It is highly likely that the humble pillow is the single item in most homes that takes the most diverse number of shapes, sizes and colors.

Just think about his for a moment. While most of us think about the pillow on our bed when prompted to talk about pillows, these pillows are only a small group of the many different pillows we will have through our home.

For instance the chairs we sit on in our living rooms and lounges, the big comfortable ones that we buy at some expense, almost always used with cushions. Not the bed pillow, but an equivalent that does the same job of supporting us as we rest. Then, for many of us, there are those thin pillows tied onto the back of chairs we use at the dining table. True, these cushions are not so fashionable today, but they are still found in many homes and we are all probably familiar with them. What about beanbags? We have certainly had our share of them in the flats we lived in before were married, and in some of the homes we set up when we joined forces and lived together. They are still popular today.

And the list goes on. We have cushions in our cars, out on the reclining chairs in our gardens, on the plastic bed-chairs around the swimming pool, in the dog's kennel and in the cat's basket, enjoyable kinds novelty pillows, extra large floor pillows for adults who like fun, decorative floor pillows (for the more reserved among us) and feather filled pillows for granny.

At times we will have needed special pillows when we were ill. (I know I have.) And for these occasions we may have had a neck support pillow or a wedge pillow. Some of us will be using body pillows.

And as if the diversity all this brings is not sufficient, we have pillows that look different by virtue of being wrapped in different fabrics.

Pillow fabrics! Just the thought of the rich variations found in covering pillows sets the head spinning. And this is not even touch on the various kinds of filling we find inside our pillows. From natural materials like the traditional down and feathers (that granny remembers so well) to buckwheat pillows, straw filled pillows, synthetic foam fills and cotton.

Which all comes down to one point: if your pillow is not as comfortable as you think it should be starting looking for alternatives. There are a great many different pillows out there and you can find one that will give you the sweet dreams you need.

Tags: pillows

We all spend good nights on pillows, without fully appreciating just how many different types of pillows are out there. Our commonplace pillow was at one time only found on the beds of the upper classes. Now, in the homes of all of us, rich and poor, the humble pillow is actually anything but humble in design -- there can be some impressive technical advances built into our pillows. (Just look at the wedge pillow, for example.)

Tags: pillows, wedge pillows