A straight body pillow, and the length that suits your height
If you sleep on one side and want something to hold, your fit is a straight body pillow with its length set by your height. It lies along the front of your body, so you can hug the top end and rest your top knee on the lower end.
Updated .
In short: A straight pillow of standard length suits most side sleepers, and if you are tall, a longer one keeps it reaching the knee.
The fit
| Part | Specification |
|---|---|
| Shape | Straight, not a U or C. A body pillow measures 20 by 54 inches, per a published pillow size guide. |
| Length | The standard straight pillow is 54 inches, and some run as long as 72 inches for tall sleepers (body pillow dimensions guide). Another guide says tall users often need 60 inches or more (body pillow length guide). |
| Fill | Firm: a fill that stays spread along the length rather than sliding to the ends. Soft: loose shredded fill behind a zipper, so it can be added, removed or pushed back into place, as on this seller's shredded latex listing, which says the fill comes out by unzipping the inner and outer casings. |
| Cover and washing | A removable, zipped cover. It goes in the washing machine. For the whole pillow, one washing guide says a standard front-loader holds a body pillow tightly, while a larger drum gives it more room. |
| Where it goes in the bed | Along the front of the body. It sits under the top arm and between the knees, on the side the sleeper faces (knee pillow guidance). |
Lengths and fills come from published maker dimensions and the sources cited on this site; this site measured nothing and gives no medical advice.
The answers point to a straight shape. You want something to hold, and you mostly stay on one side. A straight pillow covers that one side without wrapping all the way round. Without support, the top leg may fall forward and twist the lower back, according to the Sleep Foundation's guidance on knee pillows. A long pillow holds that leg and the top arm together, from the shoulder down past the knee.
Length follows height. The pillow should start near the shoulder and still sit under the knee. One length guide says the standard size fits most adults and supports them from head to knees. The standard straight pillow runs 54 inches, according to a body pillow dimensions guide, which lists longer ones up to 72 inches. In the shortest height band of the quiz, the standard length is enough. In the middle band it still works, and a longer one leaves room to tuck a leg over. In the tallest band, the standard stops short of your knee, so a longer size earns its space, and the same length guide puts tall users at 60 inches or more. The guides in the table do not agree on an exact height for the switch, so treat it as a range rather than a fixed point.
Feel decides the fill. A firm pillow is harder to keep firm along its whole length, because loose fill slides toward the ends as you move. Separate zones, each with its own zip, stop that drift. Soft is simpler, since a single zip lets the fill be added, removed or pushed back where it is wanted.
A few answers would move the result off this page. If you mostly lie on your back, a long pillow has little to do beside you, and a smaller support often serves better; What does a body pillow change about how your back rests overnight? covers that case. If you turn from side to side, a U shape supports you whichever way you face, and How does a U-shaped body pillow differ from a long straight one? weighs it against a straight one. Bed size cuts the other way, because a straight pillow takes one narrow strip of mattress, about 20 inches wide by a published size guide, so a twin, a full or a shared bed suits it well.
Washing can also shape the choice. Most long pillows are made to keep the insert dry and wash only the cover. If you need the whole pillow in your own machine, check the drum size before you settle on one of the longer lengths. If a body pillow can barely close the door, a laundromat with commercial-sized front-loaders is the better route. Some guides advise hand-washing foam and latex fills, so read the label on your fill too.
A few checks on your own bed settle the length. Lie on your side and measure from the top of your shoulder to just below your knee. Compare your span with the table. Then measure the strip of mattress in front of you, where the pillow will lie all night. If you share the bed, check that the strip is still yours with the pillow in place. How does a body pillow keep a side sleeper's hips and shoulders in line? goes further into fill and feel.
Other body pillow guides
- How does a body pillow keep a side sleeper's hips and shoulders in line?
- What category is a body pillow?
- Does a cooling body pillow keep you cool all night?
Back to which shape and length
Sources
Gathered here, the outside pages this body pillow guide quotes, each beside the part of the guide that needed it.
- a published pillow size guide (bollandbranch.com), needed in “The fit”.
- body pillow dimensions guide (zomasleep.com), needed in “The fit”.
- body pillow length guide (beanproducts.com), needed in “The fit”.
- this seller's shredded latex listing (savvyrest.com), needed in “The fit”.
- one washing guide (mattressmiracle.ca), needed in “The fit”.
- knee pillow guidance (sleepfoundation.org), needed in “The fit”.
- Some guides (amerisleep.com), needed in “The fit”.