If you sleep on your side, you probably know the three gaps: the one under your head, the one between your knees and the one in front of your chest where your arm wants to rest. A body pillow covers the last two at once, and a U shaped one wraps around you so the gap behind your back is filled as well.
The other common fix is a small knee pillow. Here is how the two compare, how to choose a length, and how to use a long U pillow in bed and in the passenger seat of a car.
What is a body pillow for side sleepers?
It is a long pillow, usually about twice the length of a bed pillow, that you lie along instead of lying on. Sleep Foundation describes a body pillow as one that is usually the width of a bed pillow but double the length, and says side sleepers like it because it separates the knees and gives them something to hug.
There are three shapes. Rectangular is a straight bolster. C shaped supports one side of you. U shaped has two long arms joined by a curve, and you lie in the middle with the arms along your front and your back.
Why do side sleepers use one?
There are two jobs. The pillow between your knees stops the top knee from resting on the bottom one, and the part you hug takes the weight of your top arm. Wirecutter quotes physical therapists who say a side sleeper may find it comfortable to hug a body pillow, which takes pressure off the bottom shoulder and arm, and to tuck one between the knees, which brings the pelvis into a neutral position.
That is advice from the people Wirecutter spoke to, and it says nothing certain about your own body. If you have a back, hip or shoulder problem, ask your own physiotherapist or doctor before you change how you sleep.
U shaped pillow or knee pillow?
Think about which gap bothers you.
A knee pillow fixes one gap. Our Knee Pillow is C$28.99, small enough to stay between your legs and move with you when you turn over. If your only complaint is sore knees or hips, that is probably all you need, and our guide to knee pillows for side sleepers goes through how to place one.
A U shaped body pillow fixes the knees, the hugging arm and the back at the same time. The cost is space. Sleep Junkie lists U shaped body pillows as the largest kind, and says they can feel closed in, and that you want a queen or king bed to share one. If you sleep alone in a small bed, or you share a bed and don't want a wall down the middle, a knee pillow is the easier fit.
You can also use both: the knee pillow stays between the legs and the U pillow does the hugging.
What size should it be?
Our U-Shaped Travel Pillow is 130 cm long and 70 cm across, which is about 51 by 28 inches. Sleep Junkie lists the usual U shaped size as 55 to 60 inches long, so this one runs a little shorter than the big ones, and takes up less of the bed. It weighs about 1.9 kg, has a soft blue cover that unzips and is filled with polyester fibre.
Health.com suggests a body pillow close to your height, so every part of you has support. That is general advice and it is a fair rule if you are short or have a small bed. If you are tall, a shorter U pillow will cover your torso and knees but not your feet, and that is fine for most people.
How firm should it be?
Health.com quotes Dr. Nwodim, who says a body pillow shouldn't be too soft or too firm, and suggests medium firm with enough loft to hold you up but still be easy to squish and reshape. Our pillow has polyester fibre fill, which is the soft, shapeable kind. If you want a hard foam bolster, this is not it, and you should know that before you order.
Can two people share a bed with it?
It takes space. At 130 cm long and 70 cm across, it needs a bed with room for you, the pillow and your partner. Sleep Junkie says you need at least a queen or king to fit a U shaped pillow if you share. On a double or smaller, a partner may end up with the edge of the bed, and then the knee pillow is the kinder choice.
How do I sleep with a U shaped pillow?
Lie in the middle of the U, on your side. Put the front arm along your chest and hug it with your top arm, and bring your top knee up onto the same arm so the knees stay apart. The back arm stays behind you and stops you rolling flat in the night. The curve sits near your head or shoulders. Use the pillow you already own under your head, or the curve if it suits you better.
If the back arm feels in the way, lie so it sits beside you instead of right against you.
Can I use it in a car?
This is the part nobody else covers. Our U pillow is made to fill a passenger seat on a long drive. You lean into it and hug the long side, and your head, arms and knees all have something soft to rest on. It is for passengers only. Never use it in the driver's seat, and don't put it where it blocks a seat belt.
For planes, we wrote a separate guide on how to sleep on a plane. We haven't put the U pillow on a plane, so we're not going to tell you it fits an airline seat.
What about the couch?
At home it wraps round you on the couch, the same way it does in bed. The cover unzips. We don't have washing instructions from the supplier for it yet, so we can't tell you how to wash it.
Which should I buy?
Choose the knee pillow if the knees and hips are your problem and you want something small. Choose the U pillow if you want something to hug and a wrap behind you, you have room in the bed, and you sometimes sleep upright in a car. If you aren't sure, start with the one that costs less.
You can see both in the side sleepers collection and the travel sleep collection. Free shipping goes to 96 countries and returns run 30 days.
Quick answer
A U shaped body pillow is a good body pillow for side sleepers who want the knees, the hug and the back covered at once. The U-Shaped Travel Pillow is C$59.99, 130 cm long and 70 cm across. If you only need the knees, the Knee Pillow is C$28.99.