Which Side of Contour Pillow to Sleep On?

Contour pillows come in a lot of different options, depending on which part of the body you want to offer more support to. A contour pillow for your neck and head, for example, will come in a different shape and size than one for your legs or back. Before using one, you might have several questions, including where to position the contour pillow with respect to your body, which side of contour pillow to sleep on, and their advantages and disadvantages.

In this article, we’ll cover all these questions to make sure that you have a comfortable and healthy experience with contour pillows.

What Are Contour Pillows?

Simply put, contour pillows are different from conventional pillows in the sense that they’re shaped specifically to provide more support and alignment to your body when you sleep.

If you’re a side sleeper and your pillow isn’t thick enough to align your head in its natural position, you might experience some neck pain in the morning.

Similar problems are faced by both back sleepers and stomach sleepers, not just when it comes to your head and neck, but also your back and legs. Contour pillows can help prevent these problems with the help of their shape.

So, Which Side of Contour Pillow to Sleep On?

These pillows often come with a flat side and a side with two raised ridges with a depression in the middle. This is the side where your head goes! The shape of the pillow means that your neck and shoulders get a stable base to rest on, putting less pressure on your spine.

FAQs About Contour Pillows

What are contour pillows made of?

High quality contour pillows are made out of memory foam. This makes them firm, supportive and better suited to fit the curves of your body.

What are the advantages of using a contour pillow?

Contour pillows can be a boon to people who have issues sleeping with conventional pillows. Switching over to them can come with a lot of health benefits and other advantages.

Hypoallergenic nature: If you suffer from allergies, your pillow might be contributing to your sneezing and itchy eyes because of the dust and dirt buildup on it. Memory foam contour pillows are hypoallergenic in nature, which means that they minimize annoying allergic responses.
Back alignment: One of the most important advantages of a memory foam contour pillow is that it can align your back properly while you sleep. This will evenly distribute the pressure on your neck and spine, preventing neck and back pain. It can also improve your natural posture.
Better sleep quality: Your body needs enough rest during the night to ensure restoration and repair of essential functions. A contour pillow can help you improve the quality of your sleep. This, in turn, will also reduce the risk of long-term sleep-related health problems, like obesity, heart disease and high blood pressure.
Orthopedic treatment: Contour pillows are often suggested as treatments for back pain and pressure on the spine. This is because of their ability to prevent body pain by offering more support. While less pain is certainly an advantage of this, you might also end up saving a lot of money on your chiropractor bills.
Reducing snoring: Snoring occurs when too much air is pushed and pulled noisily through your nose and throat due to factors like improper sleep positioning. While a contour pillow might not completely solve this problem, it can significantly reduce it by putting your head and neck in a position that will help you breathe easier.

What are the disadvantages of using a contour pillow?

While contour pillows can help you sleep better, there are some downsides to them that you should consider before you choose to buy one.

Smell: When you buy a new memory foam pillow, you might notice that it comes with a smell. This is because of the chemical processes that are used to make memory foam. While high-quality memory foam pillows are aired out and not immediately wrapped in plastic after production, you might find these issues in some budget options.
Price: Because memory foam pillows employ the use of more advanced technology during manufacturing, they are, on average, more expensive than conventional pillows. With specialized contour pillows, you might be looking at an even steeper price tag.
Susceptibility to temperature: Memory foam pillows are extremely sensitive to temperature changes in the surroundings. These pillows slightly change their shape just by being subjected to your body heat. If you live in a place with extremely warm or cold temperatures, you might notice some difference in the firmness of the pillow.
Sleeping on your stomach: If you’re used to sleeping on your stomach, contour pillows might slightly extend your neck on the opposite side. This can cause neck pain or slight difficulty in breathing.

Bottom Line

While some people can comfortably sleep on conventional mattresses and pillows, there is a large percentage of the general population that needs some help getting comfortable in bed.

Contour pillows are a great way to provide more support to different parts of your body, ultimately reducing body pain, snoring and other health issues.