Body pillows are a popular bedding item for many reasons. For people with back pain, shoulder pain, spinal issues, and generalized body aches, a body pillow helps in myriad ways. Body pillows support optimal spinal alignment and allow you to rest the way you like, offering support for common pressure points and helping you get a more restful night’s sleep.
Any chiropractor or healthcare professional will tell you that the best way to sleep is on your back. Sleeping in this position keeps the spine, neck, and head properly aligned, contributing to better quality sleep and reducing the incidence of complaints like back pain, acid reflux, and some heart conditions.
However, not all of us find it comfortable or easy to sleep on our backs. If you are a side-sleeper, you might find that you are restless through the night. If you toss and turn continually, the chances are that restful sleep is elusive and rare for you. A body pillow can help by better supporting your body while you are on your side, improving sleep duration and quality.
What is a Body Pillow?
A body pillow is an elongated pillow that supports your body while you sleep. A body pillow can be used with your regular pillow or as an alternative, helping you achieve maximum comfort at rest.
Body pillows are perfect for side-sleepers, pregnant women, or people with back pain or generalized pain disorders. They are also excellent for children or individuals who have experienced trauma as it gives them something comforting and soft to snuggle into.
The Many Benefits of Body Pillows
For those of us who have a hard time sleeping because of back or joint pain, body pillows are a godsend. Their elongated shape allows you to support your knees, back, and neck in a way that aligns the spine perfectly, making it easy for side-sleepers to find comfort, reduce pain, and wake up feeling refreshed and energized.
In addition to a much-improved quality of sleep, other benefits of sleeping with a body pillow can include:
- Improves circulation
- Increases blood flow through the lower extremities
- Relieves pressure points
- Supports hips and neck
- Aids in relaxation
- Lowers heart rate
- Reduces stress
- Relieves ankle and knee swelling
- Reduces snoring and sleep apnea
- Less time spent awake in the night
- Fall asleep faster
- May alleviate insomnia
Body Pillows For Pregnancy
Pregnant women, especially, find that a body pillow helps them sleep soundly through the night. The changes in your body and fluctuating hormones sometimes make it challenging to rest. Sleeping on your back might not be comfortable at all, causing you to move around constantly just to find a comfortable position. Sleeping on the side is the preferred sleep position for most pregnant women, but without adequate support, aches and pains can ensue.
Body Pillows for a Happy Relationship
If your partner has a difficult time sleeping because of your restlessness, sleeping with a body pillow will help that too. Because you are less active through the night, your partner will also sleep better. The prospect of a restful night’s sleep for both of you could even improve your relationship!
Fully Customizable for Your Comfort
No matter how you like to sleep, a body pillow is a great comfort. It is completely customizable to the way you sleep, too. For example, if you want to sleep on your side with a pillow between your legs, you can adjust the amount of fill inside the pillow to make it more or less plump, according to your preference.
How Do You Sleep With a Body Pillow?
A body pillow is hugged to the chest and between the legs. Most people tend to turn over less when they sleep with a body pillow, but if you do turn, the body pillow comes with you when you flip to the other side.
Sizes, Types, and Styles of Body Pillows
There are many different types of body pillows. Most are elongated straight pillows, but others are U-shaped and encircle your whole body.
Pushplinen body pillows are rectangular and come in two sizes:
- 20” x 54” (standard size)
- 20” x 60” (extra-large size)
Our pillows are filled with hypo-allergenic conjugated polyester fiber. The shell is made of 400 thread count cotton sateen, a soft, durable, and breathable fabric that can be dry cleaned as needed.
To cover your body pillow, you will need a specially-sized pillowcase. Our body pillowcases are sham-style with an envelope closure at one end.
Though the body pillow itself only comes in one color (white), our body pillow shams are available in thirteen different shades, making it easy for you to match your other linens and accent your bedroom décor. We also offer body pillow shams with embroidered borders, providing a subtle accent to punctuate your interior design.
If you purchase several colors or styles, you can even change up the look of your bedroom from time to time. Everybody loves a little change now and then!
Body Pillow Sham Care
Body pillow shams are made from high-quality, 400 thread count cotton sateen. Care is easy, as they can be washed with your regular laundry. If you wash our body pillow shams in cold water, they will give you pleasure for many years to come. We recommend tumble drying your body pillow shams on a low setting to preserve the color and integrity of the fabric for as long as possible.
What To Do With Your Body Pillow When You’re Not Sleeping
When you are not sleeping, you might wonder what you are going to do with your body pillow. After all, you’ve already got a bunch of pillows on your bed!
A body pillow with a lovely pillow sham is a beautiful accent to a freshly made bed. Simply make up your bed as you usually would and place the body pillow in front or on top of your regular pillows. As an added touch, add some accent pillows in contrasting colors. Your bedroom will look like a luxury hotel!
Browse our selection of body pillows, and body pillow shams today or reach out to us directly if you have any questions.