One or two pillows: Which option is best for sleep?

There are a number of factors to consider for sleeping with one pillow or two pillows, and each of them have their own ways that it can benefit your sleep. In this guide, we will explore which option is ideal for your routine slumber and how many pillows may benefit you.

One pillow positives

If you are using one pillow, it is important to ensure that it is of high quality and thick enough to keep your body aligned. If you use one particularly thin pillow, it may be detrimental to your sleep. Here are some pros to resting your head on one good-quality pillow:

Helps with headaches and neck pain

The use of one good quality pillow will provide you with the perfect support for your head and neck while keeping your spine aligned. This is preferred in comparison to two pillows, as using two pillows can elevate your head and put it out of alignment with the rest of your body. As a result, you may experience neck pain the following day.

Relieve pressure on your muscles

With one good-quality pillow, you are allowing your muscles to relax. If your body is not in a natural position, it may mean that your muscles have to work harder while you sleep. This can lead to you feeling stiff throughout your body when you wake up from your sleep.

Increased freedom of movement

When we use one pillow behind our head, we have less obstruction during our sleep. We are able to move around with more freedom compared to using two pillows, as using two can add extra pressure to your neck and prevent you from moving your head and body into a different position. 

Two pillow positives

Most of us have more than one pillow on our bed, so it is a natural choice for most people to sleep with two pillows at night. Here are some advantages to using two pillows when it's time to sleep:

Extra support in other areas

Whilst it is not recommended to sleep with two pillows under your head, it is still very beneficial so that you can use one of them to support other parts of your body. If you sleep on your side, you can use one pillow in between your knees to add extra support and keep your body aligned. Furthermore, if you sleep on your back, you can place one pillow under your lower back to add support to that area and prevent spine and neck pain.

Option to prop up your head

If you enjoy watching TV or reading a book before you go to sleep at night or when you wake up in the morning, sleeping with two pillows makes this easier as you can prop up your head. This can also alleviate uncomfortable conditions, such as sleep apnea or gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). It can also prevent snoring, so if you snore and have a partner, using two pillows can benefit them as well as you!

Which option is better overall?

It is important to remember that everyone’s body is built differently, so each body type would benefit from a different number of pillows, depending on what position they sleep in.

For example, if someone has wide shoulders and sleeps on their side, one pillow may not be enough to fill the gap between their head and the mattress. This could then lead to neck pain, headaches, and a poor quality of sleep. Similar results would also be found if someone has narrow shoulders and sleeps on their side with two pillows under their head.

Therefore, before you make a final judgement on how many pillows are the best for you, it is worth trying out a few options to see which one offers you the best quality of sleep and causes you the least aches and pains.