Sleep Apnea Pillow – 101 & Buying Guide

Sleep Apnea & CPAP Therapy

Having a good night's sleep is a foundation for a healthy life. Often overlooked, sleep is a part of our existence and as important as any other awaken activity in our lives. Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up – as defined by the Sleep Foundation. A thing that can significantly influence your sleep quality is having a sleep apnea condition. Sleep apnea is one of the main sleep disorders and it can influence not only the quality of sleep but medical/health conditions in general (up to pushing your health to the limits).

But, what is sleep apnea? How to know if you have it and what to do with it?

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder in which pauses in breathing or periods of shallow breathing during sleep occur more often than normal (definition by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute). According to some scientific and medical research data, these pauses in breathing typically last 10 to 30 seconds and can happen over to 400 times in one night, every night. The most common type of sleep apnea is Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which happens due to airways being physically blocked/closed, and it takes around 90% of all sleep apnea cases. The other two are Central Sleep Apnea (CSA) when a pause in breathing comes due to lack of breathing impulse from the brain, and Complex Sleep Apnea which is a combination of the two previous sleep apnea types.

Common signs of sleep apnea are reduced or absent breathing during sleep, frequent loud snoring, gasping for air during sleep. 

Common symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue, decreases in attention, vigilance, concentration, motor skills, verbal and visuospatial memory, dry mouth or headaches when waking, sexual dysfunction, or decreased libido.

Sleep apnea is diagnosed by doing a sleep study with the help of medical professionals in a lab or at home (usually by sleep expert physicians). It is a medical condition and it is treated as such. 

The majority of the time, sleep apnea can be treated successfully by changing life habits and/or using Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) therapy (using a CPAP device).

Besides main CPAP therapy, there are sleep accessories that can help with or improve sleep apnea condition or therapy itself. One of those accessories is (CPAP) pillow.

CPAP pillow can help ease the CPAP use discomfort, relieve the head and neck pain, improve breathing.

Types Of Medical Pillows

It's hard to say what is the best pillow for sleep apnea, this depends on the level of the condition, therapy, patient's habits, and so on... Depending on what improvement in sleep you are looking for, there are a few different pillows that can help you…we will mention 3 types we find most common:

(Memory) Foam Pillows. Foam pillows' best quality is that they efficiently cradle the head and neck, follow the body contour, helping relieve the tension and pressure. The most popular foam pillows are memory foam pillows. Memory foam is (mainly) polyurethane material that provides “viscoelasticity” (viscosity and elasticity) that allows it to contour to the body. Foam pillows can have different density parts, different height edges, different firmness sides, removable layers… Their main “job” is to alleviate shoulders, neck, and head stiffness and pain.

CPAP Pillows. These are specially designed to suit the needs of CPAP users. They have curves and cutouts created to fit the CPAP mask and hose position. The pillows are often with memory foam, more than one layer of hardness, different heights, and widths. If you are a CPAP therapy patient, a CPAP pillow is certainly the best pillow to use with a CPAP machine.

Wedge Pillows. These triangular-shaped pillows are used for many different medical conditions. They are simple-designed and yet highly efficient. By elevating the upper body, wedge pillows help reduce acid reflux condition, alleviate obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, relieve common cold symptoms, reduce sinus pressure, relax upper body muscles and relieve the stress and pain. They are usually made of memory foam or polyfoam. Wedge pillow height usually varies from 5 inches to 12 inches, depending on the need.

What To Look For When Shopping For The Pillow For Sleep Apnea

The first thing to consider when buying a sleep apnea condition pillow is for what purpose do you need the pillow; do you need a pillow that has to accommodate a CPAP mask or not. If you need a pillow to fit your CPAP mask and tubing, then you should focus on the specialized CPAP pillow. If you don't use CPAP therapy, consider what condition do you want to alleviate with the special pillow, what sleeping position do you prefer… 

So, if you are asleep apnea patient buying a special medical pillow, to help find the perfect solution, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is the pillow good for the side and/or stomach sleeping position? If the pillow you are considering is only suitable for back sleeping, and you are not a CPAP user, that could even worsen the situation; Sleeping on the back often increase obstructive sleep apnea symptoms, as this position by itself is perfect for airways to be obstructed by the relaxed muscles that will "drop-down" and block the airways under the gravity. Of course, this (in most cases) doesn't include wedge pillows since they elevate the head and upper body and help reduce OSA symptoms.
• Does it help elevate the head? As mentioned in the previous question, elevated head and upper back will help reduce obstructive sleep apnea, even in the back sleeping position.
• Is the pillow suitable for your CPAP mask and equipment (in case you need a CPAP pillow)? Not all CPAP pillows are the same and not all have the same cutouts and functions; some fit better with full face masks, some fit better only with smaller, nasal/nasal pillow/oral masks.
• Is it adjustable? Can you adjust the pillow height and/or firmness? Does it fit your needs in terms of different size and support depending on your sleeping position, and if it doesn’t always, can you adjust it? Some pillows come with different height edges, different firmness sides, replaceable or removable parts…offering more versatility within 1 pillow is something that could be very helpful.
• Reviews and price… Are you liking the price of your perfect pillow? Make sure to browse online as prices can vary from $40 to over $100! Also, spend some time reading customer reviews, they are often more helpful than you think.

You Need A CPAP Pillow. What Is A CPAP Pillow?

The curved bottom edge allows the shoulder to rest naturally and the slight center recess promotes proper head and neck alignment. This tested orthopedic design successfully alleviates aches and pains by supporting and aligning the upper body. 

People usually might never have given it much thought, but pillows work by counterbalancing your full body weight to relieve pressure from the head, neck, back, and hip joints for repair and restoration from the day’s wear and tear.

Pillow’s Proprietary Bounce-Tech Memory Foam offers incredible balanced support that cradles the user's head, neck, and shoulders; by doing this, it reacts to the body offering superior, comfortable support. It helps relieve muscle fatigue, pain, soreness all while you sleep, and it also helps promote proper spine alignment so you are always awake refreshed, and relaxed. All this makes it easy for us to say that the PrimeClean CPAP pillow is the best cpap pillow for neck pain.

Cleaning Your CPAP Pillow

CPAP pillows are more-less the same when it comes to cleaning, drying, and keeping the good condition of it. As it is always recommended, do read the manufacturer's instructions on how to take care of your pillow. Regular washing and/or cleaning your CPAP pillowcase and pillow will keep it safe and sanitized, reduce the risk of bacteria and other germs creating an environment that could cause health issues. PrimeClean CPAP Pillow features a soft outer pillowcase that is easy to remove for cleaning, so it is easy to keep it clean and sanitized.

Choosing The Perfect Pillow For You

Nowadays, the selection of CPAP pillows is bigger than ever. There are a lot of choices and varieties…different shapes, sizes, versatility levels… So, what should you look for if you are buying the CPAP pillow?

We listed a few things you should pay attention to:

• Mask Fit. Does the pillow fit your CPAP mask? Different pillows will good or better fit different CPAP masks. Some are more suitable for bigger masks (full-face masks), while some are more focused on body position and are more suited for smaller masks. Your pillow should suit your CPAP mask in the first place!
• Sleeping Position. Are you preferably a side sleeper? In general, a CPAP pillow is an ideal solution for side sleepers. If you are a side sleeper make sure that the pillow you want to buy has useful side cutouts that can fit your face mask. But if this isn't your primary sleeping position, perhaps you can focus on other qualities that CPAP pillows offer… 
• Material, Firmness, Design - Support. Memory foam, polyfoam, firm, soft, high edge or low edge, material quality, and durability…all these details will significantly affect your sleeping experience with your CPAP pillow. Make sure that you look into all the details before making the final decision. If possible, test the pillow for several nights before you buy it.
• Versatility. Adjustable height, different (zonal) firmness, adjustable cutouts… Having more versatility and options with your pillow means one should do the job, no need to have two pillows so that you can adjust the height depending on the sleeping position or season, different masks, level of tiredness…
• Manufacturer’s After-Sale Support! Pillow is a product that you can know fits you only after you used it for several nights. Reliable manufacturers often offer a 7-30 days trial period with a full refund option if you find the pillow not fitting your needs.
• Budget. Quality comes at the price, or so it should be… CPAP pillow's price can go from around $40 up to $150. Good quality pillows can be found for around $50 on sale. Browse the internet, wait for shopping season holidays, subscribe to newsletter…you can get discounts or catch good deals if you are willing to invest a bit of time into CPAP pillow shopping.

A Good Pillow Goes A Long Way

Pillow won't solve the sleep apnea issue; CPAP pillow is not prescription therapy…but it will help with the symptoms! Finding the perfect pillow is an individualized process, one does not fit all and there is no way to know whether some pillow will “do the job” for you; but it is worth trying and testing several times if needed because the final result, once you find the perfect pillow, will make the difference and help relieve the discomfort of sleep apnea and/or sleeping with CPAP equipment.