These high-tech head rests promise to help your condition. So what do our experts say? 

Pillows with well being advantages? Whether or not they declare to ease tinnitus or cease you from loud night breathing, Adrian Monti requested specialists to have a look at a range. We then rated them. 

Loud night breathing

PosiForm Anti-Loud night breathing Pillow

£79.95, somnishop.co.uk

Declare: The ‘modern design’ has a central ridge and ear recess to encourage the sleeper to maintain their head turned to at least one facet and so, the maker says, finish loud night breathing attributable to sleeping in your again.

Skilled verdict: Dr Ari Manuel, a respiratory, sleep and air flow guide at Spire Liverpool Hospital, says: ‘Whenever you sleep in your again, your tongue can fall again, narrowing the airway and triggering a loud night breathing sound.

‘A examine on the Royal Brompton Hospital in London is wanting into how sporting a vibrating machine on the again of the neck will cease folks with obstructive sleep apnoea [where breathing stops momentarily while asleep] from mendacity on their backs.

‘This pillow tries to attain the identical and would possibly work for some.

‘I normally advise one thing less expensive: sleep with a tennis ball behind the again, so for those who roll on to it, you’ll return to your facet. If sleeping in your facet isn’t serving to, do see a physician as a result of sleep apnoea might be life-threatening.’

6/10

Acid reflux disease

Anti-slip Zero Gravity Acid Reflux Mattress Wedge

£188.17, putnams.co.uk

Declare: That is made up of three adjustable foam wedges (connected by Velcro). They assist the again, knees and supply foot assist. The maker says it could possibly assist with a variety of circumstances together with acid reflux disease, again ache or restoration after surgical procedure.

Skilled verdict: Peter Whorwell, a professor of medication and gastroenterology on the College Hospital of South Manchester, says: ‘Acid reflux disease happens when acid from the abdomen shouldn’t be stopped by the sphincter valve and as an alternative strikes up the oesophagus, inflicting a burning sensation in the midst of the chest.

‘Heartburn can really feel worse when mendacity down, and so I inform my sufferers to make use of pillows to prop themselves up.

‘This wedge could be simpler and will additionally imply you want much less treatment, which may also help keep away from side-effects. One other, cheaper, resolution is to tilt the mattress utilizing blocks.’

Tim Allardyce, a physiotherapist at Surrey Physio, provides: ‘Some folks with again ache do profit from sleeping on their again with their knees bent however most discover sleeping on their facet higher.’

7/10

Ageing

Sleep & Glow Omnia Pillow, £129, sleepandglow.co.uk

Declare: This reminiscence foam pillow has indented sections designed to forestall your cheeks from touching it when sleeping in your facet and so helps ‘battle sleep wrinkles’ by minimising ‘pores and skin creasing and compression’.

Skilled verdict: Dr Derrick Phillips, a guide dermatologist on the Cadogan Clinic, London, says: ‘Wrinkles are a serious signal of ageing and, whereas largely genetic, they will also be attributable to distortion from resting your cheek on a pillow at evening.

‘Younger folks’s pores and skin is extra elastic, so any creases will disappear within the morning. However in older folks the pores and skin is stiffer and the creases don’t fade as simply and finally turn out to be everlasting wrinkles.

‘In idea, this pillow might work as a result of it reduces the floor space of pores and skin touching the pillow, however there isn’t any knowledge evaluating it with a traditional one.

‘Additionally, the creases attributable to pillows are just one small issue behind wrinkles. Solar publicity is way extra essential.’

5/10

Sports activities accidents

Kally Sports activities Restoration Pillow

£54.99, kallysleep.com

Declare: A ‘full-length orthopaedic sport pillow’ designed to ‘align your head, neck and backbone’. By encouraging side-sleeping, it ‘reduces strain on key joints to cut back ache or discomfort, whereas rushing up muscle restoration’, says the maker.

Skilled verdict: Tim Allardyce says: ‘The highest of this pillow rests beneath your head and neck, whereas your arm hugs its center, like a teddy bear, and its decrease half suits snugly between your knees.

‘It does sound comfy however there are not any direct advantages to the backbone that I can see of cuddling a big pillow.

‘Some therapists consider that having assist between your knees might be helpful for again or hip ache, however the jury remains to be out on this.

‘In fact, good sleep is essential for all features of well being and restoration of drained muscle groups — however suggesting that this pillow aids restoration is barely pushing it.’

3/10

Sleep issues

Somnox Sleep Robotic

£499, store.somnox.com

Declare: A ‘respiratory’ bean-shaped pillow, this makes use of sensors to detect your respiratory fee when cuddled. It then creates a pulsing rhythm to decelerate your respiratory. In line with the maker, when 24 folks used it for one month, 71 per cent noticed their sleep enhance.

Skilled verdict: ‘That is an fascinating machine which I feel works on the concept of how we reply to the touch,’ says Dr Manuel. 

‘Cuddling it would really feel good and provides some folks a comforting sensation to assist them sleep — maybe by boosting ranges of the “sleep hormone” melatonin.

‘Slower respiratory alone, nevertheless, doesn’t ship somebody to sleep. It might make muscle groups extra relaxed, however a darkened room, decreased noise and temperature will all assist.

‘This does appear very costly and hugging one thing which feels good to the touch — equivalent to a cuddly toy — may be price making an attempt first.’

5/10

Again ache

HoMedics rechargeable shiatsu pillow

£69.99, boots.com

Declare: Impressed by the Japanese therapeutic massage approach shiatsu, this pillow comprises two ‘nodes’ that work collectively to recreate this system and has a ‘soothing warmth possibility’.

The maker says the massaging machine can be utilized anyplace on the physique to alleviate ‘tight knots’, ‘aching muscle groups’ and ‘loosen stiff tendons’.

Skilled verdict: ‘This pillow might be positioned beneath your neck, decrease again or your legs,’ says Tim Allardyce. ‘Therapeutic massage pillows are good for normal leisure because the mild mechanical therapeutic massage will make aches and pains really feel a bit higher. And warmth might be useful for decreasing ache.

‘Nevertheless it won’t really feel like a standard hands-on sports activities therapeutic massage and I don’t assume it would loosen stiff tendons both.

‘On the plus facet, this won’t trigger any harm and so is price a strive.’

5/10

Tinnitus 

Sound Pillow

£32.99, puretone.web

Declare: This ‘seems and seems like a traditional pillow however with undetectable built-in audio system’. These are used to play music discreetly to ease tinnitus — ringing or different noises within the ears.

Skilled verdict: Kate Collet-Fenson, an audiologist at Aston Listening to in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, says: ‘Tinnitus is commonly worse at evening as a result of there are fewer environmental sounds to distract from it; as soon as asleep, tinnitus is not an issue.

‘This pillow is useful as a result of it offers a distraction, and that may be sufficient to assist somebody with tinnitus go to sleep. It’s a intelligent idea and, though it won’t remedy tinnitus, it would make it extra bearable. I might suggest it.’

9/10

Publish-op restoration

Arthr U-Formed Assist Pillow, £54.99, store.arthr.com

Declare: The maker of this U-shaped agency assist pillow says it’s ‘ergonomically designed and can be utilized as an alternative of a normal pillow’ for post-operative consolation or normal leisure.

Skilled verdict: Tim Allardyce says: ‘This can be a giant, pretty versatile pillow which might assist for those who’re recovering from hip, knee or shoulder surgical procedure by positioning it to assist preserve you sleeping in your “good” facet.

‘It may additionally encourage you to remain in your facet for those who snore, and it might additionally assist prop you up in mattress for those who had been ailing.

‘The weird form would possibly assist some with again ache discover a comfy place, however it might not work for everybody.’ 

6/10