Sleep can affect physical and mental health. Getting the right amount of sleep can help improve processing information, repair cells, and fight infections. Unfortunately, some individuals experience sleeping problems. (1)
To get better sleep, people need to take care of themselves by following specific tips. These include reducing screen time, avoiding caffeine before sleeping, keeping a consistent bedtime schedule, and even getting sleep accessories. (2)
One helpful sleep accessory to have on your bed is a cooling pillow. This is because lower temperatures can affect how people sleep. For better understanding, here are different ways in which cooling pillows can help with people’s wellness:
1. Cooling Pillow helps create a healthy sleeping environment
The first thing a cooling pillow can do for people is to improve their sleeping environment. In some cases, the bedroom plays a huge role in how well people sleep. For instance, if their bed or their bedroom is cluttered or stressful, you probably won’t be able to sleep easily. (2)
Temperature also affects how well or easily a person can sleep. This is because the human body has an optimal sleeping temperature. If it’s too hot, you might notice how hard it is to sleep comfortably. (3)
Men tend to have a consistent body temperature, while women’s temperature can vary due to menstrual cycles. When women reach menopause, they can experience hot flashes and night sweats. (4)
It’s ideal for keeping the temperature of bedrooms between 15–20°C by using air conditioning, a fan, or even cracking open a window if it’s too hot. However, pillows, beddings, and mattresses tend to get warmer as you lay in them. Therefore, a cooling pillow such as the one in this video below might help regulate temperatures
2. It’s calming
Some people have a hard time sleeping because of anxiety or even insomnia. If this is a problem you’re experiencing, it’s essential to consult a professional to get the proper help. But for a quick fix, a cooling pillow might also help to calm you down. (5)
People with anxiety might experience a change in their body temperature. This is because their body physically responds to anxious emotions. Blood vessels can narrow and cause a person to feel hot.
Because of this, feeling anxious can make people sweat. This can make sleeping uncomfortable because it can raise your body temperature. In addition, you can also become hypersensitive in bed. This could make you feel easily irritated with things like their blankets and pillows. In these cases, a cooling pillow might help ease your nerves enough to help you sleep.
3. It can help you sleep continuously
When you’re comfortable with the temperature while you sleep, you probably won’t end up waking up at odd hours in the night. This can be disruptive as you won’t be able to achieve the sleep stages. (6)
In one sleep cycle, there are 4 sleep stages that should total up to around 90 minutes. To sleep healthily, a person should have four to six sleep cycles every day. These sleep cycles include the following: (2)
Stage 1
The first stage is a non-REM stage, which lasts around 1–7 minutes.
Stage 2
This is when electrical activity in the brain increases. It’s a non-REM stage that lasts around 25 minutes.
Stage 3
This stage is when you enter deeper sleep and your brain waves slow down. This can last 20–40 minutes, and you’re less likely to wake up when you reach this stage. The third stage is when tissues can be repaired, energy is restored, and immunity is boosted.
Stage 4
This is the stage of rapid eye movement (REM). It lasts 10 minutes during the first cycle, and in the ending cycles, it can last for over an hour. REM is vital because it helps with improving memory. (2)
To get the benefits of 4–6 sleep cycles, it’s important for the stages to not be interrupted. If you feel uncomfortable with temperatures and worry about how comfortable you are in bed, you might not achieve continuous sleep. Therefore, it’s essential to get something like a cooling pillow if you wake up in the middle of the night due to the heat.
4. It can help people avoid skin irritations
This isn’t only a matter of comfort either. It’s also a health concern because people can get skin irritations. For instance, people can get a skin problem called a heat rash due to tropical climates and overheating. It can grow around your neck area if you feel that your pillow gets too warm. A cooling pillow might be able to prevent these health concerns. (7)
5. It can help people avoid heat strokes
Some people could get a heat stroke due to a high body temperature. This is the worst kind of heat injury that can lead to brain, heart, kidney, or muscle damage. It could happen when your body temperature reaches 104°F (40°C) or higher.
To keep yourself from getting a heatstroke, cooling accessories like a cooling pillow will help. However, it’s still necessary to see a doctor if you feel like you’re at risk of getting a heat stroke. (8)
How much sleep do you need?

It’s essential to get quality sleep to maintain health. However, the amount of sleep needed by people varies. The most common way to find out how much sleep you need is to base it on your age.
For newborns aged 0–3 months old, 14–17 hours is the recommended amount of sleep per day. Infants aged 4–11 months need 12–15 hours per day, and toddlers aged 1–2 years need 11–14 hours.
When they start going to preschool at ages 3–5, 10–13 hours of sleep per day would be recommended. For children aged 6–13, they need somewhere between 9–11 hours. Teenagers aged 14–17 will require sleep for 8–10 hours.
As people get older, hours of sleep can decrease. Young adults aged 18–25 and adults aged 26–64 should rest for 7–9 hours a day. While older adults aged 65 and over need 7–8 hours.
How to improve sleep quality
Regardless of age, sleep quality can be affected due to discomfort. It can be from the surroundings, how you feel, mental health, and even your bed. To improve sleep, here are some things you could do:
Dimming the room
If a room is too bright, it might make it harder to sleep. This can be a problem, especially if you have a strict sleeping schedule. To help you sleep faster, you might want to use a sleeping eye mask that could effectively block out light. But for those who find it uncomfortable to use sleeping masks, thick curtains that can darken a room would do the trick. (3)
Set a schedule
Another effective method is to set a sleep schedule to help out with your daily activities. This will help you avoid unnecessary activities that might delay your sleep. For example, if you want to be asleep by 10 PM, getting ready to bed by 9 PM might be practical. Doing this consistently will help your body get used to the schedule and eventually help with regular sleep. (9)
Turn off your screens
One culprit of poor sleep is overstimulation from activities like scrolling on your phone or watching shows. Putting your phone away from your bed will be great practice. It can reduce overstimulation, help you relax, and rest your eyes. Instead, replace screen time with activities like meditation and breathing exercises that could help you fall asleep quicker. It doesn’t matter what it is that tends to overstimulate your mind. Avoiding them two hours before bedtime will help improve your sleep quality and schedule. (9)
See a doctor
For anyone experiencing severe sleeping problems, going to a doctor to get checked should help. Different things can cause you to have trouble sleeping. Sleeping problems might be a symptom of a more significant issue that needs to be dealt with appropriately. (9)
Create a comfortable space
Comfort is one of the biggest things that could help anyone fall asleep quicker. So you might want to make sure that you have good pillows, clean sheets, and a tidy room. All these can help your mind forget tasks that need to be done, which can cause anxiety. (4)
Along with comfort is regulating the temperature. Wear sleeping clothes appropriate for how warm or cold it is. You could also use cooling sleeping accessories, or warming ones, depending on the day or how you’re feeling.
Consequences of sleep deprivation
Chronic sleeplessness can lead to severe sleep deprivation. This can affect your overall wellness if left untreated. It’s not only bad for your mental state but also for your physical health. Take a look at these consequences of sleep deprivation to help you understand better:
- Diabetes
- Immunodeficiency
- Obesity
- Cardiovascular disease
- Pain
- Men’s health disorders
- Hormonal abnormalities
All these consequences could lower anyone’s quality of life. It might even affect relationships, work, and everyday activities. For instance, simple tasks like driving could become challenging, and it could even lead to accidents.
Because of the severity of these consequences, it’s essential to get the right amount of sleep. Help from doctors, medication, living a healthy lifestyle, and more can help you keep a good sleeping schedule.
Qualities of a good pillow

As mentioned, pillows can make a huge difference in how well a person can sleep. It’s the same with things like your bedding, room, clothes, and surroundings. The pillow can make a massive difference because it’s right underneath your head and neck. This is why a pillow that’s too hard, soft, low, or high can affect how well or quickly a person can sleep.
Simply buying any pillow isn’t going to ensure quality sleep. It’s essential to take your time and think about what kind of pillow could make you feel comfortable and get enough sleep. To make things simple,
Here’s a guide on how you could purchase a good cushion for yourself:
Set a budget
The price ranges for pillows can vary, depending on the brand, materials, and so on. Affordable pillows can be worth USD$5, but some pillows could be priced at USD$100 or more. It could be better to save up and invest in one or two good-quality pillows just for sleeping.
Consider your sleeping position
People have different sleeping positions, depending on what they find comfortable. For instance, if you’re more comfortable sleeping on your stomach or side, you might need to get a pillow to support your neck well. For anyone who sleeps on their back, a flatbed pillow will be sufficient.
Pick the right firmness
How soft or hard your pillow is also another consideration. Firmer pillows can give more support, and softer pillows that aren’t filled tightly might not give enough support. Again, this will also depend on your preferred sleeping position.
Choose the fill carefully
These days, many kinds of materials can be used as fill. Memory foam, polyester, feathers, and buckwheat are many kinds of materials that can be used for pillows. The prices of pillows can also depend on the kinds of material you choose.
Care and maintenance
When picking a pillow to invest in, thinking about how long you could use them is essential. Washing pillows regularly helps keep them sanitary. However, washing pillows can also cause them to deteriorate, especially if you throw them in the washer. Also, some pillows are meant only to be dry-cleaned.
Choosing a pillow can make your sleep schedule much better. It might seem like an unimportant choice, but it does make a huge difference. So taking your time and doing some research on different kinds of pillows might make a world of a difference for bedtime.
Conclusion
Everyone needs to sleep well to be able to stay healthy, physically and mentally. However, sleep problems can become a severe problem, especially if it’s chronic. There are plenty of things you can do to improve sleep, like making a consistent sleeping schedule and seeing a professional if you think it might be a severe sleeping problem. But it’s also possible to use items like cooling pillows and sleeping masks to make you feel more comfortable.
References
- “Not Enough Sleep All Too Common”, Source: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20080228/not-enough-sleep-all-too-common
- “What Are The Stages Of Sleep”, Source: https://psychcentral.com/lib/stages-of-sleep#sleep-tips
- “4 Ways to Improve Your Sleep and Benefit Your Health”, Source: https://www.psychreg.org/ways-improve-sleep/
- “Temperature for the Best Sleep: FAQ”, Source: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/sleep-temperature
- “The Connection Between Anxiety and Body Temperature”, Source: https://www.calmclinic.com/anxiety/symptoms/body-temperature
- “Interrupted Sleep Not Good for Your Mood: Study”, Source: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/news/20151030/interrupted-sleep-not-good-for-your-mood-study-suggests
- “Heat Rash”, Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-rash/symptoms-causes/syc-20373276
- “Heat Stroke”, Source: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heat-stroke/symptoms-causes/syc-20353581
- “Good Sleep: Can It Still Be Simple?” Source: https://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/features/good-sleep-can-it-still-be-simple
Also read: 5 Reasons Your Mattress Won’t Let You Sleep