This new pillow helps you to get used to the optimal sleeping position. Comprehensive experience report with all health benefits & tips for use.
Experts have recommended sleeping on your back for years.
The spine remains straight and breathing is more even. This prevents tension and ensures restful sleep.
Some sleep researchers go even further and call for pillows to be dispensed with – because it is not necessary for healthy people and only unnecessarily unbalances the spine.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to change your own habits – especially when sleeping.
- Often we unconsciously turn on our side or stomach at night.
- Often lying on our back feels strange and we cannot find rest.
This is exactly where the Flexpillow comes in. This orthopedic pillow promises easy adaptation to the perfect sleeping position.
I have tested the pillow for several months and tell you everything about the advantages and disadvantages in this review.
Index
The Flexpillow at a glance
The orthopedic sleep aid is slightly wider than normal pillows and is made of soft memory foam (visco foam).
The cutout in the middle is for the head – the padding on the sides keeps it in place overnight and prevents you from bending to the left or right while sleeping.
Especially at the beginning you can use the side pillows to sleep on your side as normal. You can buy the Flexpillow in different heights so that the spine remains in an optimal, straight position.
Find the optimal variant – that’s how it works
The right height depends on the hardness of the mattress and your shoulder width, in general I would recommend these variants:
- 8cm high: Suitable for most women and shorter men who sleep on very soft mattresses (up to hardness H2).
- 10cm height : Suitable for most men and all those who have harder mattresses (H3 and up), as these give less.
In the Flexpillow shop there has recently been a smaller version for children, so the range is constantly being expanded.
That’s how long it takes to get used to it
If you’ve slept with a pillow all your life, you can’t do without it overnight. Switching too quickly often leads to tension and poor sleep quality.
Fortunately, the Flexpillow makes the switch very easy – at least if you are patient and willing to experiment. The manufacturer himself speaks of several weeks – for me personally it even took over 2 months.
The supplied acclimatization pad
In the first few weeks you will not sleep with your head on the mattress, but use a small cushion.
This brings the head into a slightly elevated position and makes it much easier to get used to it. But I’ll be honest: the first 2-3 nights it wasn’t very comfortable and I often turned on my side.
- Over time, however, the body adapts to this new way of sleeping and remains in the supine position longer and longer.
- When you feel ready, you can remove the acclimatization pad (it is only attached with Velcro) and spend a night without additional elevation.
On my first attempt after about 6 weeks, I went back to the small pillow because my body needed more time to get used to it.
So do not stress yourself with the change, but listen to your body’s signals.
The Flexpillow as a side sleeper pillow
During the start you will lie on your side with the Flexpillow very often. Especially in the early hours of the morning – when sleep is getting easier – we unconsciously turn left or right.
- In this position, too, the spine should remain as straight as possible to avoid long-term health problems.
- I have already tested a few side sleeper pillows in the past and have to say that the Flexpillow can easily keep up with “full-fledged” alternatives.
The memory foam is pleasantly soft, but only yields to a certain extent. This ensures an optimal balance between comfort and support.
Even after lying down for a long time, there are no uncomfortable pressure points or sore shoulders . (The longer you get used to sleeping on your back anyway, so you will make less and less use of the storage space on the side).
After the acclimatization, the side cushions still fulfill a useful function, as already mentioned: They support your head and keep it straight throughout the night.
High quality processed & suitable for allergy sufferers
The memory foam is very comfortable and regulates temperature. In summer heat it stays pleasantly cool and in winter it stores its own body heat.
Due to its mite resistance, it is also ideal for allergy sufferers.
- The supplied cover is made of silk, polyester & viscose – it also feels pleasantly soft when lying on its side.
- As with all premium pillows, the cover can be removed and cleaned in the washing machine – this increases hygiene and longevity.
Alternatively, you can buy other covers (e.g. made of cotton) in the Flexpillow shop. For me personally, however, the standard variant is more than sufficient.
Does it bring you better sleep?
Admittedly, getting used to it sounds like a lot of effort – and in fact you should have enough patience and a little stamina before the Flexpillow can develop its effect.
Then, however, you can benefit from your new sleeping habits for many years:
- As already mentioned, sleeping on your back helps against tension and is recommended by experts.
- It also makes breathing easier and thus ensures more rest during the night – you sleep deeper and are more rested in the morning.
- Your spine stays straight and can relax for many hours from everyday life – this is also beneficial for long-term health.
You will feel the positive effects not only in bed, but also during the day. Working on the computer, for example, is much easier because my neck stays relaxed for a long time.
There are these disadvantages
Despite the many advantages, the Flexpillow is not a miracle cure – as I said, the changeover takes some time.
Also, there are a few other things to know about before you buy:
Compared to a normal pillow, the Flexpillow always holds you firmly on your back. Simply turning to your partner quickly or falling asleep head to head spontaneously is not possible. This is undoubtedly better for sleep hygiene, but as a couple you have to adjust to this small restriction.
Seldom has the acclimatization pillow bothered me. It is comparatively small and therefore occasionally slips into the wrong position (then it presses annoyingly against the back of the head).
You can easily correct this by lifting your head slightly and then placing it again on the small pillow. Nevertheless, something is annoying – especially when you are almost in the land of dreams and then have to pull yourself up again. A slightly larger contact surface would be much more convenient.
Fortunately, this doesn’t happen that often and after getting used to it, you won’t need the little pillow aid any more.
Conclusion of my experience report
The price of the Flexpillow is not a bargain – in contrast to cheap mass-produced goods, you get a unique shape and great materials here.
Whether it is the right choice for you depends entirely on your sleeping habits:
- Do you need help getting used to sleeping on your back?
- Would you like to relieve your spine and prevent tension in your neck and shoulders?
- Do you want to avoid long-term health problems and ensure restful sleep?
In all of these cases, I would recommend the Flexpillow without hesitation – at least if you allow yourself a few weeks to get used to it.
It is one of the cheapest ways to improve your sleep (a good mattress costs significantly more). In my month-long test, the concept convinced me – I am also not aware of any comparable pillow that changes my own sleeping habits so sustainably:
After getting used to it, even with the highest quality normal pillows, I have the feeling that my spine is no longer in balance.
Sleeping on your back without a pillow now just feels much more liberated and relaxed. The pillow is available in the Flexpillow shop or on Amazon:
Note in the sense of the editorial guidelines: The pillow tested here was made available to us by Flexpillow – no editorial influence took place at any time. We treat all manufacturers equally.
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.