How to Sleep with a Body Pillow at Night

A comfortable body pillow can help you change your sleep position, promote spinal alignment, and alleviate pressure points. These pillows work with your mattress to increase support and improve your overall sleep quality (and thus your overall life quality).

Body pillows are especially great for side sleepers and stomach sleepers. Below, we’ll talk about why that is, as well as the best body pillow shapes and positions for each sleep style.

Back Sleepers

Back sleepers need support in the natural curves of the spine (especially underneath the cervical spine—the curve of the neck). To accomplish this, back sleepers should choose a body pillow that curves around to go underneath the gap where the neck is and either under the lumbar region (lower back) or under the knees. Alternatively, a wedge pillow can provide the support that a back sleeper needs.

If you’re a back sleeper, you can also get this kind of support by using two pillows for back sleeping instead of a body pillow. Use a chiropractic neck pillow (also called a contour pillow) to support your cervical spine. Combine this with a bolster pillow under your knees to align your lumbar region.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattresses for Back Sleeping

Side Sleepers

Side sleepers need vertical support (meaning support that rises up from the bed). If you don’t use a pillow for side sleeping between your arms and knees, your shoulders and hips won’t get the support they need, and both your spine and pelvis could fall out of alignment.

You’ll need a thick body pillow to lay your top arm on and put between your legs to keep your hips in a neutral position. If you’re a pregnant individual you’ll also want a body pillow for pregnancy, meant to support your growing belly and back as you lie on your side.

Side sleepers would do well with just about any pillow shape, depending on their style of side sleeping. Log sleepers need a curved pillow like a C or J-shaped pillow to curl around between the knees, while fetal position sleepers can use a plain rectangular or U-shaped body pillow because they’ll bend their knees around it.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattresses for Side Sleeping

Stomach Sleepers

If you’re going to sleep on your stomach, you’ll need support under your pelvis to keep it from sinking into the mattress and causing lower back pain. Two thin, flat pillows—one under your head and one under the hips—will help keep your spine aligned.

However, you should keep in mind stomach sleeping is the least healthy sleep style because it twists the neck and over-extends the lumbar region, meaning the best thing stomach sleepers can do with a body pillow is use it to help change their sleep position.

Use a thick rectangular or L-shaped pillow and tilt your body onto it to prevent you from turning onto your stomach during the night. These types of body pillows can help you train yourself to sleep on your side.

SEE ALSO: Best Mattresses for Stomach Sleeping

Body Pillow Shapes

The answer to the question ‘What is a body pillow?‘ is complicated by the different varieties of body pillows that can serve different purposes. Some are meant as general-use pillows, while others can serve as pregnancy pillows for extra support and comfort.

The best body pillows come in many different shapes, and the best body pillow for you depends on your sleep position as well as your preferences.

Rectangular

Rectangular body pillows, sometimes called I-shaped body pillows, are just really long, regular pillows. A standard pillow is 26 inches long, while a rectangular body pillow is 54 inches long.

The rectangular body pillow is good for sleepers who want a little bit of extra back support or a pillow to hold onto as they sleep. It’s long enough for many sleepers to rest their head on end and slip the other end between their knees.

To use a rectangular body pillow, position it so your arms and knees can hug the pillow close. However, don’t throw your leg so far over the pillow that it can cause further discomfort.

Cylindrical

A cylindrical body pillow is straight like a rectangular pillow, though it is curved so it doesn’t lie flat like a regular pillow. Cylindrical pillows are excellent for sleepers who want to hold onto a body pillow at night, as well as sleepers who want a supportive pillow to slip between their knees.

To use a cylindrical body pillow, wrap your arms around the pillow and slip one end in between your legs.

C-Shape

C-shaped body pillows curve around the body and have an opening at the side. These make great pregnancy pillows because they can either curl around to press against your back or support your belly. A C-shaped pillow is also good for sleepers who want to feel like they’re being hugged as they drift off to sleep, while also hugging a body pillow.

To use a C-shaped body pillow, you should place it lengthwise and slip inside the middle of the C. Many sleepers prefer to use the inward curve of the C for back support, but some prefer to have it wrapped around their front.

U-Shape

U-shaped body pillows curve around your body like a horseshoe, leaving a gap at your feet and offering you equal support on both sides. They are a popular choice of pregnancy pillow, as the curve of the U can serve as a head pillow while the prongs provide stomach and back support for a side sleeper. However, because of the way this pillow design takes up space, sleepers will need to make sure they have a comfortably large mattress.

To use a U-shaped body pillow, set it up lengthwise on your bed so you can rest your head on the curve of the U. One of the legs of the U can be hugged with your arms and knees.

L-Shape

L-shaped pillows look like a rectangular body pillow with a standard pillow sewn to one end, giving it an L-shape. Sleepers tend to use the shorter leg as a head pillow and the longer prong as front or back support. These pillows are great for all kinds of side sleepers as well as stomach sleepers looking to change their sleep position.

To use a L-shaped body pillow, place it on the pillow lengthwise so the shorter end can serve as a head pillow. The longer prong can be used as back support or as arm and leg support.

J-Shape

Some people put these in the C-shape category because J-shaped pillows have a gap in their sides, but their curve isn’t as tight, and they have a long length of straight pillow before they curl at both ends to support your head and knees. These make good alternatives for tall sleepers looking for a C-shaped pillow.

To use a J-shaped body pillow, rest the head and neck on the curve of the J. Many use the long leg of the J as a pillow for the arms and knees, though you could also use it as back support.

SEE ALSO: Bed Pillow Sizes Guide

Benefits of Sleeping with a Body Pillow

Body pillows go beyond just minimizing the number of pillows you sleep with, and they can significantly improve your sleep.

Easier Relaxation and Calmer Sleep

Hugging and feeling like you’re being hugged are linked to greater mental health overall. For example, a 2013 study observedVerified Source National Library of Medicine (NIH)World’s largest medical library, making biomedical data and information more accessible.View source that hugs were linked to reduced cortisol levels.

Plus, holding onto a body pillow can keep you from shifting in your sleep, particularly if you go for a body pillow shape that enfolds the body like a C-shaped or U-shaped pillow does. As a bonus, the way these types of body pillows sandwich the body can make it easier to drift off to sleep, providing just a light touch of pressure and contact to relax the body.

Train Yourself for Better Side Sleeping

If you’re trying to train yourself to sleep on your side, such as relieving sleep apnea by using the position to keep your airway clear, a body pillow can make the switch to a new sleep style easier. Aside from easing breathing conditions and minimizing snoring, side sleeping can also be one of the best positions to manage other conditions like acid reflux.

Even if you’re a dedicated side sleeper, a body pillow can make the position more comfortable. Sleeping on your side with a body pillow between your knees can help maintain a healthy spine alignment.

FAQs

What’s the best body pillow material?

There are tons of great materials out there, and the “best” one for a pillow depends on your preferences. If you want a durable pillow with a lot of support and contouring power, go for latex foam or memory foam.

If you want a squishy,flexible feel of a soft pillow, choose goose down. If you want cooling natural materials, cotton and buckwheat are both good choices, as is shredded foam. And if you’re looking for a budget-friendly body pillow, microfiber is a great affordable option.

How often should I wash my body pillow?

A body pillow’s material determines whether you even can wash your pillow at all. Down and solid foam fills are not machine-washable, so you’ve got to take them to the dry cleaner. Many body pillows are also simply too large to squeeze inside a conventional washing machine, and you may need to inquire about industrial washing machine at a laundromat.

Regardless of pillow material and size, you should clean your body pillow once every 3 to 6 months. You can reduce the frequency with which you’ll need to clean your pillow by using a pillowcase or removable cover and washing it at least once a week, along with your sheets. Before you wash it for the first time, we suggest reviewing the care label’s laundry symbols.

Can I just use a king size pillow as a body pillow?

The short answer is no—not unless you’re short and simply seeking a pillow to hug, that is. Rectangular body pillows are a full 54 inches long to accommodate the length of the average human body. Meanwhile, king pillows are only 36 inches long, too short to support most bodies.

If you’re an inch or two taller than 5 feet, you might be able to get away with combining a king pillow for your body with a standard pillow for your head. If you’re any taller, you’ll need a full-length body pillow.

Will a body pillow help my back pain?

Yes! Body pillows shore up the support offered by your mattress, and they do a better job of promoting proper spinal alignment than a mattress alone. Side and stomach sleepers especially need the support offered by a body pillow, side sleepers because they need lofty support to help keep their shoulders and hips neutral, and stomach sleepers because they need help to tilt towards their sides.

Are body pillows good for pregnancy?

Body pillows can be great for keeping pregnant women comfortable throughout their pregnancies, particularly if a pregnant person isn’t used to sleeping on their side. Body pillows for pregnancy are C-shaped or U-shaped to support your entire body and cradle you where you need it most. Flexible full body pillows can also help eliminate the need for multiple pillows by curving around you and sitting where you need them.

Bottom Line

The right body pillow can offer you a good night’s sleep no matter your sleep position. Not only can using a body pillow help alleviate pain, but their added support can help increase blood circulation and relieve sleep apnea symptoms. Many individuals also use a body pillow for pregnancy to support a growing belly.

When shopping for a body pillow, it’s good to look for one with the protection of a warranty. Body pillows are usually quite a significant investment due to their size, so you’ll want the security of a warranty to protect your purchase.