We may not give our pillow habits much thought, but as we all know, what’s comfortable for one person is another person’s nightmare. Some people prefer to make the most of the space available to them when they’re trying to get a good night’s sleep and avoid excess soft furnishings. Whilst for others, having the best pillow for both decoration and sleeping purposes helps create a sense of calm in their bedroom.
But when it comes to whether our pillow habits actually mean anything deeper, this tends to remain a complete mystery. With National Bed Month now upon us in March, we might just have the answer as Memoryfoampillows.co.uk has uncovered the five most popular pillow arrangements.
Enlisting the expertise of an environmental psychologist, Lee Chambers, they’ve now uncovered exactly what our pillow habits say about us.
Prepare to be surprised…
The Classic
Anyone with a classic pillow habit shows strong morals and practicality, favoring perfectly placed accent cushions. But they never actually sleep on them!
(Image credit: Jon Lovette via Getty)
“This pillow arrangement confers a strong sense of tradition and someone is very moral, balancing a level of practicality with the ability to show a small part of their personality through their accent cushions,” Lee explains. “They are unlikely to be the first to try something new but are likely to be reliable and dependable even in a crisis.”
The Descend
Competitive, much? If you are, you’re probably more than a little familiar with the pillow habit known as ‘The Descend’. People with this habit organize their pillows from large to small, which is common for creating a symmetrical look on double beds and beyond.
Lee says: “The sense order in descending pillows is very reassuring to those who might like conformity and balance and can almost give the image of falling into bed when night comes along.
“They will enjoy having clear boundaries and structure in life and aiming for the top step of the pillows with a competitive streak.”
(Image credit: Nazar Abbas Photography via Getty)
On The Up
After getting out of bed in the morning, people with this pillow habit tend to prop their pillows up straight – but at night, they are laid down flat again.
“This is a true lover of uniformity and ritual,” Lee reveals. “This arrangement is great for those who love to transition their bed from day to night, and this eye for detail makes them skilled at analysis, but more likely to think in black and white.”
The Mix Up
Those who like to think of themselves as creative and love embracing chaos are likely to have The Mix Up pillow habit. They arrange their pillows half-up, half-down. Perhaps they even like placing their partner’s pillow one way and theirs the other.
Lee states: “There is always one to break the status quo, and the mixer loves that variety in life. They are more likely to enjoy a bit of chaos and entertainment and be generous in nature. They are likely to find joy in creative pursuits and are probably one of the least punctual of the group.”
(Image credit: Subin Pumsom / EyeEm via Getty)
No pillow arrangement
Prefer to keep things simple? Well, it seems that having no pillow arrangement at all suggests a strong sense of self. You don’t care where your pillows are placed and keeping everything symmetrical is just not important to you.
“This is a sign of practicality and efficiency; the mindset is one I only need what I will use to sleep,” Lee explains, adding: “The person is likely to be individualistic and has a strong sense of self, not being swayed by trends or fashion.
“They will likely be minimalistic elsewhere and have a particular area they like to indulge in, likely experience-based.”
Best pillow arrangement to improve sleep
If you struggle to get a full night’s sleep, then why not try mixing up the way you arrange your pillows. It’s all well and good having a meticulously decorated bed during the day, but when it comes to achieving maximum sleep, what really counts is how you position your pillows at night.
(Image credit: Tetra Images via Getty)
The experts at Memoryfoampillows.co.uk suggest choosing one to two pillows depending on your sleeping position – back sleepers should only need one, whereas side sleepers may use two to reduce any pressure placed on your body.
When you get into bed, make sure your pillow is flat with your head in the center. Your head, neck, and chin should all remain at a neutral level to prevent strain and discomfort whilst you sleep.
They also advise keeping your shoulders off the pillow, as this can result in aches and pains.
You’ll never think about your pillow habits the same way again!