Picking the proper pillow?

[qrayze]

If you are a side/stomach sleeper, you should be using a firm mattress and firm pillows.

The soft fluffy stuff is only for back sleepers.

I am the same way and I have to sleep on two pillows because my needs are always changing. The bottom pillow is an old firm pillow that has flattened to 2 inches; the top pillow is a new firm pillow that is about 3 1/2 inches thick. Most of the time, I need to sleep on both to be comfortable, but when I'm on my stomach, I slide the top one over a bit and just use the very edge of the bottom one to support half my face.

I saw on an infomercial for a buckwheat pillow that the average human head is about 8 lbs. That's like a gallon of milk. It's heavy and needs proper support.

I hope you don't have a soft mattress, because that could also be causing your problems.

 

[newlegz]

fire_breeze: Did washing your pillows work work out for you at all in the interim? ?

 

[fire_breeze]

I have a similar story... I found some memory foam pillows in a 2-pack at BJ's, and they are incredible! They're not the molded memory foam, but crumbled chunks of memory foam. The best way that I can describe it is that it's like sleeping on a soft sandbag. It conforms to your head perfectly, and holds it there. It's very supportive, and really really comfortable. I'm a side sleeper, and these hold my head a just the right level to keep from getting angle-neck.

Thank you for your input! It seems that contour/buckwheat pillows are very popular, so it's one that I will check out.

If you are a side/stomach sleeper, you should be using a firm mattress and firm pillows.

The soft fluffy stuff is only for back sleepers.

I am the same way and I have to sleep on two pillows because my needs are always changing. The bottom pillow is an old firm pillow that has flattened to 2 inches; the top pillow is a new firm pillow that is about 3 1/2 inches thick. Most of the time, I need to sleep on both to be comfortable, but when I'm on my stomach, I slide the top one over a bit and just use the very edge of the bottom one to support half my face.

I saw on an infomercial for a buckwheat pillow that the average human head is about 8 lbs. That's like a gallon of milk. It's heavy and needs proper support.

I hope you don't have a soft mattress, because that could also be causing your problems.

I most certainly have a firm mattress - it has a layer of memory foam so I have the best of all worlds. My back pain magically disappeared after buying a mattress. It's the odd angle that has been causing me grief, but with some suggestions for the interim has been helping.

fire_breeze: Did washing your pillows work work out for you at all in the interim? ?

Thank you for reminding me to update!

I was about to wash my pillows... and then the dryer busted, so I'm going to wait this week when they get a new dryer.

What I have been doing is fluffing them up for a good minute or so, which seems to help some.

 

[Sidney_1]

I have pretty severe neck problems, and a contoured memory foam pillow is pretty much all I can use. I even got my husband to swtich (our latest ones came in a 2 pack from Costco; I think it was about $40, which is FAR less than the Tempurpedic brand), and he wakes up with far fewer stiff necks and such.

I will warn you that you have to give it a month, though. It can be a tough transition because it's definitely a more supportive pillow and you may very well wake up with your ear or neck hurting during the transition phase. I think it took my husband about a week to get used to it, but I can take several weeks to fully settle in because of my preexisting issues.

It doesn't eliminate problems, but it definitely minimizes them for both of us.

If you're going to try something different and perhaps more expensive than a regular pillow, you might want to get it somewhere w/ a good return policy so you're not out a lot if it doesn't work for you after a trial period.

FB, you know I'm a fusspot by now. I don't think you can leave this planet until you go to a store that sells tempurpedic beds and pillows, stretch out, and test a pillow. I do have a softer latex pillow, (it was a freebie) but I think the fact that the temperpedic supports and conforms to different positions might work better for you. The only concern is that it might trap heat. I find the latex is too soft for my taste.

After you've tried a Temperpedic, you can compare to other brands of foam.

 

[cordite]

So... how does one go about choosing one? More precisely, I don't have one specific way of sleeping, although I tend to sleep somewhere between on my stomach and on my side (not quite either).

Does anyone have any recommendations, insight, experiences? I'd really like to actually wake up with no soreness and then being a pain in the neck in the morning .

For what it's worth I sleep that way and prefer latex foam pillows. They sound like they would be hot but I don't find them to be so (and I tend to be hot when I sleep). There's obviously a bit of personal preference involved in selecting a pillow.

I'd definitely recommend a memory foam mattress as well. Anatomic Global also has some very good products though they're not as well known.

 

[fire_breeze]

the dryer has been fixed so I've thrown the pillows in for a wash. I'll know for sure tonight!

In the meantime, I've been going to various stores and taking a look. In a few, I'll be giving a new report.

FB, you know I'm a fusspot by now. I don't think you can leave this planet until you go to a store that sells tempurpedic beds and pillows, stretch out, and test a pillow. I do have a softer latex pillow, (it was a freebie) but I think the fact that the temperpedic supports and conforms to different positions might work better for you. The only concern is that it might trap heat. I find the latex is too soft for my taste.

After you've tried a Temperpedic, you can compare to other brands of foam.

When it comes to sleep, we should all be fusspots
Thanks for your advice. I do love memory foams so I'm thinking about a combination of memory foam pillows and buckwheat so I can pick and chose while sleeping.

For what it's worth I sleep that way and prefer latex foam pillows. They sound like they would be hot but I don't find them to be so (and I tend to be hot when I sleep). There's obviously a bit of personal preference involved in selecting a pillow.

I'd definitely recommend a memory foam mattress as well. Anatomic Global also has some very good products though they're not as well known.

Thank you for your input - I'll check it out. It's good to know that several others sleep this way.

I've already bought a new mattress at the beginning of January, which has a layer of memory foam, so I'm good for the next several years.

 

[fire_breeze]

Just an update and a thank you:

I've washed most of my pillows and while it helped - a lot - it's still not right. I have checked out several body pillows and contour pillows. A friend of mine is working on getting me a wicked discount so in a couple weeks, I'll be sleeping soundly.

Thank you to all who helped and contributed. Your input has been valuable

 

[thirty]

A quick search yielded nothing, and I hope that my fellow how-toers could give me some sound advice.

I just bought a new mattress, which while I absolutely adore, and gives me a good night sleep (finally!), I still wake up with a stiff neck. A quick internet search and discussing it with several friends seems to indicate that my pillows are not up to par. Granted, they are pretty old and were cheap when I bought them.

So... how does one go about choosing one? More precisely, I don't have one specific way of sleeping, although I tend to sleep somewhere between on my stomach and on my side (not quite either).

Does anyone have any recommendations, insight, experiences? I'd really like to actually wake up with no soreness and then being a pain in the neck in the morning .


Thank you all in advance.

I know how hard to get a proper pillow, those in the supermarket are either too thick or too hard or not good for whatever reason.