la casa

Just as you need a good mattress for a good night’s sleep, it also pays to have the right pillow.

You may think that the pillow’s filling is what matters most – whether to go for latex rubber or feathers, for example, to avoid a lumpy, bumpy lie-down.

But it is more important to find one that gives the right support, says Dr Terrence Yap, a chiroprater at Atlas Chiropractic Clinic and vice-president of Chiropratic Association Singapore.

Without proper head support, you may wake up with neck aches, he says. He uses a contour pillow – the kind that dips in the middle – because “it supports the neck where it curves”.

He says it is essential to test a pillow before buying. Here are some tips.

1. Lie on your back and on your side. “We toss and turn about 80 times a night, so you need to test the pillow both ways,” says Dr Yap.
2. When lying on your side, the tip of your nose, chin, and middle of the breastplate should be in a straight line, so that your head is not tilted at an angle.
3. When on your back, with the correct pillow, you should be looking straight up. “If you find your chin pointing downwards to your chest of if your head is tilted back, the pillow is either too high or too low,” says Dr Yap.
4. Change your pillow every three to five years. After many nights of use, it may no longer give you the required support.

Pillow talk

Feather and down (from geese): These pillows tend to be soft and sit a little higher than other pillows. They also feel more luxurious.

Foan and latex: These tend to last longer. They give firmer support than down pillows.

Pocketed coil: This has pocketed coils wrapped in polyester fibre. The coils are said to adjust and adapt to any head shape, weight and neck movement, providing proper support and spinal alignment eliminating muscle tension and morning aches.

Memory foam: Such pillows are made of polyurethane, which is less “springy” than other foan types and it slower to return to its original shape. That is why it is known as memory foam because it “remembers” your shape.

Extracted from The Straits Times, Saturday, 6 December 2008.