Reading pillow guide: sitting up in bed with arms or a wedge

Who a reading pillow helps

Most people who read in bed stack two or three ordinary pillows behind them. They slide apart, the back curls forward and the book drifts toward the chest. A reading pillow gives one steady shape to lean on.

Say your mother likes to read for an hour before sleep and keeps rebuilding her pile of pillows. A backrest with arms holds its shape and gives her elbows a place to rest. Or say your father is spending more time in bed after a hospital stay and wants to sit up for meals and visitors. A firmer backrest can help him sit up for a while, but how long he stays in bed is a question for his care team.

A reading pillow is a comfort aid. It does not hold anyone in place, and someone who keeps sliding down the bed needs more than a cushion.

• Readers who stack loose pillows every night
• People who eat, write or use a tablet sitting up in bed
• Partners who want to sit up without moving the whole bed
• Anyone resting in bed for longer spells, with their care team's advice

Reading pillow with arms, wedge or triangle: the three types

Reading pillows come in three broad shapes. A backrest with arms looks like the top of an armchair, with a back and two padded arms. A triangle or wedge-shaped backrest is a firm block with one sloping face to lean on. A bed wedge is a long ramp that lifts the whole upper body, and we cover it in its own guide.

A backrest with arms suits someone who reads for a long time and wants support at the sides. Its soft fill shapes to the body, but it is bulky and can flatten over time. A triangle backrest is firmer and simpler to clean, and it gives no arm support.

If the main need is to raise the head and chest for the whole night, a bed wedge or an adjustable bed base does that job. A reading pillow is for sitting up for a while, then lying down again.

• Backrest with arms: side support, soft fill, takes more space
• Triangle backrest: firm slope, no arms, often doubles for the sofa
• Bed wedge: lifts the upper body for sleep, not just for reading
• Adjustable bed: raises the mattress itself at the press of a button

How the two picks compare

We list two products with maker pages we could read. The Husband Pillow Standard+ is a backrest with long padded arms. Its maker says it is filled with shredded memory foam, and a zipper lets you remove some of the foam or add more to change the firmness. It comes with a detachable neck roll, side pockets and a handle on top, and the micro-plush cover unzips to wash cold and tumble dry on low.

The maker's own page gives two different sizes for the Standard+, a listed 18 by 13 by 6 inches and a description of about 18 inches tall and 33 inches wide. Before buying, ask: "What are the height and width of the pillow with the neck roll attached?"

The sleepling Rückenkissen is a triangular backrest for bed and sofa, sold in Germany and France. The maker describes a removable, washable cover, a side pocket and Oeko-Tex fabric. The Amazon listing we checked gives 70 by 40 by 20 cm and a dark gray corduroy cover.

• Husband Pillow Standard+: arms, adjustable foam fill, neck roll, washable cover
• Husband Pillow Standard+: sold on the maker's site; the Amazon listing was not checked
• sleepling Rückenkissen: triangle shape, no arms, washable cover, side pocket
• sleepling Rückenkissen: 70 x 40 x 20 cm on the listing, sold on Amazon.de and Amazon.fr

Setting up to read in bed

An NHS Fife physiotherapy leaflet on looking after the back and neck advises against sitting in bed with the back unsupported. It suggests using cushions on the lap to support the arms and keep a handheld device more upright, so you look at it without bending the neck.

The same leaflet advises changing position or getting up and moving about every 30 minutes. That works well as a reading habit: finish a chapter, shift, stretch, then settle again.

Push the backrest firmly against the headboard or wall before you sit back. If it slides away, a firm pillow behind it or a bed pushed against the wall can stop the gap.

• Sit right back into the pillow, with no gap behind the lower back
• Rest the book or tablet on a cushion or lap desk, not on the chest
• Keep reading glasses, water and the lamp switch within reach
• Change position every half hour or so

Long spells in bed: sliding and skin

Sitting up in bed for many hours brings a different worry. The NHS Borders leaflet on pressure ulcers says they can be caused by sliding down beds or chairs and by rubbing or dragging the skin across a surface.

It names the heels, hips, bottom, base of the spine, elbows and shoulders as the areas most at risk. Skin may look slightly redder, darker or warmer than usual. The leaflet advises changing position regularly, and speaking to the nursing staff if you think you are at risk.

Imagine your father reads in bed most of the afternoon and you notice he has slipped halfway down the pillow each time you look in. Help him back up by lifting, not dragging, and mention it to his nurse or doctor.

• Check heels, bottom and elbows for red, dark or warm patches
• Help someone move up the bed by lifting, not pulling across the sheet
• Keep sheets smooth and dry under a reading pillow
• Ask a nurse about skin checks if someone spends most of the day in bed

When to ask for more than a pillow

If sitting up is hard work every day, or someone cannot move themselves up the bed, an occupational therapist can look at the whole setup. Ask them: "Would a backrest, a bed wedge or an adjustable bed suit this bed and this person?"

An adjustable bed base raises the mattress itself, so there is nothing to slide off. A bed wedge lifts the upper body for sleep. Both are bigger decisions than a pillow, and both are covered in our guides.

• Cannot shift up the bed alone: ask an occupational therapist
• Breathing feels easier only when propped up: tell a doctor
• Red or sore skin that does not fade: speak to a nurse or doctor
• Sitting up for most of the day: ask about an adjustable bed