What is a Body Pillow?

Body pillows are long pillows built to support your entire body while sleeping. While the most common body pillow is shaped like a rectangle, you can also find body pillows shaped like the letters J, L, or U. Large body pillows are especially popular amongst side sleepers, chronic pain sufferers, and pregnant women.

Quality sleep is essential for good physical and mental health. At a glance, body pillows may not seem like much, but the purpose of a body pillow is to help you sleep more comfortably, relieve pain, and sleep deeper.

Body Pillow Shapes

The standard size of a body pillow is 20 inches wide by 54 inches long, but body pillows come in different shapes that provide various levels of support to sleepers.

• Rectangle: Rectangular body pillows are a long and narrow pillow found at most bedding retailers. A rectangle body pillow works as an object to hug and place between your knees, but if you turn the pillow horizontally, it functions as a long pillow for your head.

• Cylinder: Cylinder body pillows are round, thick, and long. With the right pillow sham, cylinder pillows can be decorative.

• L-shaped: L-shaped body pillows are a long rectangle pillow, only they feature a second arm to use between your legs or under your head. The two arms of the pillow may be identical, or one arm may be longer than the other.

• J-shaped: J-shaped body pillows resemble a candy cane or hook because they are large and have two different-sized arms. You may tuck the curved arms between your legs while you hug the long arm or vice versa.

• U-shaped: U-shaped pillows offer full-body support. They have two long arms and a curved cushion connecting the two. When using a U-shaped pillow, you may lay between the two arms for full-body support.

• C-shaped: C-shaped pillows feature two hooks to support the legs and arms. These pillows are similar to U-shaped pillows in the sense that they offer total body support, but C-shaped pillows are smaller and fit on smaller beds.

Body Pillow Fills

You may choose a body pillow fill based on personal preference, but the fill also affects the pillow’s feel, breathability, and price.

Memory Foam

Memory foam pillows conform to your body’s curves to relieve pressure and help you relax while sleeping. Memory foam body pillows come in two forms: shredded and solid. Shredded memory foam is a bit more malleable, but solid memory foam is firm and stiff. Unlike solid memory foam, shredded memory foam needs to be fluffed occasionally.

Latex

Latex body pillows are made from natural materials derived from the sap of rubber trees. Body pillows made from latex are soft and bouncy, so they won’t flatten out quickly and become ineffective. This natural fill is non-toxic and hypoallergenic to keep you and your home safe.

Down

Down is a popular fill made from the soft feathers around a duck or goose’s belly or wings. This fill is soft and fluffy, yet still breathable and durable.

Down is prone to trapping dust, so it’s not always ideal if you suffer from allergies. It’s also not supportive compared to foam pillow fills, so it may not provide sufficient pressure relief.

Down Alternative

Down alternative is made from polyester fiberfill. As the name suggests, down alternative is an alternative to down because it feels similar, but is hypoallergenic and much more affordable. However, down alternative isn’t very durable, so you’ll need to replace it sooner than you would other pillow types.

Who Should Use a Body Pillow?

Body pillows are excellent for pregnant women, people with sleep apnea, and anyone recovering from surgery or struggling with chronic pain.

Still, this doesn’t mean you need a health condition to enjoy a body pillow. Body pillows are particularly comfortable and pressure-relieving for side sleepers.

Side Sleepers

Using a body pillow enhances the benefits of side sleeping while relieving pain and pressure. Resting a body pillow between your legs better aligns your hips with your spine, minimizing the risk of lower back pain or stiffness. In most cases, the best body pillows for side sleepers are medium firm and have a mid-loft, between 5 and 6 inches.

As a whole, side sleeping is a healthy position to help with issues such as acid reflux, snoring, and sleep apnea.

Pregnant Women

Body pillows are frequently marketed towards pregnant women and are even called “pregnancy pillows” because of the numerous benefits they offer during pregnancy.

Pregnant women often suffer from lower back pain, acid reflux and heartburn, and poor circulation. Using a body pillow potentially relieves these issues as well as make it easier to sleep comfortably on your side—the safest position for pregnant women.

Body pillows are even beneficial post-pregnancy. They work as a comfortable seat for your child when breastfeeding, especially U or C-shaped pillows.

Sleep Apnea Sufferers

Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where a person’s breathing starts and stops periodically while they sleep due to having blocked airways.

For one, side sleeping is beneficial for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea because your jaw and tongue won’t obstruct your airways. Also, the high loft of a body pillow leaves sleepers heads’ high, ensuring their airways stay open.

Joint and Muscular Pain Sufferers

If you struggle with conditions such as fibromyalgia, arthritis, or back pain, the full-body support of body pillows can ease the pressure on your muscles and joints.

When side sleeping, a comfortable body pillow corrects your positioning and ensures you have good posture, which can alleviate joint and muscle pain. In most cases, body pillows for back pain are soft and conforming with a low-loft, around 5-inches.

Post-Op Patients

When recovering from surgery—such as hip or knee replacement—using a body pillow makes it easier and more comfortable to heal. The extra support from a body pillow can help you sleep pain-free.

FAQs

Are body pillows comfortable?

Yes! Body pillows are a sleep aid designed to make you sleep more comfortably and alleviate body aches and pains. If anything, larger body pillows—J-shaped, U-shaped, or C-shaped—might restrict your movements and make you feel a bit trapped in bed.

Are body pillows good for back or stomach sleepers?

Although body pillows are rather versatile, there’s little benefit of body pillows for stomach or back sleepers.

If you sleep on your stomach, use a body pillow under your hips to reduce tension on your lower back. Back sleepers may use a body pillow under their legs to elevate their legs. Still, they can achieve these same benefits with a standard-size pillow.

What is a body pillow cover?

Body pillow covers are fabric pillowcases. We recommend always using a body pillow cover over your body pillow to keep it clean from sweat, dust, and oils. A pillowcase also ensures you won’t have to wash your pillow as often, thus helping the pillow last longer.

Are body pillows worth the price?

Although body pillows are a bit more expensive than standard pillows, they’re much larger and provide different benefits. Body pillows support your entire body—not just your head—and can ease back and joint pain, and prevent your knees from chafing.

Why do I hug my body pillow at night?

Lots of us enjoy hugging our pillows at night and it’s completely normal. Hugging a pillow causes the same neurological reaction as when you hug another person.

Hugging releases oxytocin—the hormone related to trust, love, and positive thinking—while also reducing cortisol—the stress hormone. So at night, the comfort of hugging your pillow can make you feel safe and protected, in turn causing you to sleep well.

Conclusion

Body pillows are a great investment if you’re looking to ease muscle aches and get a better night’s sleep. Smaller body pillows made from latex and down are good options for hot sleepers or anyone with a narrow bed. Conversely, sleepers in need of lots of support might prefer a full-body pillow such as J, U, or C-shaped pillows.