I bought the InteVision wedge specifically because the company makes a coordinating cotton pillowcase that fits it perfectly, looks neater on the bed, and gives it some extra protection against stains. Most of the included covers pill easily and are hard-to-impossible to replace if they wear out or discolor over time. I’ve found that the only real downside to most wedge pillows-besides the sheer comedy of sleeping a foot higher than my spouse-is finding a good cover. Everyone has a different anatomy as well as a different curvature, so it is literally like a fingerprint.” (That last sentence encapsulates the challenge of being Wirecutter’s pillow writer so well that I should print it on my business cards like an inspirational quote.) “I would start with 7.5 and go from there. Chhatre said that there’s no ideal to aim for when you’re trying a wedge for the first time. My current one is 7.5 inches high at the top of the slope, but I’ve also used a wedge that was a full 12 inches high. I think the elevation of just the head carries more risk of injury during sleep.” Wedges come in different heights, too. You can find different types of wedge pillows, such as these smaller versions I’ve seen that simply raise your head, but Chhatre said, “I prefer the whole-body elevation. (The InteVision wedge I own comes with an additional small, flat pillow, but I’ve never used it.) He also noted that it’s completely fine to throw a regular bed pillow on top for extra support, as I do. Physiatrist Akhil Chhatre, MD, director of spine rehabilitation (among other roles) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, told me that there are no downsides to using a wedge, and that you don’t even need to wait until you’re having aches and pains: “It can make sense for anyone.” He noted that some very rare spinal conditions might not be compatible with a wedge, but generally most people can use one. Though I started using a wedge to help with breathing, it turns out that sleeping on a wedge can be better for your neck and back if you’re a side-sleeper or back-sleeper. Eventually I bought my first wedge-and I never looked back. A pile of regular pillows helped me breathe easier but gave me neck and back pain.

Post-pregnancy, I discovered that I still needed extra support to breathe easier, to manage the reflux that never completely left, and to soothe my back after carrying around a toddler for chunks of the day. My husband started calling my side of the bed The Wall. It began with extra pillows stuffed under my head, between my knees, and under my ankles and then progressed to body pillows before culminating with this enormous U-shaped setup. To help relieve all the weird aches and pains that come with growing a human, I collected increasingly bigger pillows as my body grew larger.

When I was pregnant with my daughter (who’s about to turn 12), my pillow needs radically changed.

Triangle foam wedge