We all know the difference a good pillow can make to our quality of sleep, but why do pillows turn yellow? As you may have guessed, it’s mostly to do with what the pillow is exposed to each night.

Here we look at the main reasons why pillows turn yellow, and how to tell if yours is still healthy to sleep on. Most should be replaced every one to two years, so if yours is older and covered in yellow or brown stains, then it’s time for a change. Our best pillows guide can help you find your next main sleep squeeze.

For now, let’s get to the bottom of those yellow stains on your pillows, and whether they can be reduced or removed…

Why do pillows turn yellow?

There are a few reasons for his, but sweat is the most common reason why pillows turn yellow. The majority of people sweat to some extent during sleep (even if we are physically unaware of it) and over time a build-up of sweat seeping through your pillowcase to your pillow causes yellow staining.

Aside from sweat, other forms of moisture can also make your pillows turn yellow, including natural oils from your skin. Throw in facial oils, serums and moisturisers, not to mention products you have on your hair, and yellow stains on your pillows are inevitable.

It’s the same with mattresses, so if yours is over seven years old and covered in stains (and shows other signs of wear and tear), consider upgrading. Our best mattress guide can help, and many of them are already popping up among the Presidents’ Day mattress sales .

To recap, the most common reasons why pillows turn yellow are:

Are pillows with yellow stains ok to sleep on?

If your pillow is over two years old and covered in yellow and brown stains, we’d recommend buying a new one. This is especially true if you haven’t washed your pillow since buying it and don’t use a pillow protector.

Chances are, the pillow has a build-up of other things besides sweat, oils and dead skin: dust mites might be lurking, as well as other allergens. Moisture from sweat and oil can also breed bacteria. And if your pillow is causing you neck pain or has lost its shape, then it’s definitely time to replace it.

Dr Karan Raj went viral on TikTok for explaining why you need to replace your pillow at least every two years and what happens when you don’t. Here’s what he said…

How to stop your pillows turning yellow

There’s nothing you can do to stop yourself from sweating completely in bed, but you can better protect your pillows from yellow stains. The most effective way is to cover your pillow with a pillow protector. These are an inexpensive way to add an extra barrier between sweat, oils, moisture and your pillow.

Pillow protectors can be washed weekly along with the rest of your bed linens, making them low maintenance. We’d recommend having a few in rotation so that you always have one on standby.

Try not to sleep on wet hair as otherwise all that water will seep through and turn your pillow yellow over time. Also, avoid wearing heavy oil-based serums and creams to bed, and remove your make-up before hitting the hay.

So to recap:

Can you remove yellow stains from a pillow?

You can’t remove yellow stains completely (especially older stains that have really bedded in), but there are ways to reduce them. Now, whenever we talk about cleaning bedding, including how to clean a mattress , we always recommend reading the care instructions first.

Your pillow should have a small fabric tag sticking out the side - that’s where you’ll find guidance on how to wash your pillows and how to dry them (never cover damp pillows with linens as otherwise they could develop mildew).

Spot-treat stains before machine washing your pillow (if it can be machine washed). Stain removal sprays and creams are potent but effective, while mixing your own paste of baking soda and water offers a natural approach.

Some cleaning experts recommend using a mix of bleach and washing detergent to remove stubborn yellow stains, but you need to be very sure that the materials used to make your pillow can withstand such a tough treatment.

Why do pillows turn yellow: The bottom line

For the most part, pillows turn yellow because of sweat and oils seeping through your linens to the pillow itself, but cosmetics, hair products, water (from damp hair) and drool can also cause yellow stains on pillows.

The best way to reduce staining is to cover your pillows with a waterproof, anti-allergen pillow protector. These safeguard against moisture and dust mites, and help your pillow to reach its full lifespan, saving you money in the long-run.

On that note, consider investing in the best mattress protector to safeguard your mattress from stains, spills and allergens. Depending on how deep they are, you could even place one over your mattress topper to keep that safe too.

Dwayne Johnson is making a new video game movie – so what could it be?

Dwayne Johnson has revealed he's developing a movie based on "one of the biggest, most badass games" of all time – and yes, we're hoping it isn't Doom II, too.

In a chat with Men's Journal for Black Adam, the upcoming DCEU movie that he'll star in later this year, Johnson was asked whether he's planning any movie adaptations on popular games.

Surprisingly, Johnson revealed he was, briefly explaining his love for the Madden gaming series before exclusively revealing that an announcement on a new video game movie would be made very soon.

"I can’t tell you which game in particular we’re doing, but there will be an announcement this year," Johnson said. "We’re going to bring one of the biggest, most badass games to the screen – one that I’ve played for years. I’m really excited to bring it to fans around the world. Of course we’re going to do right by our gamer friends – but really we’re just going to make a great movie."

There's no word yet on whether Johnson will bring the film to the big screen or if he'll be partnering with a streaming giant instead. Most recently, Johnson starred in Red Notice, which launched exclusively on Netflix in November 2021. Johnson has also teamed up with Amazon Prime Video and former MCU star Chris Evans for Red One, a Holiday movie that's due to land on the streamer later this year.

Analysis: which game series could Johnson bring to the big screen?

Given the sheer number of major gaming franchises, it's difficult – initially, at least – to work out which one Johnson is alluding to. But, and this is merely speculation on our part, there are a number of frontrunners.

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way: Madden . Yes, Johnson – or The Rock as he's also known – mentioned it by name in his Men's Journal interview, and he clearly has a love for it, telling Slice of Sci-Fi way back in 2006 that his all-time favorite game is Madden 93. Unless a Madden movie adaptation is a biopic about the late John Madden with Johnson in a supporting role – an unlikely outcome, given his current superstardom – though, we can chalk this one off.

Doom is another game series that we can't see Johnson touching. After all, The Rock starred in the much maligned 2006 film adaptation of ID Software's iconic FPS franchise. Unless he feels that he has unfinished business in that universe, we don't think he'll be ripping and tearing his way through demonic hordes again.

Gears of War is another option and, given his envious physique, Johnson would be a great fit for the supersized soldiers in that series. Get Dave Bautista on board as Marcus Fenix – someone Bautista has regularly expressed desire to portray – and we could see this happening.

And how about Quake , another beloved ID title? According to We Got This Covered , Johnson's fellow Red Notice star Ryan Reynolds was looking into the possibility of developing a live-action Quake movie. Could he team up with Johnson again to make it happen? Never say never.

But there are two obvious choices that a) would suit Johnson down to a tee, and b) are definitely "one of the biggest, most badass" gaming series right now: Fortnite and Call of Duty .

The latter certainly has potential. Again, The Rock has the physical frame to perform any number of stunts in a possible Call of Duty movie. And the franchise has become so over-the-top, from an action perspective, that it would be in keeping with other excessively grand action movies that The Rock has recently starred in.

Still, we can't really look past Fortnite. Johnson has already appeared in the game as The Foundation – the founder and leader of the Seven after Fortnite Chapter Two's wild ending. Meanwhile, Epic Games' multiplayer title is still arguably the biggest gaming series in the world, too.

Putting The Rock in a Fortnite movie adaptation where he plays a live-action incarnation of The Foundation, then, would be a sure fire hit. It would entice Fortnite fans, The Rock fanatics and intrigued film aficionados to watch it. And, if it launched in theaters, you know it'd make hundreds of millions of dollars for whatever studio funded it.

Let's see what Johnson announces later this year, then.

Oura might be the biggest name in smart rings, but it's got competition at CES 2022

So far, Oura is the only company that's really established a fingerhold in the smart ring market, but at CES 2022 we saw a few ambitious competitors, including startup Movano , which plans to beat Oura on both price and features.

Smart rings are notoriously tricky to get right, as the Logbar Ring , Amazon Echo Loop , and Ringly proved. If none of those names sound familiar, it's because none of them quite struck the right balance of style, features, and price to earn a place on customers' hands.

At CES, Movano showed off a smart ring that tracks all the same metrics as the third-generation Oura, including sleep, heart rate, heart rate variability, respiration, temperature, blood oxygen, steps, and calories – with plenty more features in the pipeline too.

Movano hasn't revealed how much the ring will cost, but the company told CNET that it would be cheaper than the Oura 3, which costs $299 (about £230 / AU$420). The company is currently awaiting FDA approval for its sensors, but assuming everything gets the green light, the ring is expected to go on sale later this year.

Clinical testing

It's not planning to stop there, though – Movano also wants to include blood glucose and blood pressure monitoring in a future iteration of the ring. Changes in blood pressure can be estimated using the same optical sensor used to track heart rate (which is the method used by watches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 ), but blood glucose is much trickier.

There's a lot of work currently underway to develop a smartwatch that can monitor changes in blood sugar without the need for finger prick tests. Researchers are currently investigating ways to measure blood glucose non-invasively using spectroscopy, which uses lasers to identify different chemicals, and the SugarBEAT monitor from UK company Nemuara Medical measures interstitial blood glucose by drawing molecules through the skin using a mild electrical current.

Both of these examples are a long way from being available in consumer smartwatches – let alone a device as small as a ring. Movano hasn't given a timeframe, but says it's currently conducting its own clinical trials, so we'll keep a close eye on its progress.

One thing it definitely seems to have nailed is the design, judging by its promotional images, which show rings in three designs and four tasteful metallic colors. Things have come a long way since 2020, when Amazon tried to cram Alexa into an oversized piece of jewelry .