Best Wedge Pillow For COPD + Other Ideas

Some people with COPD find it hard to breathe while laying flat in bed. So the idea of a wedge pillow comes up in the hope that it can help.

What wedge pillow you should use can be tricky, and I want to help you pick one out. I also want to show you some other options that may work.

Note: I do want to make this clear; I’m not a doctor so make sure to ask your doctors opinion first. I’m just someone with a family member who has COPD, and this was my research to help them.

The Best Wedge Pillow

The best wedge pillow for COPD I’ve seen is the Cushy Form one made of memory foam*.

It is 12 inches high and has a washable cover. The cover is also breathable which is huge as my family member sleeps hot.

They find it to be soft and that is due to the memory foam. It may feel firm at first, but memory foam softens up when exposed to body heat.

My family member says this is a lot better than piling up pillows and blankets like they used to do. With COPD you want to keep from blocking your nose and mouth as much as possible, and the number of covers and pillows they used scared me. I’m glad they got this wedge.

We haven’t tried this yet, but some people put the wedge under there mattress to prop it up. I wouldn’t do that with this wedge, but that got me thinking about other options that we mention at the bottom.

Another Good Wedge Pillow

If you want a wedge pillow that you can pick the height of, the Brentwood Home Zuma Therapeutic Foam Bed Wedge Pillow* is a good option.

I also like how its made in California.

The best part is that it has low VOC. This means it is made without ozone depleters, mercury, lead, formaldehyde, PCDEs, and even TCEP flame retardants. What this means to you is that it’s not going to smell as bad as the other foam pillows.

And it’s Hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant which is a big deal.

As for the firmness, I would give this one a medium-firm feel.

Other Options

The goal is to get a person’s upper body elevated higher, and that is what wedge pillows do.

But not everyone’s ideal height is what the fixed pillow wedge is at. When doing research, I’ve come across so many people wanting a hospital bed because you can adjust it, unlike the wedge pillows.

But hospital beds are expensive. So what would give you the adjustable nature of a hospital bed but not be a hospital bed?

Adjustable bed frames were the answer. These could get up there in price too, but after doing some digging, I found the Hofish Adjustable Bed Base* to be not so bad. Plus, it’s one of the easier ones to put together.

With an adjustable bed frame, you move the head of the mattress up to the height you prefer. You can even raise the legs too to get even more comfortable.

They even make manually adjustable bed frames like the Classic Brands Hercules Heavy-Duty Adjustable Platform 14-Inch*. This might be a good compromise for some.

One More Option

I never did get to try this option out, but you can buy bed risers. Or could make your own if you wanted to and had the know how.

You would put the bed risers at the head of the bed frame to raise those legs up. This way your upper body gets raised up, but you keep the flat sleeping surface.

I’m not 100% on this one, and I would strongly recommend talking to your doctor. But since everyone is different and has different needs, I thought I should at least let you know about this option.

Common Questions On Wedge Pillows

I want to finish up and answer some of the common questions I had about wedge pillows and what others had. Hopefully, this can help you better understand if a wedge pillow is ideal for your needs.

What Type Of Materials?

You should stick with memory foam when it comes to wedge pillows. They make harder ones made of metal (I know crazy) that you want to avoid.

If you can try out ones with Latex in them if you don’t have an allergy to it. I find latex to be softer and more cushiony then memory foam.

Will It Help With COPD?

For some people, a wedge pillow does help, and for some, it doesn’t. Everyone takes to it differently, and that is why I recommend looking at the adjustable bed frames so you can adjust the height.

But of course, talk to your doctor first. They might turn down the idea of a wedge pillow, or they might highly recommend it. Everyone’s needs will be different.

Where Do You Buy Wedge Pillows At?

The simplest way is to buy them online. Surprisingly many retail stores don’t have them.

Any Tips On Wedge Pillows?

Yes, when you first get it, you’ll want to take it out of the plastic wrapping. They’re usually shipped compressed in a bag.

You’ll then want to let it air out for a bit. To really help get rid of the new pillow smell I like to put mine in front of a fan.