Bed Rest Pillows: How to Choose a Backrest Pillow with Arms

Quick answer: A bed rest pillow (also called a backrest pillow, husband pillow, or reading pillow) is an upright pillow with a high back and two arms that turns your bed into a supported seat for reading, TV, working on a laptop, or recovering. The best ones have a back tall enough to support your head — not just your shoulder blades — structured arms that don’t splay when you lean on them, a removable washable cover, and fill you can top up when it eventually softens. Size is the main buying decision: measure from the mattress to the top of your head while sitting, and pick the backrest height that meets or exceeds it.

What a bed rest pillow is (and why regular pillows fail at the job)

Propping yourself up with two or three sleeping pillows works for about ten minutes: they slide down the headboard, compress unevenly, and leave your lower back unsupported, so you slouch. A purpose-built bed rest pillow is shaped like an armchair — a firm vertical back with arms on both sides — so your weight goes into the structure instead of into your lumbar spine. The arms do quiet extra work: they support your elbows while you hold a book or phone, which is what stops your neck and shoulders from creeping upward over a long reading session.

The category name “husband pillow” comes from the joke that it’s like leaning back against a seated partner. Husband Pillow® is the brand that built its whole product line around that idea, with a patented design (US Patent 12,484,721) and a detachable neck roll on its full-size models.

How to choose a bed rest pillow: six things that matter

1. Backrest height

The most common regret is buying too small. If the back only reaches your shoulder blades, your head hangs unsupported and you slouch to compensate. Sit on your bed, measure mattress-to-top-of-head, and match the backrest to it. Taller and bigger-framed people should go straight to an XXL-class backrest.

2. Arm structure

Arms should be filled firmly enough to stay put when you lean an elbow on them. Soft, floppy arms turn the pillow into a plain wedge. Firm arms also make getting up easier — you push off them the way you would from a chair.

3. Fill and whether you can revive it

Shredded foam and fiber fills soften with use — every backrest pillow does. The difference between a two-year pillow and a ten-year pillow is whether you can open it and add stuffing. Look for zippered access and available refill bags; it’s the cheapest way to keep the back firm.

4. A removable, washable cover

A backrest lives on top of your bed and gets handled every day — it needs a cover you can unzip and machine-wash, and replacement covers extend its life further (and let you change colors without buying a new pillow).

5. Neck support

A detachable neck roll fills the curve between the backrest and your head so you can read with your head fully back. Models that include one on an adjustable strap let you position it exactly at your neck height.

6. Extras that earn their space

Side pockets for a phone or remote, a top handle for moving it around, and reversible cover textures are small things you end up using daily.

Husband Pillow® sizes compared (real prices and ratings)

Model	Best for	Price	Rating
Standard+ Husband Pillow	First backrest, smaller frames, dorm beds, kids’ rooms	$44.95	4.9 / 5 (590+ reviews)
Medium Husband Pillow	Average-height adults who want a step up in back height	$64.95	4.7 / 5 (53 reviews)
XXL Husband Pillow	The flagship — full head-height back with arms and detachable neck roll	$79.95	4.8 / 5 (2,000+ reviews)
XXL Aspen Edition	Upgraded reversible microsuede/microfiber cover with memory foam	$109.95	4.9 / 5 (580+ reviews)

All sizes ship free in the US and carry the 101-day trial — long enough to actually live with the pillow through a few weeks of reading, work and lounging before you commit. Browse the full bedrest pillow collection to compare every edition, or grab replacement covers and accessories (from $9.95, rated 4.9 by 1,000+ buyers) to refresh one you already own.

Cover fabrics: micro-plush vs. microsuede vs. faux fur

Once you’ve settled on a size, the cover fabric decides how the pillow feels against your skin and how it looks in the room. The classic Husband Pillow® wears a soft micro-plush cover with a detachable neck roll. The Aspen Edition uses a reversible cover — smooth microsuede on one side, cozy microfiber on the other — so you can flip it seasonally. At the top of the line, the XXL Faux Fur edition ($279.95, rated 5.0 by 114 reviewers) pairs a two-sided long/short-pelt faux fur cover with memory foam fill for a statement piece that doubles as decor. All covers unzip for machine washing, and every fabric line has matching replacement covers, so a spilled coffee is a laundry problem, not a replacement purchase.

What people actually use bed rest pillows for

Reading in bed — the original use case: head supported, elbows on the arms, book at eye level instead of in your lap.
Laptop work and gaming — the firm back keeps you upright through long sessions where stacked pillows collapse.
Watching TV in bed — without the neck crane you get lying half-propped against a headboard.
Recovery and limited mobility — after surgery or when spending long stretches in bed, a stable upright support makes eating, reading and visiting easier. (For medical positioning needs, follow your care team’s guidance.)
Nursing and pregnancy lounging — the arms support your arms while you hold a baby, and the upright back takes strain off the lower spine.
Floor seating — against a wall or couch, it converts floor time into a supported seat.

Keeping a bed rest pillow supportive for years

Three habits: unzip and wash the cover on a gentle cycle every few weeks (details in our guide to washing backrest pillows), fluff and knead the back and arms weekly so the fill doesn’t pack down in one spot, and top up with a stuffing refill bag once the back starts feeling soft — usually after a couple of years of daily use rather than months.

Frequently asked questions

What is a bed rest pillow called?

You’ll see the same product called a bed rest pillow, backrest pillow, reading pillow, sit-up pillow, or husband pillow (also boyfriend pillow). They all describe an upright pillow with a high back and two arms used for sitting up in bed.

What size bed rest pillow should I get?

Measure from the mattress surface to the top of your head while sitting normally. If the backrest height meets or exceeds that number, your head is supported. When in doubt between two sizes, go larger — a back that’s too short is the complaint we see most. Also glance at your bed width: an XXL backrest on a twin bed works fine for one person but dominates the headboard, while on a queen or king it leaves room for a second pillow beside it.

Can you wash a bed rest pillow?

Wash the removable cover, not the whole pillow. Unzip it, machine-wash cold on gentle, and air dry or tumble low. The inner pillow itself should only be spot-cleaned — soaking the fill leads to clumping and slow drying.

Do bed rest pillows flatten over time?

All filled backrests soften with daily use. The fix is choosing one with zippered fill access so you can add stuffing — a refill bag restores the original firmness for a fraction of the price of a new pillow.

Are bed rest pillows good for reading in bed?

They’re built for it. The combination that matters is a head-height back plus firm arms: the back keeps your spine upright while the arms carry your elbows, so the book stays up at eye level without your shoulders doing the work.

What’s the difference between a bed rest pillow and a wedge pillow?

A wedge is a solid foam triangle that reclines you at a fixed angle — good for sleeping elevated. A bed rest pillow sits you upright with arm support — good for doing things: reading, working, eating, watching. Many people keep both, but they aren’t interchangeable.