5 of the best ‘HEALTH’ PILLOWS
Some pillows ‘improve’ certain health problems. Here, Dr Neil Stanley, a sleep expert and member of the British Sleep Society, selects five of the best.
SNORING £29.99, kallysleep.com
THIS pillow is for people who snore when lying on their backs, which is the case with most snorers. It has a hollowfibre filling (hollow strands of polyester to trap air) which forms an S-shape. The neck is supported by the upward curve of the ‘S’, while the head nestles into the dip at the top, propping open the airway and stopping the narrowing of the throat that causes snoring. But, if you snore on your side, this will not stop it, so ask your partner about your snoring habits before splashing out on one.
ALLERGY £22, johnlewis.com
RESEARCH suggests that pillows can harbour dozens of fungi and bacteria — hardly surprising, as they provide the ideal hot, moist conditions for them to flourish. This pillow comes with a coating that kills fungi and bacteria on contact and has been approved by the British Allergy Foundation. It’s good for asthmatics — in whom prolonged exposure to fungal spores or bacteria can make symptoms worse.
SLEEP APNOEA £49.99, eu-pap.co.uk
AROUND five million people in the UK have sleep apnoea, where heavy snoring at night, often caused by obesity, interrupts breathing. There is a very effective treatment — continuous positive airway pressure, where pressurised air is pumped into the throat to keep the airway open. But it means wearing a cumbersome face mask attached to a bedside machine, and the dropout rate is as high as 30 per cent. This pillow has cut-out sections at the sides for the tube to drop in to, stopping the mask from rubbing and shifting during sleep.
TINNITUS £32.99, actionhearingloss.org.uk
TINNITUS often seems worse at night — perhaps because people notice it more when things are quiet. Many play music to drown out the ringing, but earphones can be uncomfortable to sleep in. This pillow is a great solution: it has two internal speakers that connect via a lead to a smartphone. The sound comes through the pillow — masking the ringing noise, while allowing their partner to sleep, too.
SPINAL SUPPORT £28, johnlewis.com
THIS is marketed as a pillow that keeps the spine aligned when sleeping on your back — there’s no doubt that pillows such as these, which prop you up, almost in a sitting position, support a sore neck or upper back better than conventional ones. But they’re also useful if you have acid reflux, as being propped up slightly means the acid stays in the stomach.