If you’re curious about what is a pillow gusset, it’s simply an extra piece of material that you can add around the pillow. Typical, gusseted pillows look like a loft pillow with side panels. You will learn more about this pillow type below.
Adding a gusset to a pillow is not limited to improving its aesthetics. This addition also improves the overall functionality of your pillow. Because of the side panels, your traditional loft pillow would be great for all types of sleepers due to the resulting shape and fullness.
Pillow Gusset: Everything You Need To Know
What is a gusseted pillow?
A gusseted pillow is simply a loft pillow with side panels around it. One might even consider this pillow type as a decorative piece like a bolster pillow. Similarly, these two decorative pillows are useful and more than just aesthetic additions.
This means that you can sleep on a gusseted pillow and take advantage of its shape in various sleeping positions. In the earlier days, homeowners add gussets to improve the shape and make the pillow look fuller. Nowadays, you can use this very characteristic and fill the panels with various materials such as down or memory foam.
As a result, sleepers that move around a lot, side sleepers, and back sleepers benefit from using a pillow gusset. The resulting fullness and shape are excellent for supporting the body, straightening the sleeping posture, or relieving pressure. Adding gussets will also expand the pillow’s size and help it hold its shape so that it’s more customized for the user.
Pillows with gussets vs pillows without gussets
Upon glance, you can distinguish a pillow with gussets from those without them because the former has rectangular panels around its sides. Therefore, a gusseted pillow is thicker and has more dimensions than a pillow without gussets that typically only has top and bottom panels. Decorative gusseted pillows even have piping to make the gussets more noticeable.
Why use a pillow with gussets?
If you’re still having a hard time understanding gusseted pillows, think of them as a paper lunch bag as supposed to a card, with the latter representing traditional knife-edge pillows. Adding gussets gives the pillow a better form and shape, so it’s more conforming and supportive to the sleeper. What this means is the pillow offers fewer gaps from your body to the pillow.
Therefore, your body during sleep is well-aligned and less likely to experience pain and pressure. Some manufacturers even add specific stuffings to make the pillow more comfortable. And besides the typical flat and rectangular pillows, you will find contour pillows with gussets for optimal support.
Why Pillows Affect Sleep Quality
As you have previously read, the primary reason gussets are useful for pillows is improving the pillow’s overall shape and structure. Remember that the pillow’s form is crucial in providing the two reasons why pillows affect sleep quality.
Support
You want to have the best pillow for you to achieve optimal support. Sleeping without a pillow or using something that doesn’t have the right structure for you will be inefficient in providing support. Particularly the areas around the neck and upper back when we are lying down.
If they are not level with the rest of the body, you risk developing body pain and other health issues. The fuller shape of a pillow gusset will fill the gaps in these regions to maintain a well-aligned sleeping posture.
Comfort
The pillow’s form will also affect the quality of the sleep itself. Using a pillow without the right size or shape, you can expect uncomfortable nights that can lead to other conditions and issues. Each person will vary in what pillow is best for them, and the way they sleep is also another consideration. If you have remembered earlier, side sleepers will sleep more comfortably in gusseted pillows because gussets have more dimension.
What pillow size should you get?
There are different pillow sizes in the market, and you will also find special sizes not limited to the usual squares and rectangles. You must know what size is best for you in addition to the fullness or loft offered by gussets. A good middle size for most sleepers is the standard size, but you can get a bigger one, which is the queen size.
If you toss and turn a lot, you might also prefer the king size. However, don’t forget to consider the position you’re sleeping in and choose the pillow’s thickness or thinness that will keep your body well-aligned. Finally, know how you want to use the pillow, so you can select the shape and contours that will support a specific region or body part.
Conclusion
You can always improve the pillow you use for maximum comfort and physical health. If you’re wondering what is a pillow gusset, it pertains to additional side panels surrounding a pillow. Therefore, a gusseted pillow noticeably looks fuller compared to a pillow without gussets.
How can gussets benefit you? One can add stuffing to make the pillow more comfortable and conforming. More so, the pillow’s resulting thicker shape and form helps fill the gaps between the body and the pillow to ensure a good sleeping posture.
Overall, don’t be afraid to try new pillow features such as gussets. Not only do these side panels make the pillow shape more aesthetically pleasing, but they also improve the usefulness of the pillow itself.