Lazy Blogs · October 14, 2026
In Indonesia almost every bed has a guling on it, and almost nobody was ever shown how to use one. You hug it, you fall asleep, and that is fine. But a bolster is a positioning tool, and where you put it changes what it does.
This is the how-to. If you are new to the idea altogether, start with what a bolster pillow is, then come back for the positions.
Put the bolster wherever a part of your body is hanging without support.
For side sleepers that is between the knees and ankles, so the top leg stops dragging the pelvis round. For back sleepers it is under the knees, so the lower back can rest flat. In pregnancy it is between the knees and under the bump.
“A bolster does not help by being soft. It helps by holding a limb in place, so your muscles do not have to.”
When you lie on your side, the top leg slides forward and down. It takes the pelvis with it and twists the lower back, and it stays that way for hours.
A bolster between the legs keeps the top knee level with the hip. The pelvis stays square and the lower back is not held in a twist.
This is the classic guling position, and it does more than feel good. With your top arm resting on the bolster, the upper shoulder stops rolling forward and the chest stays open.
Bring the top leg over it as well and you have the first position and this one together. Most side sleepers end up here once they try it.
Lying flat with straight legs pulls the pelvis forward and deepens the arch in the lower back. A bolster under the knees bends them slightly, the pelvis tips back, and the lower back settles onto the mattress.
If you wake with a tight lower back and you sleep face up, try this one first.
Tuck the bolster along your spine and it becomes a wedge that keeps you on your side. This is useful if you snore when you roll onto your back, or in later pregnancy when side sleeping is recommended.
After a long day on your feet, lying on your back with the calves resting on a bolster takes the weight off the legs. Keep the knees slightly bent and not locked.
This is a comfort measure and not a treatment. Swelling that does not go away, or that affects one leg only, needs a doctor.
Side sleeping is generally advised in the later months, and it becomes harder as the bump grows and the top leg gets heavier. Our guide to the best sleep position during pregnancy covers the reasons.
A bolster helps in three places. Between the knees and ankles it carries the weight of the top leg. Under the bump it stops the belly pulling the spine forward. Behind the back it keeps you from rolling over in your sleep.
Every pregnancy is different, so ask your midwife or doctor what is right for you.
Thickness. The bolster should hold the top knee level with the hip. One that is too thick pushes the leg up and outwards, which strains the hip the other way.
The head pillow. A bolster lines up the lower half of the body. If your pillow leaves your neck bent, you have fixed one end and not the other. See our latex pillow guide for how to choose the height.
The mattress. A bolster positions your limbs. It cannot support hips that are sinking into a worn mattress.
A bolster under the hips is too thick for a front sleeper and bends the back the wrong way. Use a thin, flat pillow under the pelvis instead.
A better option is the three-quarter position: lie half on your front, hug the bolster, and bring the top knee up over it. It keeps what stomach sleepers like about the position and takes the twist out of the lower back.
Length. Long enough to run from above the knee to the ankle with some left over to hug.
Firmness. Firm enough to hold the weight of a leg without flattening, soft enough to wrap an arm round. A bolster that collapses by 3 am is doing nothing.
A filling that breathes. A bolster spends the night pressed against your body, which is exactly where heat builds. In a humid climate that makes the filling matter more than it does in a head pillow.
A washable cover. For the same reason. Whatever you hug all night needs washing often.
Our Deluxe Bolster is a latex guling with a medium feel and a removable, washable cover. It costs Rp 1.275.000 and comes with the same 100-night trial as our mattresses.
For most side and back sleepers, yes. It keeps the hips and lower back in a neutral position without your muscles having to hold them there.
Between your legs, from knee to ankle, with your top arm resting over it.
It can reduce the strain that sleeping position puts on the lower back. Pain that persists needs a doctor or physiotherapist.
They do a similar job. A bolster is a firm cylinder. A body pillow is usually longer, flatter and softer.
Guling, or bantal guling. It is a standard part of the bed across Indonesia and much of Southeast Asia.
Wash the cover. On the Deluxe Bolster it zips off and goes in the machine at 30°C.
Medium feel, removable washable cover, free delivery, and 100 nights to decide.
See the Deluxe Bolster →Between the knees if you sleep on your side. Under the knees if you sleep on your back. Between the knees, under the bump and behind the back in pregnancy.
Get the thickness right, support the leg all the way to the ankle, and check that your head pillow is not undoing the work at the other end.
The guling has been on Indonesian beds for generations. It turns out it was doing a job all along.
