Pillows can improve the quality of your sleep or fill it with discomfort and stress.
It all depends on the type and material making your pillow and personal preferences.
Memory foam pillows, just like other pillows, have their benefits and possible downsides.
The Benefits of Using Memory Foam Pillows
1. Relieves Neck, Back, and Shoulder Pain
It is common to get shoulder, neck, and back pain after a long day of work.
If your work involves a lot of sitting or standing, then you can easily experience these problems.
The last thing you want is to wake up the following day with this pain.
Memory pillows are designed to compress and fit your body shape giving a comfortable sleep.
You will be surprised to wake up every morning fresh from all the fatigue and pain.
There are also a lot of memory foam seat cushions you can sit on! For example, this donut seat cushion for hemorrhoids and tailbone pain.
You can also check out these 8 Best Most Comfortable Seat Cushions for Home & Office.
2. Reduces Snoring
Denser and rigid pillows will tend to tilt your head upwards, blocking the proper movement of air.
This is what mainly causes snoring.
Memory foam pillows use your body temperature to become soft, fitting snugly to the shape of your head.
The shoulder, head, back, and the rest of the body will remain aligned.
Air will pass with ease eliminating snoring.
3. Contours to Your Spine
One of the best and common benefits of memory foam pillows is that it retains contours.
When you rest your head on the pillow, it will mold into the shape of your head.
Unlike regular pillows that tilt your head, memory foam pillows will keep your spine aligned.
See also – 8 Best Most Comfortable Seat Cushions for Home & Office
4. Good For Your Back
As discussed above, the memory foam pillows will ensure your spine remains aligned as you rest.
This allows all your body muscles to relax and heal from the day’s fatigue.
Also, this relieves pressure from the nerves and improves blood flow.
Try this between the knees pillow when sleeping – it aligns pelvis reducing lower back pain!
See also Should You Get a Cushion for Your Office Chair?
Downsides of Memory Foam Pillows
Besides its benefits, some people don’t like memory foam pillows.
It all depends on your personal preferences and how you find comfort while asleep.
What you find comfortable might be uncomfortable to others.
It’s recommended that you look at the label of any product to see if it suits your style before buying.
1. Traps Body Heat
Most memory foam pillows are designed to absorb your body heat, retain it to become flexible.
However, you get warmer as you sleep and may sweat a lot at night on these pillows.
If you are a hot sleeper, this pillow may not be your best choice.
2. Firmness Affected by Temperature
The ability of these memory foam pillows to contour according to your body shape depends on the surrounding temperatures.
When your room is very hot, the pillow may become too flexible to yield your weight or too hard when the room is cold.
3. Chemical Off-Gassing
Some claim that memory foam pillows emit Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC).
Such chemicals are known to cause cancer and other related health issues.
The effects of memory foam pillows on health have not been proven scientifically.
However, it’s advisable to be careful and ensure the pillow you are buying is certified to be free of chemicals.
4. Denser Pillows Lack Material Breathability
Denser memory foam materials have reduced breathability.
Breathability is essential to keep your pillow at a suitable temperature while you are sleeping.
Pillows with poor breathability will trap more heat from your body than they should. This will make your sleep uncomfortable, as you sweat all night.
A memory foam pillow may not be an excellent choice for the following people.
Children Under 2 Years of Age
Adult memory foam pillows may contour very much due to the child’s heat leading to suffocations.
If you must use a pillow on a child around two years, look for a small size. Adult size will make the child uncomfortable.
People Sensitive to Chemicals
If you are sensitive or have an allergy to chemicals, you should avoid this pillow.
Instead, go for a type that has low VOC levels or is VOC-free.
How To Choose the Best Memory Foam Pillow
Different memory foam pillows have different features and qualities.
Hence, getting a pillow according to your needs is never an easy task.
The following considerations can be beneficial as you buy a memory foam pillow that will suit your needs.
See also What Are The Best Car Seat Cushions for Long Comfortable Drives?
1. Your Budget
Your budget will dictate the type of memory foam pillow that you can buy.
Cheaper options may be good when on a budget or if you want to try the product.
A durable, safe and comfortable memory foam pillow may have a higher price tag. However, it’s not always the case.
Before investing your money in any product, ensure it offers the best quality but within your budget.
2. Support
Memory foam pillow comes in all sorts of sizes, densities, and shapes meant to offer support.
Older or heavier people will want more support from their pillows compared to children.
If you want more support, then a denser and bigger pillow will be your best choice.
3. Material
What material is the pillow cover made of? Is it removable and washable?
These are the questions that you should ask yourself as you select a pillow.
Removable and washable covers mean they will remain clean and hygienic for a longer time.
4. Chemicals and Toxicity
Not all memory foam pillows have toxic chemicals. Some have been certified by reputable certifications organizations as being free of chemicals.
If you want to avoid exposure to any chemical while asleep or are allergic to chemicals, go for chemical-free options.
5. Warranty
Products with a warranty, especially those with hefty prices, can be trusted.
A warranty allows you time to test the product and ensure that it suits your needs.
A product with a warranty will allow you to try the product at home.
You can return it if it is not as good as advertised. This will save you money.
Conclusion
We always assess the risks and harmful effects related to any product we want to buy.
Choosing a memory pillow is the same.
With the above information, you can access and decide whether a memory foam pillow is worth it.
You can always mitigate the risk by choosing a good quality product from the many choices in the market.
See also:
