain. People who sleep at high altitudes experience headaches, have problems with blood pressure, and may suffer from swelling, chronic runny nose and fatigue.

A person spends a third of his life sleeping. The quality of sleep determines how you will be awake, what your mood, well-being and health will be. A pillow that is not the right height reduces performance, alertness, and reaction speed. It can cause nervousness, neck pain, back pain, and headaches. To make your sleep more comfortable and your morning refreshed, you should approach the organization of your sleeping space with all responsibility. The best option is an orthopedic pillow, 10 cm high. You should definitely not use a support higher than 18 cm. Even if it seems comfortable when you fall asleep, serious health problems may appear very soon.