Last week, in “FAQ – What is the Best Pillow?,” we saw that there is no one-pillow-fits-all solution. That your sleeping position affects the kind of pillow that suits your needs.

Today, we are going to talk about how the shape, size and suppleness of your skeleton affects the kind of pillow that will work for you.

Let’s take the example of two people, Brad and Rita, both of whom like to sleep on the side.

Brad is 6 Feet 1 inches with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Rita is 5 feet 2 inches, petite and with shoulders and hips close to similar in width.

Brad is very strong but somewhat stiff and complains of lower back pain when lying on his back. That is why he prefers sleeping on his side. He can lie on either side without pain but prefers his right side.

Rita is slim and flexible from her Yoga practice. She hurt her right shoulder in an accident a few years ago and lying on her right is uncomfortable for her so she prefers sleeping on her left. She has some scoliosis (curvature in her spine) and that also makes it easier for her to lie on her left side. When she lies on her back, she can feel her right shoulder blade making a very pointed contact with the floor.

Brad likes to sleep with a pillow between his arms while Rita likes to keep some support in between her knees.

We can see how their size, shape and flexibility affects their sleep choices.

Brad probably needs more support under his head when lying on his side because of his broad shoulders.

Rita prefers lying on one side (left) because of the shape of her spine.

Knowing how their structure affects their comfort in lying down would help each of them to make more informed choices.

However, both would also benefit from finding a way to soften their ribs, spine, and shoulders.

Both can also learn to be more comfortable lying on their backs or even their front.

Here’s the thing: Animals sleep on the ground all the time with no support.

Koalas even sleep on trees.

And babies can sleep comfortably in any position.