If it weren't for the fact that many back sleepers ruin this advantage with an unsuitable pillow...
There are a few things to consider when choosing the ideal pillow for back sleepers in order to lie in a truly ergonomically healthy position.
We know what is important when lying on your back. Read everything you need to know in our article!
Why do I need a back sleeper pillow?
Contrary to what many people think, it is not enough to simply use a pillow that is as flat as possible when lying on your back.
The ideal pillow for back sleepers must meet special requirements that differ from those for other sleeping positions.
For example, a pillow for back sleepers should be:
- exactly the right height to ensure that your cervical spine is straight when lying down
- not too flat, causing your head to fall backwards or downwards (which is why sleeping without a pillow is not an option for back sleepers)!
- not too high so that it pushes your head towards your sternum
Instead, your spine should be in the same position on the pillow as when you stand upright during the day.
Why?
Because otherwise you would adopt an incorrect posture night after night, which would lead to tension and pain in the short or long term.
Even diseases such as cervical spine syndrome are unfortunately no longer a rarity, sometimes triggered by an ergonomically poor sleeping posture!
The good news: a good back sleeping pillow at the right height can keep your cervical spine in an ergonomically healthy position all night long.
Ergonomic pillows are ideal for the supine position, as their material offers good support and comfort at the same time.
And don't worry, even if you already have pain due to an unsuitable pillow, it's not all doom and gloom! Just a few nights on a suitable pillow for back pain can work wonders and relieve minor tension.
How high should a back sleeper pillow be?
The right height is the first and most important factor in the search for the ideal back sleeper pillow.
Sounds complicated? It doesn't have to be. Put simply, your pillow should be about the same height as the distance between your head and the wall.
With a simple test, you can find out how high your back sleeper pillow should be:
- Stand up straight against the wall so that your buttocks and upper back are against it (you will now notice that the back of your head is a few centimetres away from the wall)
- Get a second person to help you measure this distance
- You then need to compensate for the measured distance with the back sleeper pillow while lying down.
If you are lying on your back on a pillow at the ideal height, your cervical spine will be in the same alignment as if you were standing upright!
Important: The firmness of your mattress can also influence the optimum pillow height for you. A hard mattress, for example, often requires a higher pillow.
This makes it a little more difficult to find an ideally suited pillow for back sleepers without a long search...
That's why customizable pillows like our Forever Pillow are so practical.
It contains several layers that you can remove or insert according to your needs to create the perfect pillow for you.
As our Forever Pillow is suitable for (almost) every sleeper, we save you a lot of time and stress in your search for the perfect pillow!
To make it as easy as possible for you, simply read off the Forever Pillow height suitable for you in the supine position from our overview:
|
Narrow shoulders |
Medium width shoulders |
Broad shoulders |
|
|
Soft mattress |
Low or medium setting (4-7 cm) |
Medium or high setting (7-10 cm) |
High setting (10 cm) |
|
Medium-firm mattress |
Medium setting (7 cm) |
Medium or high setting (7-10 cm) |
High setting (10 cm) |
|
Firm mattress |
Medium or high setting (7-10 cm) |
Medium or high setting (7-10 cm) |
High setting (10 cm)
|
What material should a back sleeper pillow be made of?
Many people think that the softer and cuddlier a pillow is, the better. But unfortunately it's not quite that simple.
On the contrary: soft materials such as feathers, down, EPS microbeads (also known as polystyrene) or polyester beads are anything but suitable for pillows for back sleepers.
Why? Because these small-particle materials are constantly shifting at night. As a result, your head is not well supported and you fall into an unhealthy sleeping position.
In the short and long term, such a pillow can cause back pain, tension and persistent misalignments!
Instead, a pillow for back sleepers should be made of dimensionally stable materials that are naturally comfortable and cuddly.
Certain foams, such as those we use in the Forever Pillow, are suitable for this purpose.
Unfortunately, most manufacturers do not use such foams because they want to save money. This is because good foams are more expensive to buy.
Yet it is precisely with these materials that it is possible to keep your cervical spine in its natural, healthy position throughout the night!
High-quality foams have two decisive advantages:
- They have a high level of support so that your head is permanently in an ergonomically correct position
- They also relieve pressure on your cervical spine, preventing tension and pain
That's why we use several layers of the following high-quality foams in the Forever Pillow:
Visco foam: This foam developed by NASA is also known as memory foam. It is highly adaptable, has a pressure-relieving effect and is also wonderfully supple.
Cold foam: This type of foam offers your head a high level of support so that your head remains in a straight position. At the same time, cold foam scores with ergonomically important point elasticity.
Best pillow for back sleepers according to Stiftung Warentest
Many people rely on the consumer organization Stiftung Warentest, which regularly carries out independent product tests, before making purchasing decisions.
And pillows have also been put under the microscope! However, not specifically back sleeper pillows, but neck pillows in general.
As neck pillows are of course also intended for back sleepers, it is still worth taking a look at the information provided by Stiftung Warentest.
These are the most important tips from the consumer organization:
- Try it out: Try out your new pillow for three to four weeks to see whether neck pain subsides or even develops. Your body needs at least a few nights to get used to a new pillow.
- Find the right height: As a back sleeper, measure the distance between the back of your head and the wall, as described in our article above. This will help you find the right pillow height so that your cervical spine doesn't bend.
- Ideally adaptable: A pillow should be able to adapt perfectly to your sleeping position, shoulder proportions and mattress firmness. However, it is also important to follow the manufacturer's adjustment instructions, as we have provided for the Forever Pillow.
While this advice from Stiftung Warentest still applies, the test results for the pillows are unfortunately no longer up to date. The test was published in August 2017.
On the one hand, this means that some of the neck pillows tested are no longer available. Above all, however, significantly better pillows have appeared on the market since then!
Unfortunately, our Forever Pillow has not yet been tested by Stiftung Warentest. However, it fulfills the important requirements that the foundation places on a good neck pillow.
You can order it risk-free and customize it to your individual needs. We also offer you a 30-day trial sleep phase with a money-back guarantee - so that you can test the Forever Pillow in the comfort of your own home!
Are there pillows for side sleepers and back sleepers?
Yes and no. There is at least no pillow that one and the same person can use in the lateral and supine position without adopting an unhealthy posture in at least one of these sleeping positions.
This is because there is a relatively large gap between the head and the mattress in the side sleeping position.
This means that a perfectly fitting side sleeper pillow would be too high for the same person in the supine position. At the same time, the ideal back sleeper pillow would be too flat in the lateral position.
Fortunately, there are pillows that can be adjusted, such as our Forever Pillow.
The advantage: you can flexibly adjust the pillow to your needs at any time thanks to several layers of foam inside.
Do you sleep on your side? Simply adjust the Forever Pillow to the height you need.
Would you like to train yourself to sleep on your back? No problem, simply remove one or more of the included foam layers until the pillow is at the right height.
However, we do not recommend pillows which, according to the manufacturer, are suitable for every sleeping position (back, stomach and side position), although they cannot be adjusted to the individual needs of the sleeper.
This may sound tempting, but unfortunately it makes no sense from an anatomical point of view.
You can only sleep ergonomically healthy if the pillow has the ideal height and support for your sleeping position!