3 Reasons to Replace Your Pillows This Autumn

While we all like the feeling of a fresh duvet every now and then, our pillows sometimes get a little bit neglected.

However, failing to regularly change your pillows doesn’t just leave your bed looking stale, it can also lead to a sore neck and worse quality of sleep.

With that in mind, here are three reasons why you should consider replacing your pillows this autumn.

1. They Get Really Gross

You might not know it, but after being used for a while, your pillow begins to collect all kind of nasty stuff.

Dirt, oil, dead skin and even drool all collect in the pillow, which aside from being pretty gross, can cause skin problems such as acne.

Of course, you can remedy this to some extent by just washing the pillowcase, but eventually, it’s a good idea to replace the pillow itself.

What’s more, all of that grime attracts dust mites to your pillow, which are so small that you won’t even notice them.

These little critters are one of the number one causes of allergies and asthma, so make sure you keep switching up your pillows to keep them at bay!

If you do suffer from allergies, you might want to invest in an anti-allergen pillow, which will be treated with a special chemical to keep them away.

2. It Won’t Support Your Head

The main purpose of your pillow is, of course, to lift and support your head. However, after multiple washes, the filling inside the pillow starts to break down.

With synthetic pillows, this will generally mean they become lumpy, and with natural alternatives like feather and down, the pillow will simply fall flat.

Sleep.org recommend that you test your pillow out by folding it in half. If it flops back into place, it’s still ok, but if it stays folded, it could be time for a refresh.

You may also want to upgrade to a pillow which offers more support, such as this memory foam option from SleepyPeople.com, which moulds to the shape of your head and neck, giving you all the support you need.

3. They Don’t Have Long Lives

You might think that you only just bought your current pillow fairly recently, but you’d be surprised at how short the recommended lifespan of a pillow actually is.

It’s debatable exactly how often you should replace your pillow, with estimates ranging from three years to one year.

The Sleep to Live Institute even give a recommendation of once every six months.

They might seem like a long time, but it’s easy to forget about your pillows and leave them much longer than this.

And if you don’t wash your pillows regularly (and let’s be honest, most people don’t), you’ll find it needs replacing even sooner.

But instead of attempting to stick to any kind of strict schedule, we think that considering you sleep on it every night, if you think about it, you’ll know whether or not you need to replace your pillow. 

PhotoCredit; Dailymail