Wedge Pillows

What a wedge pillow is

A wedge pillow is a firm triangle, almost always foam, that you lie against. Thick end at one side, thin edge at the other. Put it at the head of the bed and it raises your upper body on a steady slope. Turn it around under your legs and it raises your legs instead.

The point of a wedge is that it holds its angle. A stack of regular pillows slides, squashes and ends up on the floor. A wedge stays a wedge.

This page covers three kinds of bed wedge: upper-body wedges, leg-elevation wedges and headboard wedges that fill the gap between mattress and headboard. Height comes from the maker. Uses come from the maker too, in the maker's words.

How to read the table

The table shows a field only when the maker or listing states it. A dash means nobody said.

Product type: what it raises

Product type tells you which wedge you're looking at. A bed wedge raises your head and shoulders. A leg-elevation wedge raises your legs, and it's usually longer and flatter on top. A headboard wedge is a long, narrow wedge that sits behind your pillows. Our leg elevation pillow page covers the leg kind on its own.

Height is the number to compare

Height is in inches, as the maker states it, measured at the tall end. It's the main wedge spec. Two wedges with the same footprint and different heights put you in quite different positions, so compare height first.

Incline angle, only from the maker

Incline angle shows only when the maker states it in degrees. Most makers don't. We never work it out from height, because the angle also depends on the length of the slope and the listing's measurements aren't always the slope itself. If the angle matters to you, look for a maker who states it.

Dimensions: width and length

Dimensions are length, width and height in inches, as stated. Width decides whether the wedge fits your side of the bed or spans the whole thing. Length decides how much of your back is on the slope. A short, steep wedge and a long, gentle wedge can have the same height.

Fill and the top layer

Fill is usually foam. Some wedges are one block of firm foam. Others put a softer layer, often memory foam, on top of a firmer base. A few are inflatable. The table names the fill as the maker states it. Foam density and layer thickness belong to the maker's description; we only show them where the maker gives them.

Firmness, as stated

Firmness shows when the maker uses a firmness word. A wedge has to be firm enough to keep its shape, so "soft" on a wedge usually describes the top layer, not the whole thing.

Care and cover

The care field gives the maker's instructions. Look for a removable, washable cover. A foam core usually can't be washed.

Health wording (maker)

When a listing names a health use, the table quotes the maker's words. It doesn't mean we agree, test or rate the claim. See the next section.

What makers say wedges are for

Many wedge listings name health uses: acid reflux, heartburn, snoring, sleep apnea, breathing, circulation, swelling, back comfort, or rest after surgery. The table shows those phrases only as the maker's wording, in the health wording field, with the source in our data.

We don't repeat them as our own claims. A wedge is a shaped piece of foam. Whether a raised position helps with reflux, snoring, apnea or anything else is a medical question, and it depends on you. If you're considering a wedge for a health reason, talk to your doctor first and bring the height and angle fields with you. If a doctor has given you a specific height or angle, compare it with the table, not with the product photo.

What the maker's wording can tell you is what the wedge was designed and sold for. A wedge sold "for reading" may be shorter and steeper. A wedge sold "for sleeping" may be longer with a softer top. That's useful for choosing shape. It isn't a promise of results.

Upper-body, leg or headboard: when to choose which

Upper-body bed wedges

The classic wedge. It goes at the head of the bed, thin edge toward your hips, and you lie back on it with your head on the top end or on a pillow. Some people sleep on it; some only sit up on it to read or watch TV. If you plan to sleep on it, look at length and the top layer. If you plan to sit up, a reading pillow with arms may suit you better.

Leg-elevation wedges

Longer, often with a flat top section where your calves rest. The listing usually shows the leg position in a drawing. Read the dimensions against your leg length. A knee pillow is a different thing: it goes between the knees for side sleepers, and our knee pillow page covers it.

Headboard wedges

A long, narrow wedge that fills the gap between your mattress and headboard so pillows don't slide down. It isn't really for lying on. Measure the gap and the mattress width before you compare.

Combination and adjustable sets

Some sets come in pieces: a wedge plus an extension, or stacked layers you can add or remove to change height. They give options, and they also give you more pieces to keep together. Check that the listing shows how the pieces connect and what's in the box.

Choosing a wedge pillow for sleeping, reading or resting

Here's the rule: decide what you're raising before you decide how high. A wedge that's right for reading is often wrong for sleeping, and the reverse.

• Sleeping on your back. The slope runs under your back and shoulders. Length matters as much as height.
• Sleeping on your side. A wider wedge leaves room to turn. Some makers show side sleeping in the listing; some don't mention it.
• Sitting up. A steeper, shorter wedge or a reading pillow.
• Sharing a bed. A wedge for one side only, so check width against half the mattress.
• A narrow bed. Width first. A full-width wedge on a twin may hang over.

Dev once read in bed propped on five regular pillows. By the second chapter he was horizontal and the pillows were in a heap. He now says "load-bearing" about pillows, and I don't correct him.

Keeping a wedge where you put it

A wedge has one bad habit: it creeps down the mattress during the night. That's why some covers have a grippy bottom panel; the table shows it only where the maker says so. A few housekeeping tricks help either way.

• Push it to the headboard. The headboard holds it. No headboard, and a wall does the same job.
• Wedge under the sheet or on top. Under the fitted sheet stays put better; on top is easier to remove in the morning.
• Mind the thin edge. The low end should land around your hips for an upper-body wedge, not at your waist. Otherwise you slide down the slope.
• A pillow on top. Many people still use a regular pillow at the top end. A thinner one keeps the slope from getting steeper than the maker planned.

Housekeeping rule: a made bed with a wedge in it still gets made. Fold the top sheet over the wedge, not under it, and it looks like a bed instead of a ramp.

Wedge, pillow stack or reading pillow

Three ways to sit or lie raised, each good at something.

A stack of regular pillows costs nothing extra and changes shape every time you move. Fine for a short read, not for a whole night.

A wedge holds one slope and one height. It's the choice when you want the same position every night, which is also why the height field matters so much: you can't fluff a wedge taller.

A reading pillow has a back and arms and holds you upright for sitting. It isn't built for lying down. Pick the wedge if you plan to sleep raised, the reading pillow if you only plan to sit up.

Wedges and babies

Adult wedges are for adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that babies sleep on their backs on a firm, flat surface, keeps pillows and soft objects out of the sleep area, and says any surface inclined more than 10 degrees isn't safe for a baby to sleep on. An adult wedge never goes in a crib, bassinet or anywhere a baby sleeps.

Care: covers and foam

Read the care tag before the price tag. Foam wedges are simple to look after, and only if you follow the tag.

• Cover off first. Wash it as the tag says, zipped closed.
• Foam core. Most say spot clean only. Don't put foam in a washer or dryer unless the tag says so.
• Airing out. New foam can have a smell at first. Makers often suggest letting it air out after unboxing; follow theirs.
• Spare cover. If you'll use it every night, check whether the maker sells replacement covers.

Our guide to washing pillows covers the general steps.

Who can skip a wedge pillow

• You only want to read in bed. A reading pillow with arms is built for that.
• You only want something between your knees. That's a knee pillow.
• You're buying for a health reason without asking a doctor. Ask first. Then compare the height and angle fields with what you were told.
• Your bed is shared and narrow. A wedge takes a side. Measure.

Related pages

• Pillows: the whole section
• Leg elevation pillows, knee pillows and lumbar support pillows
• Reading pillows: for sitting up
• Best wedge pillows: a shorter list with its own pick rule
• Best sleeping positions: what each position asks of your pillows
• How to wash pillows