Why Side Sleepers benefit from using a Pillow between the Knees
Sleeping with a pillow under the knees or between your legs isn’t just incredibly comfortable - it can dramatically improve the quality of your rest. Sleep is one of the most critical parts of our lives, and we need to do it well if we’re going to function at 100%! Here are some ways that using a pillow between the legs can help you sleep better and longer.
Promotes Good Posture
Good posture while we sleep however, receives less attention - However, it’s just as important as maintaining good posture while you’re sitting in an upright position on a chair of couch.
Using a knee support or leg pillow between your legs while sleeping helps promote good posture, meaning that every part of your body gets the rest it deserves and pressure is removed from body parts that otherwise are still on strain while you sleep. This is especially true of our legs — how many times have you woken up feeling like your legs have just finished a 10-hour shift at work or a 8 mile hike? This happens when we rest in a position that doesn’t let our muscles heal and relax the way it needs it.
Using a cushion between your legs, helps to keep your legs separate and supported when you sleep on your side. This allows the muscles to relax and recuperate overnight. A knee support pillow is especially beneficial for side sleepers. It can mean that one leg presses against the other and puts strain on a muscle or tendon when they should be apart and relaxed. Sometimes this can also result in pain of your knees as they are pressed together :(
Supports a Deeper Sleep
We know when we’re uncomfortable, even when we’re asleep. This is why you keep waking up when you rest on a poor-quality mattress or when your neck isn't supported properly. This is your body telling you that you need to make adjustments for it to heal correctly and be in balance with it's natural alignment.
You can let your body know that it’s being taken care of by using a knee pillow. It will:
- Prevent your legs from touching and putting pressure on each other
- Spread out the concentrated weight of your legs and prevent them from pushing “too hard” into your mattress
- Prevent your body heat from getting trapped between your legs, creating sweat and odor in some cases
- Minimizes the risk of sleeping with any “sensitive parts” getting trapped between your legs, potentially causing unwanted and uncomfortable pressure
- Reduce the chance of your feet or ankles touching - these are harder and bonier parts that may wake you up when in discomfort
A well-designed knee pillow for sleeping can help you achieve deeper, more restful sleep. In turn, this helps your body heal and will mean that you wake up every morning feeling energized and ready to tackle the day.
Mediating Temperature
Your body temperature is another important factor in helping you get a good night’s rest. We all experience night time body temperature differently — some people feel very cold when they’re ready for bed and need a hot water bottle and thick blankets to get comfy. Others find their internal temperature to skyrocket, and a thin sheet is all they end up needing.
Whether you're a hot sleeper or need to get cozy warm in bed, sleeping with a pillow between the legs is a great way to mediate your body temperature.
- If you typically feel very cold when you go to bed, an additional soft cushion under the knees can provide some much-needed comfort. The cushion will gain some warmth from contact with your body, and the soft fabric and filling provide a lovely warming sensation.
- If you tend to feel too hot before you rest, sleeping with a millet hulls filled knee pillow between legs helps prevent your body(specially your legs) from overheating. Your legs will give out heat when you’re trying to rest — without a proper leg pillow, this creates a vicious cycle of your legs warming each other. This can rapidly lead to uncomfortable sweats and ultimately wake you up in the middle of the night. A knee pillow for side sleepers helps to keep your legs separate and gives the heat somewhere to go, and it in return eliminates sweaty surprises.
Using a knee pillow for sleeping is a great way to keep an even, comfortable temperature when you’re at rest. An easy-to-clean, removable cover is always a great idea as this prevents sweat from building up in the pillowcase which can lead to mold built up.
Providing Comfort
It’s not just physical comfort that helps us sleep. We won’t get too deep into the psychology of sleep here — suffice to say that a leg pillow provides the same type of comforting benefits as a full-body pillow model but doesn’t get in the way of your other bolsters so much.
Another huge benefit of a smaller size knee cushion is that full-body pillows are harder to maneuver if you roll from one side to the other. A lightweight knee pillow for side sleepers will move easily with the rhythm of your body, ensuring that you don’t wake up when you roll over.
Easing Pain and Soreness
Sleep can be uncomfortable for various reasons. It’s not just about preventing your knees from putting pressure on each other — it’s about the whole body and buying a cushion that will actually help you get a good night’s rest.
Conditions like sciatica and scoliosis make comfortable nights of sleep more challenging. Knee pillows can provide support where needed and allow you to find a stable position. Pregnant women often benefit from leg pillows or full-body pillow options as they can take the weight off uncomfortable parts of the body.
Whatever your circumstances, sleeping with a pillow between legs is a great way to give yourself the best night’s rest possible. It’s recommended for everyone interested in waking up with a rested body rather than more pains.
What to consider when shopping for Knee Pillows
Fabric
The best choice should be made of a soft, breathable fabric. This will help it regulate your body temperature when you’re resting. Material that is pleasant to touch is also essential, of course — whatever your reason for sleeping with a pillow between legs, it’s got to feel good to you!
The best leg pillow will be made of a breathable, organic material that is soft to the touch and easy to clean.
Size
People commonly search for a knee pillow for side sleepers because full body pillow models aren’t for everyone, despite their benefits they are also huuuuuge. When choosing your leg pillow, you should keep this in mind — smaller options that give optimal cushioning to your knees are best and preferred by majority of consumers.
Smaller designs help to keep your legs separate and promote comfort, but you’re not wrestling with a long, heavy object that makes it difficult to roll over.
Filling Options
Organic filling options such as millet hulls provide incredible softness and support without being exposed to chemicals which many times are found in memory foam products.
Manufacturing Methods
You should always check where your bedding was made and what techniques were used in its manufacturing process. The best leg pillow for side sleepers will always be a hand-made model. The quality and durability of hand-made models can’t be beaten we think.
Weight
A significant reason that people opt for a knee pillow, is that full-body size models are too heavy. Lightweight small models weighing around 1.2lbs, which means that you’ll barely notice the pillow’s weight when you sleep, even though its firm design helps you maintain the perfect sleeping posture.
Heavier options might wake you up unduly or put too much weight on one leg.
Zippers
A zipper is the best type of closure for any type of sleeping pillow, as this guarantees that you can not only remove the cover but also access the filling and adjust it to your liking.
Is it Washable
Any removable cover should be easy to wash and resistant to staining. Many people choose to sleep with a pillow between their legs because they easily overheat while they sleep — this means that any cushion they use between their legs, will be exposed to some sort of sweat at some point over it's lifetime. So regular washing of the cover, ensures your enjoy comfort and hygiene in the long run.
Hypoallergenic Properties
Organic materials tend to be hypoallergenic compared to artificial fabrics. When choosing your leg support cushion, staying away from any synthetic materials that might cause even mild allergic reactions is something to keep in mind.
History of Using a Pillow between the legs for Sleeping
Support Pillows for Pregnant Women
Knee pillows have been used by pregnant women for thousands of years. Reducing stress in certain areas and providing comfort to women who are expecting has always been an essential part of midwifery.
The Knee Pillow for Side Sleepers
Wealthier individuals in European countries had the means to “perfect” their sleeping positions on sprawling four-poster beds. The knee pillow for side sleepers became a popular choice among the upper class, as this is the most common rest position.
Western Orthopedic Body Pillows
In modern times, orthopedic knee pillows are often recommended by physicians or chiropractors.
Orthopedic models might use memory foam or fiber, but organic filling materials are still considered the most effective by many experts.
Japanese Dakimakura
The dakimakura is a type of Japanese body pillow — its name means “a pillow one clings to/holds”. These have been popular in Japan for years and emphasize the emotional comfort knee pillows and larger body pillow models provide as well as their physical comfort factors.
Today
Rather than being used exclusively for orthopedic treatments, by the wealthy, or certain cultures, everyone can now enjoy the benefits of these type of cushions. This means there is greater accessibility and options than ever to choose from. So you want to make sure you only get the best for a great night of sleep.
What Makes a PineTales Knee Support Pillow Different?
A knee pillow from PineTales is built to provide you with maximum comfort for the longest time possible. Our knee pillow is specifically designed for side sleepers, and uses a unique design to ensure that you’ll always get the rest you need. We make the ONLY ROUND knee pillow on the market.
Organic Materials
Our knee pillow for sleeping is made from organic materials that help keep your legs comfortable and your body temperature consistent throughout the night. Our organic materials are ethically sourced and also offer hypoallergenic benefits for people sensitive to certain man-made materials.
Breathable Fabric
The breathability of our leg pillow is second to none. This is a vital part of helping regulate your body temperature and ensuring lasting comfort when sleeping with a pillow between the legs.
Breathable fabrics also handle sweat better. Even if you perspire during the night, the fabric should dry quickly so washing of the cover is only needed every other week or two.
Organic Filling
This knee pillow for sleeping is filled with 100% organic millet hulls. This filling can be recycled and refilled with similar material when the time comes, but they typically last for a very long time. They mold to your body’s shape without the need for synthetic fabrics and you can adjust the loft to your liking.
Round Shape
The rounded shape of this knee pillow combined with its organic millet husk filling means that it can shape itself to the curvature of your legs easier than any other cushion out there. Many models are designed with specific leg shapes in mind, but our can be used by anyone.
The rounded shape is also known to be more comforting compared to pillows with angular corners. It means that there will be no points poking you in the night, providing you with the best night’s sleep and comfort possible.
Easy to Wash
Our organic fabric covers wash easily and don’t require any special treatment. They will retain their softness and breathability as part of your regular washing schedule and can easily be cleaned.
You want a leg pillow that makes your life easier, not more complicated. The easy-wash design of our covers guarantees that you’ll be getting the best possible rest with minimal effort.
Lightweight
A disadvantage of heavier, more cumbersome body pillows is that they make it difficult for side sleepers to turn without waking up. It’s very comforting to hold on to a knee pillow during sleep, but it becomes a problem if you can’t roll over because a large object gets stuck underneath your blankets.
Our leg pillow for side sleepers weighs less than 1.2lbs so that even the lightest sleepers will barely notice its presence if they roll over during the night. Despite its ultra-lightweight design, the millet hull filling is firm and resistant.
Promotes Healthy Sleeping Posture
Our leg support pillow for side sleepers is designed to promote the healthiest sleeping posture possible. This will help you get the rest you deserve. With consistent use, your body learns its most comfortable fit with the leg pillow - it only gets better as over time.