Sleep is sacred. Nothing beats a good night’s sleep to start the day on the right foot, we know that. What if, to get there, it all started with a good pillow, adapted to our needs and preferences? Overview in the company of specialists.
Odile Mainville swears by her pillow to find night’s rest. Even when traveling, she brings a similar one, but smaller, which will join, rolled up, all her essentials in the suitcase.
“When they discover the comfort that a pillow can provide, often people say,‟ I never want to sleep on a pillow that is poor quality or one that is not suitable for me again. “And they come back to get a second for the chalet,” says the owner of the family business Tout pour le dos, which has been established in Montreal for 28 years.
The problem is, there is no magic formula for knowing which pillow will give us that much sought-after comfort. And the choice, there is… enough to be completely helpless when it comes time to decide.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Pillows for all tastes at the Tout pour le dos boutique
“Companies have started to make all kinds of products with different materials, fabrics, air vents so the pillow is not too hot… bamboo, with gel, infused with fibers plants to absorb moisture and keep them dry, ”illustrates Odile Mainville. There are even buckwheat shell pillows, which are very malleable, but usually elicit opposite reactions – people either love them or hate them, she says.
And just because you’ve had a bad experience with a memory foam pillow doesn’t mean they’re all the same, she says, since they come in different densities, thicknesses and shapes.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
An Orthex pillow at the Tout pour le dos store
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
A Technogel pillow at the Tout pour le dos boutique
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
An Avanti pillow at the Tout pour le dos store
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“How many times are we going to hear people say: ‘I bought six or seven pillows in the last three years which are all in the wardrobe, my neck still hurts, I don’t sleep well” », Emphasizes Éric Duhamel, founder of Orthex, a Quebec company specializing in ergonomic pillows and postural cushions in memory foam since 2008.
In his opinion, people are much more aware today than they were 20 years ago when he started out in the industry, and they are even starting to pay special attention to their pillow much earlier than before.
Try before you buy
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
You have to take the time to try and choose the right pillow, according to the owner of Tout pour le dos, Odile Mainville.
To choose a pillow, you have to take your time, says Mme Mainville. “It’s true that it’s difficult to buy a pillow. As for a mattress. We are going to ask a lot of questions; after that, we make you try some pillows. We look at your alignment, we check the posture, then we leave you alone. It is really worth moving around and taking at least 30 minutes, even an hour, not to rush and, above all, not to be influenced by your friend who bought one like that ”, says t -she.
The body is shapely, so if you lie down in a store, it’s been five minutes and you turn around, you don’t know how to position yourself… Your body is telling you it’s not right. This is the first sign of discomfort.
Odile Mainville, owner of the Tout pour le dos boutique
“The future of sleep goes through personalization”, believes Eric Duhamel. The founder of Orthex explains that there are three basic criteria for determining which pillow would be the best choice for a particular person – their sleeping position, body type and weight. But there is also a question of preference, since some will prefer softer models, for example.
Orthex is currently working with the École de technologie supérieure (ETS) on the development of a technology that will make it possible to design innovative products that correspond to the “individual reality” of each person, which should arrive on the market in 2022. .
A healthy sleeping position
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ORTHEX
Pictured is an Orthex ergonomic pillow designed for side sleepers
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ORTHEX
A pillow placed between the knees will prevent rotation in the pelvis when lying on your side, according to physiotherapist Pascal Gagnon.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY ORTHEX
When lying on your back, your knees can be supported by a small pillow.
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There are, however, some general rules that can be relied upon to adopt a healthy sleeping position. Pascal Gagnon, physiotherapist at PhysioExtra and president of the Federation of physiotherapy clinics of Quebec, explains that when you sleep on your side, you should ideally have a pillow a little thicker to fill the point of the shoulder up to the ear and prevent the head from tilting all night, which may cause stiffness in the neck. A pillow between the knees will prevent rotation in the pelvis, he adds.
If you sleep on your back, your knees can be supported by a small pillow, as can your head. And it is necessary to avoid having the arms placed above the head, because this could cause tendinopathies in the long run, or to sleep on the stomach, to preserve the cervical region.
However, the physiotherapist recalls that even with the best quality products and a good sleeping position, a sedentary lifestyle can influence comfort during the night and be responsible for many ailments that are falsely accused of his mattress or pillow.
In short, movement would be just as essential to a good night’s sleep.
Visit the Tout pour le dos website Visit the Orthex website