Why should you sleep with a pillow between your legs?

While it may sound a little quirky, sleeping with a pillow between your legs is perhaps one of the best steps you can take when it comes to improving your sleep posture and overall bedtime wellness.

With benefits that include better spinal alignment, improved circulation, pain relief and much more, your first night with a knee pillow promises to be a transformative experience that you’ll never look back from! Here, we take a look at a whole host of benefits, tips on how best to sleep with a leg pillow and which pillow is best for the job.

Why does putting a pillow between your legs feel good?

Sleeping with pillows between legs feels so good because it helps your body to maintain a natural alignment throughout the night. Plus, extra squishiness is always sure to up your comfort levels!

A knee pillow reduces muscle tension, relieving undue stress on your muscles and joints, and helps your body to align your neck, spine and pelvis while you sleep. This is especially comfortable for those who struggle with muscle cramps, poor posture and spinal alignment, sleep apnea, pregnancy discomfort and lower back pain. 

How to sleep with a pillow between your legs

There are a few ways to correctly sleep with a pillow between your knees to help you achieve a restful sleep. 

If you’re a side sleeper, assume your usual sleeping position with your knees slightly bent. Then, pop a supportive pillow between your knees. You’ll notice that your hips will naturally want to stack on top of each other and take away any unwanted pulling of your pelvis and leg muscles. For extra comfort, you might also find you want to add another pillow under your torso too to close any gaps between your body and your mattress!

However, if you’re a back sleeper, there’s no need to fret – a leg pillow can help you as well. Simply lie on your back and bend your knees ever so slightly upward. Slide a supportive pillow underneath your bent knees so they are held comfortably in position. You should notice that this simple adaptation will alleviate tension in your back as your spine falls into natural alignment.

What are the benefits of sleeping with a pillow between your legs?

Improves Spinal Alignment and Posture

A pillow between your legs helps your body to maintain a neutral spine position while you sleep. Especially true for spine sleepers – whose sleeping position can add extra pressure on their hips and shoulders – a knee pillow supports the natural curvature of the spine and improves sleep posture to ensure an extra cosy sleep free of any aches or pains.

Alleviates Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is one of the most common complaints from sleepers who struggle to get a restorative night’s rest. A pillow between the legs is perfect for those who suffer with this affliction reduces the pressure placed on the your lower back, reducing swelling, alleviating uneven weight distribution and allowing you to assume a more natural sleep position.

Improves Blood Circulation

Say goodbye to pins and needles and unwelcome tingling sensations. A knee pillow reduces stress placed on the main veins – such as the vena cava – which travel along the body. This happens because the pillow creates a slight elevation in your legs and back, meaning blood can flow more freely through your body and extremities.

Reduces Pressure on Joints and Hips

As already mentioned, a leg pillow reduces pressure on your joints and distributes your weight more evenly. But further than this, it can also help to prevent your hips from rotating during sleep. Your knee pillow ensures your hips, legs and pelvis are stacked naturally meaning your pelvis will not over-rotate and your body will maintain correct spinal alignment for a comfy sleep. 

Supports Pregnant Women

We don’t need to preach to the choir of pregnant women who know the frustrations of trying to get comfortable toward the end of their pregnancy. No matter which way you toss and turn, more often than not it’s a never ending mission to find the sleeping sweet spot! A pillow between your legs during sleep encourages better posture, helping you to stretch out your spine and help baby to stretch out too, helping you to get a good night’s kip.

Adds Comfort

Put simply, a supportive pillow is a welcome and comfy thing! Not only is it nice to have an extra something to cuddle during sleep, but a firm knee pillow prevents your legs from pulling away from your spine to reduce aches, pains and cramps. Sounds pretty dreamy, right?

Which is the best knee pillow for a restful sleep?

Comfort and support are the name of the game when starting your search for the best pillow to place between your legs during sleep. Rather than a flimsy, soft model, opt instead for a more firm and supportive pillow which is able to support your weight efficiently. As things can get a little hot and sweaty during the night, especially in the summer, make sure to find a pillow which has a cooling, breathable fabric made from a high-quality material such as memory foam for best results.

We’d recommend a model such as our Elite Gel Memory Pillow. Cool gel is the very best in cooling technology and this particular pillow has the benefit of two – a pad on the surface area for immediate cooling and also a cool gel beaded into the memory foam to further enhance your cooler sleeping experience. Furthermore, this pillow’s 3D Mesh Fabric enhances airflow to further aid air circulation to prevent you from getting hot and bothered. You can rest assured the Elite Gel Memory Pillow will adapt to your shape and conform to your body as you move during the night, distributing your weight and alleviating any pesky pressure on your bones, joints and muscles.

Looking for more hints and tips on your journey toward sleep wellness?

Look no further. Check out our Time4Sleep blog for the latest guides, advice and thinking on how to make sure your sleep is the best quality it can be.