Pillows are an integral part of any bedroom. They have a really big impact on just how much sleep we get, and the quality of that sleep. So it's not surprising that there is a market for pillows in the United States worth over $1.3 billion per year – and this figure is growing every year as more people discover their benefits or need to upgrade old ones!
Unfortunately, the pillow industry has a downside too – it's one of the most unregulated manufacturing industries, with little oversight from any regulatory agency. This means products can contain harmful chemicals (such as formaldehyde) that can affect our health and have serious consequences such as coughing, wheezing or asthma attacks. It also means that there are a lot of household products out there which are pilled with chemicals.
As a result, there is an industry that has sprung up to help consumers test and buy pillows which contain no harmful substances – but they are few and far between.
So what exactly is good sleep?
The best way to answer this is to think about the research on sleep and health. If you look at this research closely, one thing becomes abundantly clear – slight changes in the bedroom can affect how much we sleep, and how well we sleep. It's also clear that getting a better night's rest impacts our health in all sorts of ways.
For example, the American Cancer Society reports that getting less than 6 hours of sleep a night increases your risk of getting cancer. Not only that, a University of Pittsburgh study found that sleeping more than 7 hours a night can lead to increased anxiety and depression.
Additionally, it has been shown that people who get less than 5 hours of sleep per night are at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity, diabetes and stroke. As well as this, people who score highest on stress tests have been found to have poorer heart function in terms of cardiopulmonary function as well as having lower levels of an enzyme called alanine aminotransferase (ALAT).
One of the best ways to get a better night's rest is through the use of a good quality pillow. The American Chiropractic Association reports that it's important not only that we sleep well but also that we have a pillow which supports our head and neck in such a way as to reduce strain on muscles and joints and prevent or decrease snoring.
So what are the benefits of getting a better night's sleep? Apart from simply feeling more rested, there are many other health benefits as well. For example, it has been shown that women who regularly get less than 5 hours sleep per night report more symptoms of depression than those who get 7 hours or more per night. There is a global sleep epidemic with an estimated 1.2 billion people suffering from sleep deprivation. With so many people in need of a good night’s sleep, the popularity of pillows has been on the rise over the past few decades. There are many types of pillows available today, but there are also several challenges that pillow-based sleeping positioners must overcome to be successful.
Some Pillows have the tendency to be too large for some sleepers, while others may be too small or uncomfortable to sleep on. Pillow sizing is a challenge and can cause discomfort while sleeping, which can result in a restless night of sleep and ultimately affect a person’s body greatly over the long term. There is no standard sizing system for pillows available today, so it is up to consumers to figure out what size pillow will work best for them.
