How To Make A Wedge Pillow

lauren hall 1
written by sleep expert Lauren Hall

How To Make A Bed Wedge Pillow

We all love a good ol’ DIY from time to time; for many of us, it’s because we don’t want to pay out hundreds of bucks on products from manufacturers, while for others, it’s all in the fun of it. Wedge pillows have so many benefits for our sleep, such as helping with sleep apnea, acid reflux, GERD, and even helping with back and neck pain. 

But have you ever wondered how to make a wedge pillow at home?

It’s actually easier than you may think; you can make your own DIY wedge pillow for acid reflux or just to help improve your quality of sleep in some simple, quick, and easy steps. What I love about a good ol’ DIY pillow is that you can completely customize it to your needs.

You make it for YOU and only YOU; it can tick all your boxes, wedge pillows can really make a difference to your health and comfort while you rest. Wedge pillows are also brilliant as they elevate specific body areas, which can improve circulation and relieve pain and pressure.

So wedge pillows not only benefit those with acid reflux, GERD, or sleep apnea, anyone can benefit from it. 

It can even help those who suffer from snoring! Knowing how to make your own homemade wedge pillow is brilliant as you can customize it for your needs and save a lot of money in the process. If you love DIYing as much as I do, then you’ll love this guide. 

So without further adieu, let’s jump in!

What Is A Wedge Pillow?

To start things off, let’s break down what exactly is a wedge pillow? Well, wedge pillows are orthopedic pillows that can help sleepers with ailments. The most common use of a wedge pillow is to help with snoring, acid reflux, sleep apnea, and obstructive sleep apnea. 

It helps elevate the upper body, which especially helps those who suffer from acid reflux heartburn as it helps keep the stomach from rising up the esophagus so the user can sleep with ease. 

The triangular shape keeps sleepers at an incline throughout the night; they can be used to either keep your upper body elevated or elevate your legs to help with recovery from surgery or improve circulation. Wedge pillows often range in sizes from 7-12 inches high. 

They also come in a range of shapes, some specific for your back, head, and neck support while sitting up in bed, and others that can help to elevate your legs while you sleep.

Back and side sleepers have made the best use out of wedge pillows as it helps to relieve pressure points in your back, neck, and shoulders. Wedge pillows also help elevate and support your belly and legs while pregnant too. 

In terms of material, edge pillows are often constructed with foam and sometimes with a few inches of memory foam to conform to your body’s shape and size and provide you with ultimate support and comfort while sleeping upright.

DIY Wedge Pillow In Quick & Easy Steps:

Making a wedge pillow is fairly straightforward in itself, but you’ll need a few bits before you get started and a little preparation as it is slightly different to making other pillows. It’s also easier if you have an electric carving knife and a sewing machine, but you can do it manually if not.  

Here’s What You’ll Need:

– A foam block roughly 12 inches thick and 36 inches wide (this is so you can spare a couple of inches for mistakes).

– Measuring tape with a washable marker pen.

– A sewing machine or regular thread and needle if doing manually.

– Electric carving knife is easier to use than scissors or a regular knife. 

Zipper

Method:

So the first thing you’ll want to do is find a piece of foam roughly the same size as your bed pillows (roughly 36 inches wide). You can either get someone from the store to cut the foam diagonally until it is at your ideal height or do it yourself. 

You’ll get a clean triangular foam for the pillow doing it this way. But I’m here for the DIY, so I’m going to show you how to do it yourself too; we ain’t no cheaters over here. But if you do choose to get it cut at the store, it makes it a hell of a lot easier. 

You’ll also want to use a measuring tape for this step and a marker to mark the line where to cut, this is crucial for a clean-cut and to prevent over or under cutting the foam. You can use any kind of foam– I personally love memory foam for its contouring capabilities. 

The ideal height of a wedge pillow is roughly 8-10 inches so bear that in mind when cutting the foam. You don’t want the height to be too steep. 

The next step is where the electric carving knife comes in handy, as you can quickly round the pillow edges and cut the shape, which will leave you with a better shape altogether. After you’re happy with the shape, you can grab some liner with a fabric of your choice. 

You can use regular cotton linen for your pillow, or if you fancy spicing it up a little, then silk or satin has some crazy benefits on your hair. 

Place the wedge pillow on top of the sheet and cut around the fabric, leaving roughly half an inch around the edge for the seam. Make sure you have this allowance on all sides, including the top, back, and bottom. 

Pin the triangular, top, and bottom pieces together using sewing pins; this should help you line up your seam, making the job of stitching much easier– especially if you’re doing this step manually and not with a sewing machine. 

Fold the two rectangular pieces so you can pin a zipper to the back; this will make washing the wedge pillow much more convenient as you can easily remove the sheet and pop it in the washer. Sew the seams and then turn the liner inside out, and then you’re good to go.

Pop it on the wedge you’ve just created in the sheet and use it when you sleep or read a book in bed. 

How To Use A Wedge Pillow:

Just popping your body on a wedge pillow removes the pressure on the lumbar region of the back and cervical spine; it removes pressure and possible compression of the nerves while both sitting and sleeping.

Wedge pillows can also help with medical conditions like sciatica or fibromyalgia by improving spinal alignment and preventing aggravation of the pain due to sleeping incorrectly. But do wedge pillows help with back pain?

Well, if you use memory foam, it can help alleviate pressure on your whole back and neck area; this will help relieve pain and even help prevent your condition from getting worse over time as wedge pillows prevent the development of additional pressure points.

There are a few ways you can sleep with a wedge pillow to help with back issues:

Back Sleeping Position: Lower incline wedge pillows are best for back sleepers; sleeping on your back is one of the best ways to relieve back and shoulder pain. The gentle incline further relaxes the muscles and removes pressure or compression on your shoulders.

Side Sleepers: For side sleepers, wedge pillows can also be used, but they can cause neck pain without using a suitable headrest. Flat wedge pillows do not provide support for the neck area as there is a space between the neck and the pillow.

So if you’re a side sleeper, the best wedge pillows for you are ones that come with a headrest.

Knee Support: By popping your wedge pillow underneath your knees, you can help relieve knee pain as well as relieve pressure from the lumbar region, as this helps promote better blood circulation, which can also help with those who suffer from poor circulation.

Final Thoughts

 So there you have it my method to make the easiest DIY pillow, if you go to your local supplies store nine times out of ten, they’ll be able to cut the foam for you, and it’ll still be cheaper than buying a wedge pillow on Amazon or from a manufacturer– it makes life a lot easier too. 

Remember, the ideal height for a wedge pillow is no more than around 10 inches. Even 10 inches is still a bit tall for a pillow; you can make your own DIY wedge pillow for acid reflux and still reap the benefits at only 8 inches of incline. 

So before you buy, try out a few different materials, and if you love conforming capabilities, then you’ll love the feel of memory foam!

Related Post: Best Wedge Pillow [Review]