Getting Your Pillow Measured: Where and How to Find Your Size

You can get measured at a Pillowise stockist, or work out your size yourself with PillowScan. Strictly speaking, it's not the pillow that gets measured, it's you: an algorithm uses your shoulder width, neck circumference and neck length to choose the right one of six pillow sizes.

What actually gets measured?

The right pillow height depends on your body. Shoulder width, neck circumference and neck length are different for everyone. Then there's your sleeping position (back, side or stomach) and your mattress (soft, medium or firm). A soft mattress gives way, a firm one doesn't. That also changes how much space needs to be filled between your head and the surface.

Three measurements and two details determine your pillow size. Here are the measuring points:

Your sleeping position and mattress are factored in as well. If you pick a standard size off the shelf, you're usually just guessing at these factors. When you get measured, they're recorded and calculated together. To find out how height can be worked out in general, read our article Calculating pillow height.

Where can I get measured?

Pillowise is sold through stockists. These include chiropractors, physiotherapists, sleep specialists, wellness practices and specialty retailers. They measure you with the Pillowise measuring tape. You can find Pillowise stockists on the map under Stockists.

Stockists also have a display with all six pillows. That lets you try out your calculated size and place a different size next to it for comparison. It's no substitute for a night in your own bed, but it shows how different the sizes feel.

Being measured in person has a practical advantage: someone else holds the measuring tape. That makes it easier, especially for shoulder width and neck length, than measuring yourself.

For pricing and what's included in the measuring at your stockist, check with them directly. We don't quote figures here that we can't back up.

How does the measuring work?

1. Measure shoulder width. The measuring tape runs around the curve of the back. It should sit snugly without digging in.
2. Measure neck circumference. The measuring tape goes once all the way around the neck.
3. Measure neck length. This is measured from the underside of the ear to the shoulder point.
4. Give your sleeping position and mattress. You say whether you sleep on your back, side or stomach, and whether your mattress is soft, medium or firm.
5. Get your result. An algorithm uses these details to choose the best-fitting pillow. Each of the six sizes has its own colour: pink, orange, green, blue, red and purple.

You can find more about the process on the Taking measurements page.

Can I measure myself?

Yes. For that there's PillowScan at scan.pillowise.com. You open the page on your smartphone or scan the QR code. The measuring points are the same as for a measurement at a stockist. You'll find the measuring tool page under Taking measurements.

Measuring yourself is the quicker way; being measured at a stockist is the more hands-on one. Which suits you better depends on whether you'd like to hold the pillow first. If you're not sure whether your current pillow is too high or too low, the article Pillow too high or too low? How to tell can help.

What does the right pillow height do, and what doesn't it do?

A well-chosen pillow is meant to bring your head and cervical spine into line. Your shoulder should also have enough room, especially when you sleep on your side. That's all the right height can do.

A suitable pillow is not a cure. It doesn't promise relief from complaints. If you have ongoing neck, shoulder or head pain, numbness or sleep problems, please have the cause checked by a doctor. A pillow can support your sleeping position, but it doesn't replace an examination.

Why these three measuring points?

The measuring method comes from practice. Thijs van der Hilst, physiotherapist and inventor of Pillowise, specialised in neck and shoulder complaints. He couldn't recommend a truly suitable pillow to his patients. So he developed a method of his own that determines the right pillow from three measurements. That's how Pillowise came about, together with United Comfort Industries, who have been making ergonomic sleep products in their own factory in the Netherlands since 1990.

What should I know about the pillow itself?

• The pillow measures 55 x 35 cm.
• The core is 100% memory foam and is made in the Netherlands.
• The cover has a moisture-regulating top layer of Tencel and a bottom layer of polyester. It's machine washable at 40 °C.
• The materials are certified to STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX.
• Every Pillowise pillow comes with a 5-year warranty. The terms are set out under Warranty terms.

You can read about how the pillow is built on the page The Pillow. What “made to measure” means for us is explained in Made-to-measure pillows: what that means at Pillowise.

So: do you need to get measured?

If you sleep well on your current pillow and wake up in the morning without stiffness, you don't need to change anything. A pillow that suits you stays suitable, even if no measuring tape was involved.

If, on the other hand, you often switch between heights, have already tried several pillows or don't know why one never sits right, a measurement is worthwhile. It gives you concrete numbers instead of a gut feeling, and the stockist can show you the sizes on the spot. It doesn't promise more than that.

Do you work in a practice or specialty retail and want to offer Pillowise? You'll find information for partners under Become a Pillowise partner.

Find your size or find a stockist

You have two options: work out your size yourself with PillowScan, or get measured at a stockist.

Work out your size yourself · Find a stockist

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