If you’re a side sleeper, you’ve probably heard you shouldn’t sleep on your side unless you want wrinkles, but there are actually quite a few studies that show sleeping on your side has benefits. From delaying the onset of Alzheimer’s to simply being better for your organs, that increased chance of wrinkles may likely be worth the risk.
But, as any side sleeper knows, side sleeping can sometimes get uncomfortable—especially for your neck. When you sleep on your back, it’s much easier to to lie flat, but on your side, a pillow is a must—unless you want to wake up with a stiff neck and headache (speaking from experience here).
The problem lies with what is called a “support void”—the gap between the pillow and your neck. If you know this support void all too well, technology is here to help.
Meet SleepSmart, a new pillow made specifically for side sleepers. Dr. Jae Son, the creator of SleepSmart, developed the pillow after suffering from neck pain. The company surveyed more than 1,000 people and came to the conclusion that pillows aren’t really made for side sleepers—even though they make up more than 60 percent of the population.
Here’s how it works: With a squeeze of a valve on the side of the pillow, you can inflate or deflate it until you find the perfect position for you. You lower the height while your head is on the pillow and raise it while off.
SleepSmart also includes a sensing system to detect when your head is on the pillow, and, like everything nowadays, there’s also an app. The app monitors your sleep to teach you how to improve your rest and has a vibrating alarm to wake you up without disturbing anyone else.
The SleepSmart pillow is now fully funded on Kickstarter. To learn more or back the project, click here. To read more about side sleeping, check out the infographic below.
