The right pillow can mean the difference between a restful nights sleep and "ouch" when you wake up.  Your neck, spine and shoulders need to be in alignment with each other while you sleep just as they need to be when you're awake and standing with perfect posture.

Choosing the right pillow is pretty straight forward.  The goal of a perfect sleeping pillow is to offer comfortable support while also relieving stresses on your neck.    Here's a few simple guidelines that may be helpful to you.

Ask yourself - How do I sleep?

STOMACH SLEEPERS

If you sleep on your stomach you will probably find a soft pillow ideal for this sleeping position. A medium or firm pillow will more than likely cause your neck to be raised somewhat and out of alignment with your shoulders leaving you with a "kink" in your neck in the morning.  A classic feather/down pillow, or any of the soft goose down pillows regardless of fill power (600, 700, 800) you choose.

BACK SLEEPER

If you are a back sleeper you might think a firm pillow would be best.  But consider that if the pillow is too firm, your head and neck will be at an angle that won't allow your head to "rest" while it's on the pillow.  A soft or medium pillow would be best.  Again the idea of a pillow is to maintain your spine angle while you sleep so that your neck and back muscles can relax.  Back sleepers may need to consider other issues like where you rest your head while it's on the pillow.  Do you like to sleep with more of the pillow down under your back so that you have more support directly under your neck while sleeping?  Or is your pillow closer to the top of your head?  Go with the medium firmness if you like to keep the pillow more directly under your neck.  Try a softer pillow if you like to sleep with the pillow closer to the top of your head.  

SIDE SLEEPER

If you're a side sleeper then you probably don't want a soft or medium  down pillow because of the break in your spine angle while you sleep due to the lack of support with the soft and medium pillows.  But, the type of bed you sleep on can have some influence on which pillow firmness you choose here.  If you sleep on a firm bed then you typically would need a firm pillow to support your head because the area between your shoulder and your head needs to be filled and supported.  If you sleep on a softer bed , perhaps a pillow top; implying that you will "sink" or sleep lower in your bed, or if you are a petite person, consider a medium down pillow. 

Last but not least, be sure the fabric that covers your down pillow is "downproof."  Simply put you want the down to stay where it is intended to be - inside your pillow.  A thread count of at least 240 or more is recommended.  Fabric that is 100% cotton is a great choice as cotton will allow the down inside your pillow to stay fluffy and soft.