A body pillow is a long, narrow pillow, usually 4 ft or more, that you lie alongside, hug or wrap around you while you sleep. Its 5 main benefits are support for your top arm and shoulder, a cushion between your knees, help keeping your spine in line, help staying on your side in pregnancy, and one pillow doing the work of 3. This guide covers what it's for, side sleeping, how to sleep with one by position, shapes, and how it differs from a bolster.
| Shape | What it is | What it supports | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight (I) | A long rectangle, often 48 to 54 in | One side: knees, arm or back | Couples, first-time users, small beds |
| J | A straight pillow with a hook at one end | Head on the hook, torso and knees along the length | Head and body support with less bulk |
| C | One curve, roughly half a U | Front and back at once | Pregnancy, back support |
| U | Two long legs joined by a curve at the top | Both sides of the body at once | Pregnancy, people who turn over often |
The more a shape wraps around you, the more it supports and the more bed it takes up. A straight pillow takes the least space, and a U takes the most.
What is a body pillow for?
A body pillow is for support along the length of your body, most often to rest your top leg and arm on when you sleep on your side. Sleep Foundation describes body pillows as long, narrow pillows of at least 48 inches, close to an adult's length.
People also use them in pregnancy, to sit up in bed against, and simply to hug. Sleep Foundation recommends them for anyone who likes to snuggle a pillow.
What are the 5 benefits of a body pillow?
Here are 5 benefits of a body pillow, starting with the ones that matter most to side sleepers:
- Supports the top arm and shoulder. Sleep Foundation says a body pillow can stop the upper shoulder slouching forward when you lie on your side.
- Cushions the knees. A pillow between the knees can relieve pressure on the hips and stops the top knee dropping onto the bottom one, which twists the spine, according to Sleep Foundation.
- Helps keep the spine in line. Sleep Foundation says body pillows can promote better spinal alignment, which may ease strain on the hips, shoulders and spine.
- Helps you stay on your side in pregnancy. NHS trust leaflets suggest a pillow behind your back to stop you rolling flat if you turn over in the night.
- Replaces a stack of pillows. Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust suggests pillows between the knees, under the bump and behind the back. A U-shaped pillow covers all 3 positions in one piece.
Are body pillows good for side sleepers?
Yes, body pillows are good for side sleepers, because they support the top arm and knee, so the upper shoulder doesn't slouch and the top knee doesn't drop onto the lower one. Side sleeping is the most common position: in a 2017 study of 664 adults wearing sensors, people spent 54.1% of their time in bed on their side.
The same study, by Skarpsno and colleagues in Nature and Science of Sleep, found 37.5% of time on the back and 7.3% on the front. Your head pillow still matters. Sleep Foundation says it should fill the gap between your head and the mattress, and our guide on how to choose a pillow covers pillow height.
How do you sleep with a body pillow?
To sleep with a body pillow, lie on your side, lay the pillow along the front of your body, and rest your top knee and top arm on it. The exact set-up depends on whether you're sleeping on your side, pregnant or just want something to hug.
How do you use a body pillow on your side?
- Lie on your side with your head on your usual pillow.
- Lay a straight or J body pillow down the front of your body, from chest to ankle.
- Bend your top knee onto the pillow so your knees don't touch.
- Rest your top arm over the pillow at shoulder height.
How do you use a body pillow in pregnancy?
From 28 weeks of pregnancy, the NHS advises going to sleep on your side, either left or right, because going to sleep on your back after 28 weeks can increase the risk of stillbirth.
- Go to sleep on your side, for naps as well as at night, as Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust advises.
- Put a pillow between your knees and under your bump, as the Bradford NHS leaflet suggests.
- Put a pillow behind your back to stop you rolling flat. A U-shaped pillow does steps 2 and 3 at once.
- If you wake on your back, don't worry: the NHS says to turn onto your side before going back to sleep.
A pillow won't guarantee you stay on your side, the Surrey and Sussex trust notes, but it can make lying on your back less comfortable. If you have a medical condition, ask your midwife.
How do you hug a body pillow?
- Lie on your side facing the pillow.
- Wrap your top arm around it at chest height.
- Hook your top leg over the lower half so your knees stay apart.
Which body pillow shape should you choose?
Choose a straight pillow for a small or shared bed, a J or C for head and body support with less bulk, and a U if you turn over often or want front and back support. A U surrounds both sides, so you don't move it when you turn.
Check your bed first. A U-shaped pillow takes up most of one side of a shared bed, which is why our 9 ft U is sized to fit a standard double. Our chart of UK bed sizes in cm lists every mattress width.
Can you use a pregnancy pillow if you're not pregnant?
Yes, you can use a pregnancy pillow if you're not pregnant. It's a long U or C body pillow, so it gives side sleepers the same arm, knee and back support, and works as a backrest for sitting up to read in bed.
Our 9 ft U body pillow is made for pregnancy, nursing and anyone who sleeps hugging a pillow.
What's the difference between a body pillow and a bolster?
A bolster is a firm, round cylinder sized to the width of a bed, from 3 ft to 6 ft, and a body pillow is a longer, softer pillow made to lie alongside or wrap around you. A bolster supports one side at a time.
A bolster also works across the headboard and on a sofa, which a U-shaped body pillow doesn't. Our guide to the bolster pillow covers its 5 uses and sizes.
How do you wash a body pillow?
Wash a body pillow by its care label, and if its cover comes off, wash the cover more often than the pillow. Our maternity pillow with removable washable cover unzips, so the white cover goes in the machine on its own.
Our 9 ft U body pillow is machine washable. Our U pregnancy pillow cases wash at 40°C and are safe to tumble dry. The fill is hollowfibre, a polyester fibre with a hollow core.
Which body pillows do we sell?
We sell 4 body pillows, all filled with hollowfibre, plus replacement cases:
- 9ft U body pillow, from £19.99: 9 ft U shape in a brushed micro-sateen shell, sized for a standard double bed.
- U shaped pregnancy pillow 12ft, from £22.99: about 72 in down each side with a 6.5 in loft, in a fixed cotton cover.
- Maternity body pillow 12ft, from £24.99: a 12 ft wraparound for people who settle on one side, which fits our 12 ft U cases.
- Maternity pillow with removable washable cover, from £30.99: 360 cm in total, each leg 6 ft by 46 cm, with a zip-off white cover over microfibre sateen.
- U pregnancy pillow cases, from £9.99: 50/50 polycotton covers for the 12 ft U in 8 colours, or £30.99 with the pillow.
Written by the Adam Home team in the UK.
