I have slept on my side my whole life, and for years I did not think much about it. Then my right shoulder started stiffening overnight, my right hip ached by morning, and my neck felt like it had spent eight hours holding up something heavy. I tried the usual things: a stack of pillows, a firmer pillow, a thinner pillow, a pillow that went flat by 2 a.m. Nothing kept me in the position I actually wanted to stay in. In the first week of April I ordered the Utopia Bedding full body pillow, mostly out of mild desperation, and seven months later I still reach for it every single night.
This is not the kind of pillow that fixes everything or replaces a doctor's visit. If your shoulder, hip, or neck pain is ongoing, that is worth mentioning to a doctor or physical therapist, because no pillow treats an injury. But for a lifelong side sleeper who just wants to stop rolling forward and waking up sore, here are the ten reasons this one earned its spot on my bed.
The body pillow I have hugged every night for seven months
The Utopia Bedding full body pillow is the long rectangular pillow that finally kept me on my side instead of rolling onto my shoulder. It is the one I reach for first when I make the bed.
Amazon Check Today's Price on Amazon →It keeps you from rolling forward onto your shoulder
I am a right-side sleeper, and my habit was to drift forward until I was half on my stomach with my right arm pinned under me. That is how I woke up with a stiff shoulder and a tingling arm. Hugging the body pillow along the front of my body stops that roll before it starts. The pillow is 54 inches long, so it stays put from my chest to my knees, and my top arm rests on it instead of under me.
It gives your top arm a place to land
Before this pillow, my top arm had two options: wedge under my head and go numb, or hang awkwardly across my side and ache by morning. With a full body pillow, the arm drapes over the top of the pillow in a neutral position. I wake up with my arm still attached to my body and actually able to move it, which sounds like a low bar until you have spent months shaking your hand awake at 3 a.m.
It takes pressure off your hip without a second mattress
My right hip is the first thing that complains in the morning. The pillow does not change my mattress, but it changes how I lie on it. With the pillow between my front and the bed, my top leg rests higher and my pelvis stays in a straighter line, so my hip does not take the full brunt of the night. I still use a separate knee pillow between my knees, and the two work as a team.
It helps your neck stay in line with your spine
A body pillow is not a head pillow, and I do not use it as one. But by keeping my shoulders stacked instead of letting my top shoulder roll forward, it keeps my neck from twisting to compensate. My head pillow does the main work for my neck; the body pillow keeps the rest of me from undoing it. I noticed the difference within the first couple of weeks.
It stays lofty all night instead of going flat
I have owned ordinary pillows that were a sad pancake by midnight. This one is filled with plush polyester and wrapped in a soft, breathable 100% polyester fabric, and it holds its shape through the whole night. Seven months in, it still has the same gentle support it had in April. I fluff it when I make the bed, and that is all it needs.
It is long enough to support your whole body
At 20 by 54 inches, it runs from my head to my knees, which is exactly what a side sleeper needs. Shorter pillows leave a gap at your hips or your feet, and that gap is where you start to roll. The full length means there is no weak spot. I can hug it, drape a leg over it, or just lean against it, and it covers every part of me that needs support.
It is soft, not a stiff wedge you have to wrestle
Some sleep products feel like they were designed by an engineer who has never actually slept. This one is soft. The fill is plush polyester and the pillow has a soft, pliable feel, so it molds to you instead of fighting you. I can tuck it under my arm, pull it against my chest, or shift it in the night without waking myself up trying to reposition a rigid slab.
It works for more than just sleeping
I have used this pillow while reading in bed, propped against the headboard, and it is a better backrest than the stack of pillows it replaced. I have also used it on the couch on weekend afternoons. It is a multipurpose pillow that cradles your shoulders, hips, abdomen, and back, and honestly, the more uses I find for it, the more I feel like I got my money's worth.
It is easy to care for
The care instructions are simple: spot clean. I have had a couple of small spills and a dog-free house, so spot cleaning has been plenty. The pillow does not need to go in a washing machine, which is good, because a 54-inch pillow would be a chore to wash. A damp cloth, a little gentle soap, and it looks as good as new.
It does not take over your partner's side of the bed
My husband Gary sleeps on his back and runs warm, and he was skeptical when a 54-inch pillow showed up. But the pillow stays on my side, along the front of my body, and it has not invaded his half of the bed once. He has actually admitted, in his understated way, that I seem to be sleeping better. That alone would be reason enough to keep it.
What I'd Skip
If you are a back sleeper or a stomach sleeper, this pillow is probably not for you. It is designed for side sleepers, and if you do not sleep on your side, a long pillow in the bed will just be something you push away at 2 a.m. I would also skip it if you hate the feeling of something against your chest or between your legs; this pillow is a presence in the bed, and it took me a couple of nights to get used to it. And if your shoulder, hip, or neck pain is sharp, persistent, or getting worse, do not buy a pillow instead of seeing a doctor or physical therapist. A pillow can support a sleeping position; it cannot treat an injury.
Seven months in, I still reach for the Utopia Bedding body pillow every single night, and my right shoulder and hip are the quietest they have been in years.
Still deciding? This is the one I kept
I tried ordinary pillows, firmer pillows, and thinner pillows before this one. The Utopia Bedding full body pillow is the one that stayed. It is soft, it is long enough to support my whole body, and it has not gone flat in seven months of nightly use.
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