An expert guide to finding the perfect pillow for your sleeping position

McCarthy, an associate professor at the Manchester School of Physiotherapy, says the right pillow will depend on what position you sleep in.

He tells the BBC’s Sliced Bread podcast that most people fall into one of three categories of sleeper: side, back or front.

McCarthy discourages front sleeping as your neck is turned one way for a long period of time.

“Inevitably a muscle or ligament gets stretched and a bit irritated,” he says. “If there’s one thing there’s a really good consensus on… in the physiotherapy world about treating spinal pain, it’s don’t sleep on your front.”

When choosing a pillow, back sleepers should consider the flexion at the top of their spine, a curving that increases naturally in many people as they age.

If you have a bigger bend “it means you need a slightly thicker pillow than someone who’s got a very flat back,” says McCarthy.