How Many Pillows Should You Sleep With?

As you settle into bed hoping for a good night's rest, do you tend to fall asleep with a pile of pillows nestled around your neck and shoulders? Although this sleep position looks super cozy, it may not be the best for the different areas of your body, such as your spine, shoulders, neck, and even hips. Believe it or not, the number of pillows you sleep on could be the blame for a bad night.

Even though many people sleep with two, three or even four bed pillows, the recommended number is just one. A single pillow is all you need to support your head throughout a night’s rest. The whole purpose of a pillow is to keep your neck aligned with your spine. Sleeping on more than one pillow could actually strain several areas of your body, cause unwanted pain in your neck and shoulders, and lead to problems with spinal alignment and posture.

How Many Pillows Are You Supposed to Sleep With?

One pillow is more than enough to give you a good night's sleep, regardless of sleep position or whether a soft or firm pillow is used. At Eight Sleep, we have the data to prove it. Since our launch, we have tracked over 8 million hours of sleep. We found that people who sleep on one pillow toss and turn the least throughout the night. And people sleeping with more than four pillows have an average sleep score that's 4% lower than sleepers with one pillow.

This graph shows the average sleep score per number of pillows

This graph shows the average tosses and turns each night per pillow. The average toss and turns per night for Eight users is 18.2, as shown by the dotted line.

Because we know the value of comfortable sleeping on just one pillow, we created one perfect pillow — called The Ultimate Pillow — to fit all sleepers. It's adjustable so you can choose your height and firmness levels to fit your personal preferences. Whether you prefer to sleep on your back, side, or stomach, the adjustable characteristic of this perfect pillow allows you to sleep on a firm pillow one night and a soft pillow the next. 

After a long day at the office, when all you want to do is seep into your mattress and feel the softness of your bed linens, make sure you have the most comfortable sleeper pillow by your side. After a night's sleep, wake up feeling well rested and energized for what the next day will bring. With a busy schedule and a loaded to-do list, ensure your posture and spinal alignment is up to par and the pain once felt in your neck, spine, or shoulders has dramatically lessened. All this can be achieved using one pillow.

>> Learn more about our NEW Ultimate Pillow here.