Pillows for Waterbeds: What Matters with Neck Pain

If you have neck pain on a waterbed, the question is the same as on any mattress: are your head and cervical spine in a line, and does your shoulder have room? The pillow height you need for that depends on your body measurements, your sleeping position and your mattress. A pillow is no substitute for a medical assessment.

Why does the pillow matter in a particular way on a waterbed?

A waterbed feels different from a foam or pocket-sprung mattress. It gives way and adapts to your body. How much it does so depends on the individual bed.

This matters for your neck. How deeply your shoulder sinks in changes the distance between your head and the mattress. And that distance is exactly what your pillow has to fill.

That is why we can't simply tell you whether you need a higher or a lower pillow on a waterbed. Any such statement would be a guess. It is better to work out the height from your own measurements.

What does the right pillow height depend on?

Three things determine how high a pillow should be: your body measurements, your sleeping position and your mattress.

Body measurements are different for everyone. Pillowise works with three measuring points:

Then there is your sleeping position: back, side or front. If you sleep on your side, you need room for your shoulder. You can read more in our article The right pillow for side sleepers.

The third factor is the mattress. At Pillowise we distinguish between soft, medium and firm. Depending on how far you sink in, the height that the pillow has to make up for changes. This is exactly where the uncertainty lies with a waterbed. There is more on this in the section further down.

We explain how to estimate the height in general in Calculating pillow height.

How can I tell whether my pillow is part of the problem?

If you regularly wake up with a stiff or aching neck, pillow height may play a part. But it doesn't have to. Neck pain has many possible causes.

You will find pointers on what to look out for in Pillow too high or too low? How to tell. For an overview of pillows and neck tension, see the article Which pillow for neck pain?

Can the right pillow get rid of neck pain?

No. The right pillow is not a cure. It can help your head and cervical spine lie in a line during the night and give your shoulder room. It promises nothing more than that.

As a physiotherapist, I have seen many people with neck complaints. The pillow was often just one building block. If your pain persists, gets worse or spreads into your arms or head, please have the cause checked by a doctor. This applies regardless of what bed you sleep on.

How does Pillowise approach choosing a pillow?

Pillowise is a made-to-measure pillow that I developed as a physiotherapist together with United Comfort Industries. The starting point was simple: I couldn't recommend a suitable pillow to my patients with neck complaints. So I developed a measuring method that determines the right pillow from three measurements.

This is how it works:

1. Measure. Shoulder width, neck circumference and neck length are measured.
2. State your sleeping position. Back, side or front.
3. State your mattress. Soft, medium or firm.
4. Get your size. An algorithm uses this information to select the best-fitting pillow.

There are six sizes, each with its own colour: pink, orange, green, blue, red and purple. The pillow measures 55 x 35 cm and has a core of 100% memory foam, made in the Netherlands. You can read about how this material behaves in Memory foam pillows: effect, pros and cons. The cover has a moisture-regulating top layer made of Tencel and can be machine washed at 40 °C. The materials are certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX. We give a five-year guarantee on every pillow; you can find the terms under Guarantee terms.

You can find an overview of the pillow under The pillow.

Where can I get measured, and what should I bear in mind with a waterbed?

There are two ways. You can be measured at a Pillowise stockist with the Pillowise tape measure. Or you can work out your size yourself with PillowScan at scan.pillowise.com, on your mobile phone or via a QR code. Stockists include physiotherapy and chiropractic practices, sleep specialists, wellness practices and specialist retailers. There is no webshop for end customers on pillowise.com.

With a waterbed, what matters is what you state for the mattress. We don't know your bed. Whether you class it as soft, medium or firm depends on how you lie on it. If in doubt, get measured at a stockist and discuss the classification there.

Stockists have a display with all six pillows. There you can try your size and, for comparison, another size. Bear in mind, though: in the shop you are not lying on your own waterbed. How the pillow feels at home can only be judged there.

We give an honest comparison of pillows and materials in general in Which pillow is the best?

So: do you need a different pillow because of your waterbed?

If you wake up without complaints and sleep well, you don't need to change anything. Your pillow evidently suits your bed.

If, on the other hand, you often wake up with neck pain, it makes sense to check your pillow height rather than buying another pillow on spec. The waterbed doesn't make estimating any easier, because you sink in differently on it. So start from your measurements. If the pain persists, the cause belongs in a doctor's hands.

Work out your size yourself or get measured. Work out your pillow size here, or find a stockist near you.

Thijs van der Hilst, physiotherapist (non-practising)
Inventor of Pillowise