Why Your Travel Pillow Choice Is More Important Than You Think

Everyone desires a pleasant travel experience, particularly during long-distance travel. Fortunately, you can do a few things to make a journey more comfortable for yourself, such as staying hydrated, wearing comfortable shoes, and loose clothing. You can also consider getting a spot with enough leg room. Carrying a travel pillow is also another fantastic way to improve comfort when traveling.

A travel pillow will improve your sitting and sleeping posture along the journey and beyond. It’ll also make you feel more at ease as you don’t have to worry about things like poor spine alignment. However, despite the fact that there are a lot of pillows on the market, you can’t trust every one of them. Before buying a pillow, make sure you test it to see how dense and comfortable it is.

Therefore, you should put some thought into how and what you choose as your travel pillow. This article will help you see why your choice of a travel pillow is more important than you think. But first, how does a travel pillow benefit you? Here are four advantages of using a travel pillow:

Elevates travel comfort

While sitting and sleeping on a long journey, a travel pillow improves the amount of comfort and relaxation you get. Fortunately, there are many varieties of travel pillow styles, patterns, and materials to choose from. For example, a travel cushion made from organic material encourages appropriate air circulation, improving comfort and sleep quality.

Prevents neck discomfort and fatigue

Neck pain is fairly common when traveling long distances, especially if you haven’t rested well enough prior to your traveling. Travel pillows are perfect companions that can help reduce or prevent head, neck, and back discomfort. (1)

This is because they help place your head in a good position when you’re in a sitting posture. Travel pillows provide support against unexpected movements or motion transfer, reducing neck pain, and dizziness.

Promotes good posture

Good spinal alignment, where your body forms a straight line from your head, neck, and back, is essential for your body to maintain a comfortable sitting position on a long-haul trip. However, due to the restricted room for mobility, proper alignment when sitting in a vehicle or plane can be challenging. But with a travel pillow, you might be able to avoid posture problems both during and after your journey.

May reduce snoring

Snoring can disrupt your sleep significantly. But it can also cause quite an inconvenience to other passengers and be plain embarrassing. You might be able to reduce instances of sleep apnea, snoring, or other sleep-related conditions by using a high-quality travel neck pillow. It might be as good as any natural sleep aid. Your airways will not be constricted when you utilize a travel pillow since your posture will stay upright, preventing snoring. (2)

Now that you know the benefits of choosing the right travel pillow, below are some reasons why what you pick matters more than you might think:

It determines the level of comfort

When selecting a travel pillow, the first thing you should think about is the kind you want. The different pillow stuffing or filling material plays a significant role in determining the level of comfort you get. Here are the common types and how they affect your comfort: (3)

Buckwheat travel pillow

Buckwheat is a dietary source for people and animals alike. But the plant may also be used as a cushion filler. Buckwheat shells or hulls, which are the outer casing of buckwheat seeds, can be used to fill travel pillows. They offer a perfect blend of comfort and support as the hulls conform to the shape of your neck and head, helping support your posture.

In addition, whether you’re huddled inside a tent up or in a tropical nation, hulls enhance air circulation, keeping you cool. To learn more about buckwheat pillows, you can follow this video link:

Microbead travel pillow

This type is also often known as squishy or bead pillows. They’re hypoallergenic and provide excellent support to various body areas. The stuffing used to make these types of pillows is polystyrene beads. This is what gives these pillows the appealing characteristics that allow them to mold to your body. However, because of their structure and shape, these pillows are among the least portable. As a result, if you’re a light packer, this might not be the greatest option.

Feather travel pillow

Feathers give unmatched softness when packed within a travel or standard cushion. But on the other hand, these pillows may not be able to offer you the firmness you want. They can still aid with strains and neck issues. Because they’re lightweight and flexible, you’ll have to fold them if they’re don’t give you enough height.

However, if you’re sensitive to strong smells, avoid feathers travel pillows. They may absorb sweat, which, when paired with heat, can produce an unpleasant smell.

Memory foam travel pillow

In the area of bedding, memory foam is a popular pillow and mattress filling. Many people choose them because of their sturdy nature and capacity to support even the heaviest loads. Additionally, the travel pillows made from these materials are quite portable.

Memory foam is soft and nice to sleep on. However, it does not allow for sufficient ventilation. As a result, it may start to produce an undesirable odor with time because it absorbs sweat quickly. This sort of pillow stuffing is also more difficult to clean than other types.

Inflatable travel pillows

If you want a pillow that you can modify to fit your specific needs, inflatable travel pillows are a good alternative. You can adjust the firmness to your desired degree, providing you with the necessary comfort. They’re made of plastic and the most affordable type of all.

They also offer average support since they’re air-filled pillows and might not conform too well to your body. They might not give as much neck support as, for example, buckwheat, microbead, or memory-foam pillows.

The pillow’s ability to circulate air matters

Think about the pillow’s breathability and air circulation when looking for the finest travel pillows for flights and any other mode of travel. This is the ability of a material to allow moisture to pass through it rather than build up inside it. A material’s breathability has a significant influence it manages heat and moisture.

A breathable pillow allows you more comfort by ensuring that you stay dry, despite your body producing heat and sweat on it, keeping you cool. For optimum comfort and breathability, it’s advisable that you opt for buckwheat, microbead, or any other travel pillow choices that offer more breathability.

It determines the level of support

Whether you’re looking for the best travel neck, lumbar support, or a familiar piece in your travel accommodation in a travel pillow, one of the most important purposes of a travel pillow is to give you ultimate neck support. The neck suffers a lot when you’re traveling, from straining to hold the head in the same position for prolonged periods.

This is the main reason the level of neck support that the pillow gives you should be one of the most crucial purchasing factors. Do you always wake up with your neck feeling sore after a long car journey, flight, or when you use a hotel pillow? Also, think about your sleeping habits on the road. Do you sleep leaning forward or backward?

If you’re going to read or sleep bending forward, the hardness of your pillow should be good enough to support your neck. Neck braces can provide much-needed support for people who lean forward. This helps you avoid unwanted neck discomfort after long journeys.

Look at your habits when traveling and match them with the style of pillow that will provide the greatest neck support in your most regular neck positions. Each type of travel pillow discussed above and many others will support your body differently.

For instance, the buckwheat and memory-foam pillows offer the best neck support. This is why the type of pillow you choose will have a considerable impact on the amount of support you get.

It determines if it’ll last you more than a few trips

Another crucial consideration in your purchasing trip is the durability of the item. You don’t want to find yourself shopping for a travel pillow with each trip you take. A decent pillow should last you a while before the need to replace it arises. Among the things that determine how long your travel pillow will last is the brand and materials used to make the pillow.

The fillings and pillow covers are crucial when it comes to materials. There are also certain brands that are known for manufacturing high-quality goods. When you buy a buckwheat pillow, for example, you can be assured that you’re receiving a product that will last you numerous travels. You need to ensure that you get a pillow whose materials are strong to withstand a huge amount of stress.

Your choice dictates the pillow’s portability

Even though most travel pillows are meant to be light, it’s still a factor to consider. The weight and size of any travel pillow are perhaps the most obvious qualities to consider. However, remember that just because the pillow is small doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s the lightest and the other way around. Lugging about a larger travel cushion becomes tiresome soon.

Since travel pillows come in a variety of sizes and weights, you need to look for one that closely matches your traveling style. If you’re a light traveler, go for a compact and lightweight pillow. Inflatable pillows, which you can easily size down, are an excellent choice in that case. On the other hand, microbead pillows might be hefty. If they’re your choice, you need to have a lot of room in your carry on for them to fit.

The fabric plays a crucial role

When purchasing a neck pillow, you might consider all other things and sometimes fail to put thought into the type of fabric. However, this is a vital aspect in guaranteeing your comfort. For example, if you choose a plastic inflatable pillow, you might find that it can hurt your skin. So choosing a fabric that’s suitable for all occasions, particularly hot weather, is critical.

Look at the places you frequent in your travels. Do you often go to hot or cold locations? For warmer regions, cotton and smooth plastic can be good options. On the other hand, fleece might be the better choice for chilly conditions or flights. You can’t go wrong with fleece travel pillows if you’re going on a cold trip or going on a winter excursion.

It influences how easily you can clean your pillow

When choosing a travel pillow, many people forget to pick one that’s either easy to wash or has detachable covers. They only remember this after they’ve begun using their travel pillow, and it starts to get dirty. However, this needs to be a top consideration. After all, travel pillows can easily gather up dirt and debris as they aren’t with repeated usage.

A good travel pillow is one that you can wash easily to remove dirt, germs, and any contaminants that might be on them. Consider how much better it would be to use your best travel pillow and easily clean any dirt off. That should be motivation enough to make this aspect a priority when choosing a travel pillow.

Conclusion

A travel pillow can be many things. Apart from using it on a plane, vehicle, or train, it can also be a perfect travel companion that brings a little familiarity to your accommodation away from home. You can also carry it to your spa treatment and be assured you’re using a clean pillow. To make the best choice when picking a travel pillow, consider these features: size and weight, neck support, fabric and material, and durability.

Even when you’re on a budget, these are factors you shouldn’t overlook. However, the price of a travel pillow varies greatly based on the material used and the manufacturing brand. But one thing is certain—travel pillows can make your journeys more comfortable. You can never go wrong when you invest in a good travel pillow.

References

“How to Protect the Back While Traveling”, Source: https://www.spine-health.com/wellness/ergonomics/how-protect-back-while-traveling