When people think about what tools can meaningfully improve their sleep, their first thought is usually a high-end mattress, or maybe some perfect cocktail of sleep aids. Today the options are almost endless from luxury sheets to expensive heating and cooling mattress pads. But I’m convinced that the most important and cost-effective sleep investment that you can make isn’t a $3,000 mattress or a $500 sleep-tracking device - it’s your bed pillow.
Your pillow is an incredibly important factor as to whether you sleep restfully and wake up pain free. It’s task of comfortably supporting your head, neck, and spine (for nearly one-third of your life!) can’t be overstated. It influences your posture, airway alignment, and muscle recovery, and yet it’s still so often overlooked in favor of pricier purchases. That’s why at Lagoon we built our business with the pillow at the forefront - to shine a light on its importance and make it easier than ever for people to find their perfect one.
In this deep dive, we’ll break down how different sleep investments stack up, which gives you the most bang for your buck, and why prioritizing the right pillow might be one of the smartest recovery decisions you can make.
How Much Impact A Pillow Can Make
Let's start with the science. In fact, numerous studies have uncovered the serious benefits that a pillow can have to the quality of your sleep…
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A 2013 study in the Journal of Chiropractic Medicine found that using the right supportive pillow to maintain proper spinal alignment during sleep led to a 63% improvement in overall sleep quality.
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Research from the National Sleep Foundation showed that individuals who switched to a pillow designed to alleviate neck pain experienced a 57% reduction in discomfort during sleep and an average increase in sleep duration of 45 minutes per night.
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A study, published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology, found that participants who used a memory foam pillow experienced a 25% increase in deep sleep, compared to those using traditional pillows.
Comparing Sleep Investments: Cost vs. Impact
Not all sleep purchases provide the same level of return when it comes to improving sleep quality. Let’s start by breaking down the most common sleep investments looking at cost and impact on sleep quality, recovery, and overall well-being.
1. Mattress ($800 - $3,000+)
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Impact: High
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Cost-Effectiveness: Moderate (between $0.21 and $0.82 per night)
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A quality mattress is truly important, but research shows that support and firmness preference vary widely from person to person - and often people don’t make the perfect selection. Consumers are then left figuring out how to do an exchange or return, buying a mattress topper to compensate, or living with the imperfection for years. Also, spending thousands on a mattress doesn’t guarantee better sleep if your pillow and sleep position aren’t optimized.
2. Pillow ($75 - $200)
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Impact: High
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Cost-Effectiveness: Very High (between $0.10 and $0.27 per night*)
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A pillow dictates spinal alignment, airway openness, and muscle relaxation. Studies show that a properly supportive pillow can significantly reduce neck pain and improve sleep efficiency. Compared to a mattress, a pillow delivers major benefits at a fraction of the cost. As Dr. Matthew Walker, author of Why We Sleep, puts it, “The right pillow isn’t just about comfort - it’s about ensuring that your body is in the best position to get deep, restorative sleep.”
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*Note: Lagoon pillows come with a five year warranty - for a cost of between $0.07 and $0.10 per night
3. Sheets and Bedding ($100 - $500)
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Impact: Moderate
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Cost-Effectiveness: Low (between $0.13 and $0.68 per night)
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While breathable sheets can aid temperature regulation and a feeling of comfort or coziness, they don’t provide direct structural support like a mattress or pillow - therefore their influence on sleep quality is secondary.
4. Heating & Cooling Mattress Toppers ($1,000 - $4,000+)
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Impact: High
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Cost-Effectiveness: Low to Moderate (between $1.37 and $5.48 per night)
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Temperature plays a role in deep sleep cycles, and cooling systems like the ChiliPad or Eight Sleep Pod can improve comfort, but their high price tag is cost prohibitive for most when temperature regulation can be facilitated by a breathable pillow or adjusting the bedroom temperature.
5. Blackout Curtains ($30 - $150)
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Impact: Moderate to High
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Cost-Effectiveness: High (between $0.02 and $0.05 per night)
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Light exposure disrupts melatonin production which in turn inhibits the body from preparing for sleep. Therefore, blackout curtains are a great, budget-friendly solution for improving sleep consistency.
The Link Between Sleep and Recovery
The reason sleep is so important for most people is because you want to feel energized, strong and healthy. So really sleep is just one lever you can pull to have you show up each day as the best version of yourself. However, in reality it’s not just “one” lever - it’s the most important lever. Here’s why…
1. Muscle Growth, Injury Prevention, and Physical Recovery
Sleep is anabolic, meaning it directly helps muscle repair and growth. Research shows that deep sleep promotes the release of human growth hormone (HGH), which is essential for muscle recovery and performance. In fact, as much as 70% of daily HGH secretion occurs during deep sleep, particularly in the first half of the night As Dr. Andrew Huberman explains, “The best way to maximize recovery is to ensure high-quality sleep. No supplement, no post-workout shake, no recovery tool will ever replace deep sleep’s effect on muscle repair and performance.”
As for your pillow - remember that a poor pillow that misaligns your neck and spine can lead to increased muscle tension, higher cortisol levels, and decreased muscle repair efficiency.
2. Mental Performance and Cognitive Function
Lack of quality sleep leads to 40% slower reaction times, reduced memory consolidation, and impaired decision-making. For comparison, caffeine can temporarily improve reaction times by up to 10%, which is not only a fraction of the relative benefit of proper sleep, but it lacks the long-term cognitive benefits of deep sleep.
3. Heart Health, Longevity, and Stress Regulation
Chronic sleep deprivation is linked to a 48% increased risk of heart disease and stroke. To put that in perspective, regular cardiovascular exercise is associated with a 30-40% reduction in heart disease risk, and a heart-healthy diet like the Mediterranean diet lowers cardiovascular risk by 20-30%. In other words, proper sleep can play an even greater role in long term heart health than even exercise and diet (but to be clear - focusing on all three is best!). Dr. Peter Attia, longevity expert agrees, as he’s stated previously “We talk so much about exercise and diet, but sleep might be the biggest missing piece of the puzzle when it comes to longevity.”
Huge Gains from Sleep for a Small Investment
If you’re looking for a smart, science-backed way to improve sleep and recovery, start with the one thing that supports you every single night - your pillow. At the very least, it should be one of the handful of purchases you make each year that you can stand behind as bringing truly impactful value to your life for the money you spent on it.
