Do Expensive Pillows Enhance Your Quality Of Sleep?
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Is the key to getting a good night's sleep your pillow?
It's definitely part of it. Plenty of people are seeking just the right pillow. In fact, American's spent $981 million on pillows last year alone.
Kristin and Todd Seth splurged on $100 pillows. Unfortunately, they hate them. So, it's back to the drawing board.
They are seeking something new on which to rest their heads.
"If there was a magic pillow that allowed us to get eight hours of sleep, I would pay top dollar for that one," says Kristin.
Kristin is a side sleeper. Todd is a back and side sleeper. We asked them to be part of our unscientific pillow test.
Do you really need to spend a lot of money on a pillow? We bought the Seths three different pillows. The $85 Ghost Pillow by Ghost Bed. It has gel memory foam with advanced cooling technology. They each received a $50 My Pillow that was specifically made for their sleep-type, gender and size. And finally, we gave them $8 down alternative pillows from Costco.
"What to think about when buying a pillow is your comfort for your sleeper type," says Dr. Rebecca Robbins, the head of the sleep team at the Benjamin Hotel in New York City. She's also the author of "Sleep for Success! Everything You Must Know About Sleep But are Too Tired to Ask."
Robbins says there are specific pillows for specific sleep types.
For example, side sleepers need a thicker pillow to support the head and neck and keep the spinal cord in line. Back sleepers? She says memory foam is a great option.
And stomach sleepers need the thinnest pillow of all. And one more thing -- Robbins says you should also buy, "Anything that says it can keep your head cool at night."
After a week of testing, Kristin and Todd had lots to say about the pillows.
Kristin was a fan of the My Pillow.
"It's not one solid pillow it's a lot of different fibers or stuffing in the pillows and I liked that and it kept me cool," she says.
Todd liked the Ghost Pillow.
"I think the support was all the way around either on my side or my back it had the support," he says.
They both thought the $8 pillows from Costco were too thin.
The pillows they chose, no surprise, are pillows designed for their sleep type. But, they admit they would not pay the hefty price tag.
Sleep experts say there's no need to spend a lot of money on pillows. After all, you are supposed to toss them out every two years.
Throwing out a $100 pillow? Now that could cause you to lose some sleep.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
