Do you or your partner snore? Is it affecting the quality of your sleep? Snoring can be disturbing, but thankfully there are pillows that can reduce snoring.
On this page, you'll find inspiration and knowledge about anti-snoring pillows, how they can help you reduce snoring, and how to choose the right anti-snore pillow for you.
Pillows and snoring
When you sleep on your back, you're lying in a position that partially blocks your airways and creates a lack of space in your throat. It's this lack of throat space that causes the familiar sound of snoring. To avoid snoring, you should try to sleep on your side instead of your back.
When you sleep on your side, your airway will be more open. Consistently sleeping on your side is the most effective strategy for reducing snoring. If you're used to sleeping on your back, it may take some time to adapt to sleeping on your side, but adjusting your sleeping environment to encourage side sleeping can help. This is where pillows and snoring have a close connection: A pillow can make sleeping on your side feel both more natural and more comfortable and thus reduce snoring.
Which pillow to choose?
The best pillow for a snorer is one that encourages you to sleep on your side. As such, it should support your head properly while lying sideways. But which kind of pillow makes it extra pleasant to sleep on your side?
- A pillow with at least medium height will give your head sufficient support when sleeping on the side.
- A firm pillow is good for sleeping on the side because the filling doesn't easily move around. If your pillow's filling is clumping together in one spot, you will risk having your head in an ergonomically unhealthy and uncomfortable position that can strain your neck. This will make you more likely to return to sleeping on your back. A firm pillow can have special filling like memory foam or latex. Both types of filling are relatively firm and compact, giving you the support you need to keep your head in a straight line from your spine and up through your neck.
- You should have a high-volume pillow that fills out the space between your head and your mattress. The pillow should also fill the space between where your shoulder meets the mattress and where your head meets the pillow. You should choose a thick and full model that has a lot of filling.
Specialist pillows to minimise snoring
If you are bothered by your own or your partner’s snoring, you can also consider a contour pillow. Contour pillows are known for their unique construction, which follows the shape of the neck and makes the pillows particularly well-suited to side sleeping. Some contour pillows have an adjustable height where the pillow's filling is shaped in separate removable layers. This allows you to easily adjust the height so sleeping on your side more appealing than sleeping on your back.
Different types of anti-snore pillows
In addition to specialist pillows, there are other types of pillows that can support side sleeping and reduce snoring. Fibre pillows and natural pillows can also have filling, support, and firmness similar to specialist pillows. It simply requires that the pillow has the right construction.
The best pillow for a snorer could be a pillow that has several chambers, which are the areas in the pillow that contain the filling, with the middle chamber containing the firmest filling and the outside chambers holding softer filling. This type of construction helps place your neck and head in a pleasant position when you sleep on your side. Learn more about pillow chambers.
Patience is essential
You should be patient when you attempt to change sleeping positions. It can take time to transition away from one sleeping position and get comfortable with another. It will probably take you at least 14 days to get used to your new pillow.
Be prepared that you'll be tempted to take your old, safe, flat pillow back out of the closet and return to sleeping on your back. Stick with your new pillow and sleeping position if you want to reduce your snoring.
There are many different pillows to choose from, also when it comes to those with anti-snoring properties. Do you want to learn all there is to know about choosing the right pillow? Check out our ultimate pillow guide to find the answer to any question you might have.
