It's all in your head: you and your pillow

Ever wondered how old your pillow actually is? No? Don't worry, I had to do the maths too. We spend weeks searching for the perfect mattress, reading reviews and lying on beds in showrooms. And then we rest our head on the pillow we picked up years ago because it happened to be on offer.

Yet that pillow carries quite a load every night: your head, which weighs around five kilograms, and your neck along with it.

Which pillow suits me?

The most important question isn't how soft or how expensive a pillow is, but how you sleep. A pillow has exactly one job: to keep your head and spine in line.

Side sleepers need the most height, because the whole width of the shoulder sits between the mattress and your head. If the pillow's too flat, your head drops, and your neck makes its feelings known in the morning.

Back sleepers need less height but good support under the neck. If the pillow's too high, your head tips forward and you wake up with a distinct double-chin feeling.

Stomach sleepers get by with a very flat pillow. Some sleep best with none at all, since the neck is twisted enough in that position as it is.

Can my pillow still be saved?

A quick test at home: fold your pillow in half and let go. If it springs back into shape, all's well. If it just stays folded, like a sulking teenager, it's time to say goodbye.

Other warning signs: you spend every night punching and folding your pillow until it sort of fits. Or you wake up feeling as if your neck spent the night in an aeroplane seat. Lovely.

Down, chambers, core

With down pillows there's a lovely solution: the chamber pillow. In our Pillow Cloud, the Falkenreck three-chamber pillow they call 'Wolke', a firm down core sits in the middle with soft chambers around it. The core supports, the outer chambers mould around you. Your neck gets proper support and your face still has something to sink into.

The verdict

A good pillow is the top floor of your mattress. Take as much time choosing it as you would your bed, and let your neck convince you rather than the price tag.

Your neck never lies, unlike the odd review.