question: Why do humans need pillows to feel comfortable sleeping?
comment: This is because if you lie down without a pillow you'll find there's a slight arch in your back. The pillow levels your back out. Try it!
passages: Though the exact origin is unknown, use of pillows evolved in animals well into prehistory, the earliest examples including reptiles and mammals resting their heads on themselves, and one another, to support the head and neck. Animals, including humans, evolved use of inanimate objects in their nests out of wood and stone as pillows. Since domestication, many animals have also learned to make use of human-made pillows and cushions, as well as to rest on members of own and other species, for this purpose.
   Sometime between 5 and 23 million years ago tree dwelling great apes began building sleeping platforms, including wooden pillows, to improve their sleep. According to studies on chimpanzees that sleep up to eight to nine hours a night using specifically selected ironwood pillows, sturdy pillows enabled great apes to escape being hunted by night predators and not fall out of the trees while asleep. It is likely that this was necessitated by the evolution of large, energy consuming brains. Though it may also have led to longer periods of REM sleep, that in turn increased their cognitive capacity.
   The Romans and Greeks of ancient Europe mastered the creation of the softer type pillow. These pillows were stuffed with reeds, feathers, and straw in order to make them softer and more comfortable. Only upper-class people typically owned these softer pillows; however, all classes of people were allowed to use some type of pillow while sleeping, lying down or sitting in order to give them support. People in ancient Europe started to use pillows when going to church in order to kneel on while praying and to place holy books on. This is a tradition that still lives on today. In addition, the Romans and Greeks used their pillows by placing them under the head of those deceased just like the ancient Egyptians did.
   Section::::Culture.:Pillows for parts of the body.
  
  Cushioning designed for specific parts of the body are sometimes called pillows. An example is Eye pillows which are designed to comfort the eyes. Mouse pads wrist rests though not called pillows, are another examples.
  
  Section::::Culture.:Sex pillows.
   Pillow use has been associated with the mummies and tombs of ancient Egypt during the 11th dynasty, dating to 2055–1985 B.C. Ancient Egyptian pillows were wooden or stone headrests. These pillows were mostly used by placing them under the heads of the deceased because the head of a human was considered to be the essence of life and sacred. The ancient Egyptians used these wooden or stone pillows in order to provide support to a corpse’s head, uphold body vigor, keep blood circulating, and keep demons away.
  
  Section::::History.:Ancient Europe.
   Section::::History.:Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt.
  
  The earliest recorded use of the modern human device dates back to the civilizations of Mesopotamia around 7,000 BC. During this time, only the wealthy used pillows. The number of pillows symbolized status so the more pillows one owned the more affluence they held. Pillows have long been produced around the world in order to help solve the reoccurring problem of neck, back, and shoulder pain while sleeping. Besides for comfort, the pillow was also used for keeping bugs and insects out of people's hair, mouth, nose, and ears while sleeping.
   In contemporary western culture, pillows consist of a plain or patterned fabric envelope (known as a pillowcase) which contains a soft stuffing, typically synthetic and typically standardized in sizes and shape. Pillows have been historically made of a variety of natural materials and many cultures continue to use pillows made from natural materials.
  
  The word "pillow" comes from Middle English "pilwe", from Old English "pyle" (akin to Old High German "pfuliwi") and from Latin "pulvinus". The first known use of the word "pillow" was before the 12th century.
  
  Section::::History.
   In many parts of the world, pillows have cultural significance, and references have extended to a wide variety of other uses, forms and activities.
  
  Section::::Culture.:Comfort Pillows.
   There are many types of orthopaedic pillows for almost every part of the human body, as well as orthopaedic beds, mattresses, top mattresses, supports and cushions for different orthopaedic problems. Some of them have multi-purpose and multi-position designs for different physical ailments and sleep disorders.
  
  Section::::Types of orthopedic pillows.
  
  BULLET::::- "Cervical pillow" or "contour pillow": A sleep pillow with a curved design that adapts to head, neck and shoulder contour for back sleepers and side sleepers. May relieve neck pain, frozen shoulder, stiff neck and headaches, and may help breathing to reduce snoring and sleep apnoea symptoms.
   The idea of adjustable beds has been around since the Roman Empire when the emperors, senators, and elite would gather for meals by laying on their sides. The structure of these beds looked like today's outdoor furniture, for example, lawn chairs. They did not have the adjustability that lawn furniture has, but the concept and design of having the head raised higher than the rest of the body were clearly there for comfort.
   The inconvenience of this position is that most of the body’s pressure relies over arms and shoulders which produce neck stiffness and frozen shoulder. This can be solved with a side sleeper pillow that allows the correct placement of neck, arms and shoulders.
  
  Section::::Orthopedic pillows and sleep positions.:Back sleeping.
   Sofas make their first appearance in oral and written records during the formation of the Mali Empire. Sofas were recruited from "jonow" (slaves) captured in battle or bought from afar. They could be depended on in most instances for obedience, since their livelihood depended entirely on their master. The institution of slavery in the Mali Empire heavily rewarded loyalty, and jonow could rise to civil or military positions of prominence. Jonow became part of their master's clan, and were often freed after a certain number of years. 
   Section::::Lifespan, Maintenance and Waste management.
   Lumbar pillows are designed to support the inward curve of the lower back, filling the space created between the lower back and the back of the chair when in a sitting position. These pillows are generally used to support the lower back while driving or sitting, such as in an office chair. Orthopedic pillows are similar to memory foam pillows.
  
  Section::::Types.:Decorative.
   Section::::History.:Ancient China.
   "Housewife is ... essentially a bag, with a flap in the open end to tuck the pillowcase behind to keep it in..."
  
  Other methods of closure are ties or buttons/buttonholes.
  
  Body pillows are as long as a full adult body, providing support to the head and neck at the top and to the knees and legs lower down. This type of pillow can be especially useful in providing support for those who sleep on their sides and for pregnant women. Size is 40×140 cm. (See also: Dutch wife)
  
  Section::::Types.:Orthopedic.
   One of the many institutions they brought with them was that of the sofa. Conquered people were conscripted into Mané armies as "sumbas" to strengthen a force that was forever on the move. The sumbas were forced to engage in ritual cannibalism, which permanently alienated them from the Mané ruling class. 
  
  By the end of the 17th century, the Mané had conquered nearly all the indigenous cultures. This resulted in the spread of Mandé language and the end of a single Kquoja authority as the Mané were absorbed into the native landscape.
  
  Section::::Sofa in the Bamana empire of Segou.
   In the 18th century feather pillows were first used as coverings in Germany, which in the fashions of the bed and the curious etiquette connected with the bedchamber followed France for the most part. The beds were "a la duchesse", but in France itself there was great variety both of name and shape. The custom of the "bed of justice" upon which the king of France reclined when he was present in parliament, the princes being seated, the great officials standing, and the lesser officials kneeling, was held to denote the royal power even more than the throne.
   Pillow
  
  A pillow is a support of the body at rest for comfort, therapy, or decoration. Pillows are used by many species, including humans. Some types of pillows include throw pillows and decorative pillows. Pillows that aid sleeping are a form of bedding that supports the head and neck. Other types of pillows are designed to support the body when lying down or sitting. There are also pillows that consider human body shape for increased comfort during sleep. Decorative pillows used on beds, couches or chairs are sometimes referred to as cushions.
   The Pillows
  
  Section::::History.
  
  Section::::History.:Formation and early years (1989–1994).
   Chinese rock pillows () played an important role in ancient China. Made from jade, they were believed to translate the energy from the stone to the human brain. Originating in the Ming dynasty, this piece of material was trusted to cure headaches or depression, or simply to better the intelligence of those who use it. It was more common among royalty because it was expensive and rare. Families often married off children based on the quality and intricacy of these pillows. Today, rock pillows are still commonly used during the hot summer months in China.
   In some cultures, pillows have forms for hugging. An example is the "Dakimakura", a kind of "hugging pillow" originating in Japan that have been endowed with anthropomorphic and zoomorphic qualities and pop culture references for additional psychological comfort. Other types of hugging pillows are more practical, such as the "Guling", long hugging pillow originating from Indonesia and the "Abrazador", a long hugging pillow originating from the Philippines. A "husband pillow" (also known as a boyfriend pillow) is a large, high-backed pillow with two "arms." It is used to prop the user upright while in bed or on the floor, as for reading or watching television. Because of this common use, a husband pillow is also called a reading pillow.
   After mimicking the Japanese founders, the futon appeared in the United States around 1980. William Brouwer is the person who evolved the first sofa convertible frame style in the United States.
  
  Section::::Mattress types.
  
  Although most sofa beds use a queen short mattress measuring 60"x72", other common sizes include 58"x72", 54"x72", and 52"x72". The average sofa bed mattress thickness is 4.5", thus being half as thick as a good standard mattress. Sofa mattresses can be produced out of many different materials, the majority on the market being made of springs or foam. 
  
  Section::::Mattress types.:Spring sofa mattress.
   Tent-flap pillows are placed at the front of a stack of pillows decorating a bed. This pillows have a separate flap of fabric that is attached at the top of the pillow and folds down over the face. The tent flap can be loose or tacked down; if the flap is loose a decorative tassel or bead is usually used to weigh the flap down so it hangs properly.
  
  Floor pillows are another subset of decorative pillows. These pillows often finish 26×26 inches (one half of the width of the textile, less seam allowance)
  
  Section::::Culture.
   Neck pillows support the neck by providing a deep area for the head to rest and a supportive area to keep the neck in alignment with the spine while sleeping. These can also be known as cervical pillows. Cervical pillows help patients to maintain comfortable positioning after therapeutic, orthopedic and surgical measures.
  
  Travel pillows provide support for the neck in a sitting position. Their "U" shape fits around the back of the neck and keeps the head from slipping into an uncomfortable and possibly harmful position during sleep. However, U-shaped pillows can sometimes force the head forward, creating neck stiffness.
  