The Best Pillows for People Who Sleep on Their Backs

Natural Fill

• Pillows that are filled with natural materials include down, feather, cotton and wool. The back sleeper should choose a pillow that is firm but still contours to his back and neck, filling the space between the shoulder and head. Down and feather-filled pillows are light and fluffy and will contour to your body.
  Cotton and wool filled pillows will start out comfortable but as time goes on, they are more easily compacted and lose their support.

Cervical

• Cervical pillows are specially made to support your neck and head and most are intended to help back sleepers. Cervical pillows align your spine to help eliminate neck pain. Many cervical pillows are filled with memory foam. Cervical pillows come in different shapes and sizes, such as cradle pillows, neck pillows and cervical rolls.

Memory Foam

• Memory foam is heat sensitive visoelastic foam, originally invented by NASA to cushion astronauts during long space fights. Memory foam molds itself to the contours of the body. This is especially beneficial to people who sleep on their backs, because the pillow curves to the contours of their neck and shoulders and holds that shape, relieving stress on the neck. Memory foam pillows are available in many sizes and shapes. The most well-known memory foam products are manufactured by Temper-Pedic. Memory foam also comes as fill in partial memory foam pillows that have a core of another type of pillow filling wrapped in a layer of memory foam. This type of memory foam pillow is less expensive.

Water

• At first glance, water-based pillows look like regular pillows--but looks can be deceiving. A water-based pillow has a fiber filling supported by a water pouch. For a firmer pillow, put more water in the pouch. For a softer pillow, let out some water. The beauty of water pillows is that, with a little experimentation, you can find the exact firmness for you.