Snuggle Up With the Perfect Pillow

There's no getting around it: Nothing starts your day off better than getting a good night's sleep.

And while most of us equate that with finding the "perfect mattress," experts say too few of us realize that the "perfect pillow" plays an equally vital role.

"Pillows can not only impact the quality of our sleep, but also how healthfully we rest and recharge," says sleep expert Michael Breus, PhD, author of Beauty Sleep and creator of a line of pillows for Carpenter Co.

Moreover, orthopedic surgeon Andrew Hecht, MD, says if you're waking up with headaches, neck pains, shoulder and arm numbness, or discomfort -- sometimes even sneezing and wheezing -- your pillow may be playing a role.

"A bad pillow won't be the cause of any of these problems, but using the incorrect pillow can certainly exacerbate many of the underlying problems linked to these symptoms, and it certainly can keep you from getting a good night's rest," says Hecht, the co-chief of spine surgery at the Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York.

Experts also say old pillows can be a virtual breeding ground for some pretty unfriendly night crawlers.

In one study published in the journal Allergy in 2006, experts found that pillows -- some just 18 months old -- contained up to 47 different kinds of fungi. The researchers found about four to 16 fungi species per pillow, with synthetic pillows having more.

If you already have allergies, including asthma, Breus said old pillows could make symptoms worse.

The general rule, say the experts, think about a new pillow every 12 to 18 months; definitely toss your old one after two years.

So ready to go pillow shopping? Here are some guidelines:

Pillow Shopping: How You Sleep Matters Most

While deciding to buy a new pillow may be easy, finding the right one can be a daunting task. The best place to start, experts say, is to let your sleep position be your guide.

"The goal of using a pillow is to help keep your head in what is called a 'neutral alignment,' meaning your head is sitting squarely on your shoulders without bending back too far or reaching too far forward," says Kammi Bernard, PT, a physical therapist at the Baylor Health Care System in Dallas, Texas.

Depending on your sleep position, says Bernard, the size and thickness of the pillow necessary to attain that posture can vary greatly.

"Back sleepers need thinner pillows, so their head is not thrown too far forward," Bernard says. If you are a back sleeper, also look to cradle your neck with an extra bit of loft in the bottom third of your pillow, nearest your neck.

Side sleepers need a fluffier, thicker pillow to fill in the greater differential between the head and the shoulders.

If you're a stomach sleeper -- which, by the way, most experts say is not an ideal nighttime posture -- you'll need a very thin, almost flat pillow.

"If your mattress is very soft you might not need any pillow at all -- you need to keep from raising your head too high and craning your neck backward while you sleep," Bernard says.