Contour pillows are often designed with several support options all contained within one pillow. These pillows may contain two distinct "lobes" of varying size that enable you to control the degree of support. For instance, Tempur-pedic, which represents the top line in contoured pillows, offers a dual-lobed "contour neck pillow". As its name suggests, its intention is to provide adjustable neck support through its lobed design.

Other contoured pillow designs include those made to gently guide your head to the side. As you lie prone, facing the ceiling, the contours of the pillow, along with the force of gravity, move your head into the correct sideways position without sacrificing comfort. The key is gentleness. Listen to your body; pain and discomfort are your body's ways of communicating with you. Any pillow that feels like it's forcing your head and neck into uncomfortable positions is obviously not right for you.

The Medical Basis for Contour Pillows

Contour pillows that move the head to the side were designed to help those who suffer from breathing problems while sleeping. These problems mainly result from the collapse of the soft palate when the sleeper lies on his or her back, looking up at the ceiling. The typical result is snoring, a very common malady that most of us have to a degree.

Snoring can become worse over time, and deteriorate into other, more extreme conditions, such as irregular breathing. Sleep apnea is a serious breathing irregularity wherein the sleeper periodically stops breathing while asleep. Often, individuals who suffer from serious health conditions, such as obesity or diabetes, also have sleep apnea. Switching to ergonomically engineered contour pillows is a way to head off these breathing problems at the pass.