Body pillows have been a bedroom fixture for years now and their benefits are becoming increasingly well-known. Resthouse’s body pillows are all made with premium materials and forward-thinking design that ensures sleepers enjoy a breathable, temperature-regulated sleep environment, the ideal level of support, and spine, hip, shoulder, and neck alignment for maximum rest and recovery. We’ve also written extensively about the incredible virtues of body pillows, but always in the context of how they can help you get a great night’s sleep. We’ve discussed back problems. We’ve covered body pillows for side sleepers. We’ve addressed stress relief. And of course we’ve put together quite a few words on alignment.
But no one at Resthouse has ever written anything about using a body pillow during waking hours, even though we all do it. So we talked to the dedicated enthusiasts who we have on staff and came up with our favourite ways to use a body pillow all day long.
1. Relaxation
This is the most obvious way to use your body pillow during the day but it bears repeating: all of the rest and relaxation benefits that you get from a body pillow at night are equally applicable during the day. Feeling anxious? Lie down with your pillow for a short while and hug it as hard as your arms will allow. Need some relief on tired back muscles? Great, your body pillow can help. If you happen to end up taking a nap, that’s just a bonus. But you don’t have to be asleep to experience the many positive relaxation and alignment characteristics of cuddling up with a body pillow.
2. Pregnancy and Babies
Not as obvious as the first item on this list, a body pillow can be great for little bodies too—babies that is. Pregnant women can enjoy relief on sore and tired muscles from a body pillow set up to take the weight of a growing child, or use it behind the back for spine and hip comfort. A body pillow is also a great breastfeeding pillow, helping the baby to rest at the right height while providing temperature regulation to both mom and newborn. Plus the length of a body pillow makes it a soft and safe barrier for squirmy, active babies during playtime. Note: no pillows or blankets should be placed in a crib with an infant.
3. Decoration
Less of a benefit to your body and more of a boon for aesthetic appreciation, the body pillow makes the perfect, seamless accent item for the head of your bed. Rather than a cluster of decorative throw pillows and uncomfortable bolsters, a body pillow provides a smooth, streamlined look for the modern bedroom. Or, bring your body pillow out of the boudoir and use it as a beautiful and functional item on couches or especially daybeds. And coming soon to the Resthouse collection, chic new pillow covers that offer unique and stylish patterns and colors will allow you to coordinate your body pillow with any room in your home.
4. Recreation
No matter what room you’re using your body pillow in, it's a great way to add comfort and support to your recreational activities. Try putting one under your knees as a breathable bolster while reading a good book, or use it to gain health benefits from elevated feet while lounging. Before you settle in with popcorn and a heart-pounding movie from a streaming service, make sure your body pillow is within reach for a variety of comfy positions that will carry you through to the end credits. And if a pillow fight starts, you’ve got an unfair advantage at your disposal.
5. Outdoors
You might not guess it, but your body pillow is ideal for outdoor activities. With a double layer cover, it’s easy to keep clean and fresh, and it even benefits from spending some time in the sun. Use it as a cozy cushion for picnics in combination with an attractive organic linen blanket. Or add it to your patio ensemble as padding for outdoor furniture that is never quite comfortable enough.
6. Work
While this is not as fun as some of the other options on this list, working from home is a more and more common facet of our modern reality, and we don’t always have the best furniture or even a dedicated office space to do it in. Enter the body pillow, your ideal laptop riser for working in bed, on your couch, or even on the floor. And if your job is extra stressful, your pillow is right there waiting for you to hug it out and achieve some relief from anxiety.
And more?
These are just some of the ways that we love to use our body pillows during the day, away from the bedroom, and even outside. But we know that this list is by no means comprehensive. Do you use your body pillow in a way that we haven’t thought of? We’d love to hear about it. Let us know at info@resthousesleep.com.
