Sleeping beauty? Not without the right pillow!

Why do most of us love the mattresses, comforters, and pillows in hotels. Because they are often fresh and combined with cotton-linen covers or silk covers, offering a cozy and comfortable night's sleep. However, we hardly give second thoughts to our home pillows, which often show years of stains brown-yellow, or lumps making them harder than rocks.

While the lack of hygiene should be motivation enough for users to change their pillows immediately, most people still procrastinate. Why? Because pillows don't rank high on their priority list. Well, guess what, it should. Fresh pillows are not only crucial for comfortable and adequate sleep, but they also allows you to have hygienic beauty sleep. Punit Jindal, MD at Sleepsia, a Pioneer of Memory Foam Pillow technology shares a list of 5 essential factors you should know about pillows:

... and that's why your neck and back hurt: Like most things, pillows also have a durability period. Considering how often it is used and kept, pillows start flattening. Instead of the soft yet firm loft that supports your spine alignment, these become harder and uncomfortable. Using a pillow without appropriate firmness can do more harm than good. In fact, it can cause issues like cervical pain and disc herniation.

How firm is enough: While the firmness of a pillow depends on the user's preference, the criteria for proper firmness should apply to all. An ideal pillow should be firm but not hard, soft but not squishy. The loft should be secure enough to prevent the user's head from sinking in but soft enough to make them feel warm and at ease.

Designs as per requirements: Instead of buying pillows from anywhere, users should be mindful of their designs. For instance, Ergonomic pillows or cervical pillows are specifically designed for offering relief with cervical pain. Similarly, people using Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines and suffering from obstructive sleep apnea can opt for carefully designed CPAP pillows and get a better sleeping experience than standard pillows.

Get rid of allergens: Using rundown pillows can cause allergic reactions such as stuffy nose, sneezing spells, and sometimes even fever. The reason behind, old pillows soak up moisture content, making them vulnerable to dust mites and mold. However, the advent of hypoallergenic pillows can offer modern-day users tremendous relief. These pillows can easily resist recurrent household allergens like pollens and dust and enable users to lead a restful life.

Enhanced breathability element: It is widely believed that using fresh pillowcases can reduce the frequency of acne and hair breakage issues. Pillows with appropriate breathability attributes allow them to retain moisture and heat to pass. As a result, they stay dry and unpolluted for users to complete their much-needed beauty sleep.

As per industry experts, consumers should replace old pillows with fresh ones within a span of two years. On the other hand, worn-out pillows can lead to unnecessary neck and back pain, stress, and challenges for people trying to have a relaxed good night's sleep. To keep up with this volatile and highly hectic lifestyle, you need a good night's rest. So, opt for a pillow that fits perfectly with the aforementioned factors and unwind your stressful thoughts to dive into the tranquillising state of peaceful night sleep.

(N.Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)