Pillows

Start with your sleeping position

The position of the body during sleep helps decide what height and what resilience the pillow should have.

Sleeping on the side, the pillow has to fill the space between the head and the mattress, allowing for the width of the shoulder. Sleeping on the back usually calls for less height. For those who sleep on the front, a pillow that is too high or too firm can put the neck in an awkward position.

That is only a starting point: the firmness of the mattress, the build of the body and personal preference all affect the choice as well.

Height matters more than the name of the construction

Even pillows of the same shape can feel different because of height, resilience and the way the filling responds to load.

On a soft mattress the shoulder sinks in deeper, so the height of pillow needed can differ from the one that would be comfortable on a firmer surface.

If the product page lists several heights, sides of different shape or other ways of using it, compare them with your usual sleeping position rather than automatically choosing the highest option.

Pillows with a memory effect

Part of the VENETO range uses Memory Foam or other materials with a memory effect. On the category page the memory effect is also given as a separate specification, so products can be filtered by it.

Such materials respond to load and gradually adapt to the shape of the head and neck. They feel different from pillows with fibrous filling, which flatten more easily and recover their volume in another way.

Whether a pillow has Memory Foam is worth checking in the specifications of that particular pillow, not by its name alone: the name does not always say what the filling is.

Fibrous and other fillings

Not all VENETO pillows are built on memory foam. The catalogue has products with other types of filling and with combinations of them.

The filling affects resilience, the ability to recover shape, ventilation and the rules of care. So there is no point looking for one material that will be "the best" for everyone.

Compare the composition of the particular product with the feel you want: some people need more pronounced support of shape, others a softer, more yielding pillow.

Orthopaedic, anatomical or classic

These words should not be read as a scale from worse to better.

All the same, a pillow is not a universal way of treating osteochondrosis, neck pain or other conditions. If the product is being chosen because of a medical problem, its shape and height are better agreed with a doctor.

Pillows for children

VENETO has separate children's pillows for different ages, and the specifications on the category page carry age markings — among them from birth, from 1, 3, 5 and 6 years.

For a child it is especially important not to carry over the parameters of an adult pillow automatically. Check:

• the recommended age;
• the height and the size;
• the shape;
• the composition of the filling and the cover;
• the rules of care.

The age a particular children's pillow is meant for is better checked on its own current product page.

The cover and care

The construction of the cover differs too. Some of the current VENETO pillows have a zip on the cover, others do not.

A removable cover can make regular care simpler, but whether the filling itself can be washed depends on its material.

In particular, the same rules should not be applied to fibrous filling and to Memory Foam. Before washing or drying, check the instructions for your own pillow.

When a pillow should be replaced

Go by the condition of the particular product rather than by a universal number of years.

A pillow needs attention if it has noticeably lost its original shape, if the filling no longer recovers evenly, if the cover is damaged, or if the position you are used to sleeping in has become uncomfortable.

How long it lasts depends on the construction, the materials, how heavily it is used and how it is cared for.

Questions and answers

What height of pillow should I choose?

Go by your sleeping position: on your side you usually need a higher pillow, on your back a lower one. The mattress plays a part too: on a soft one the shoulder sinks deeper, so less height is needed. The height of each model is given in its specification.

From what age are Veneto children’s pillows?

Every children’s pillow has an age mark on its product page — it also shows in the filter of this category. Choose a model by the child’s age, not by the size of the pillowcase. For babies, consult a paediatrician.

Can a pillow be washed?

It depends on the filling. On some models the removable cover can be washed separately, if the care label allows it. Memory-foam pillows and fibre-filled ones are cared for differently, so follow the instructions on the label of your own pillow.