My neck hurts when I get up. And then pretty much all day. And I find myself waking up a lot more than I’d like, and arranging my pillow. I have a pair of down pillows that I use, but it’s becoming clear that they’re just not getting the job done (though my kitty loves them).
So, what pillows do you guys swear by?
The most comfy I’ve ever tried (very temporarily, in the store) were the Tempur-Pedic $150 ones. Quite a bit above my budget unless they’re really worth it. Are they really worth it? Or are less costly alternatives (“memory foam” $30 etc.) OK too?
I’m really interested in the responses you get here, Fire. I’m also dissatisfied with my current pillows and thinking about what to replace them with. Help us sleep better, QT3!
I used to use one of these. It was great for back sleeping, but I’m a back and side sleeper and it wasn’t so great for side sleeping. I switched to this. It was recommended by my chiropractor and I like it a lot, though it did take some time to get used to it.
That’s also the shape of the pillow I use. No problems here. Make sure that your bed and mattress properly support your bodyweight, or else you’ll sink down around the midsection and your neck may get stretched awkwardly.
I used to have similar woes, which aggravated my normal tendency towards insomnia. I was reluctant to drop so much money on a pillow, even after trying one and liking it… Until I got a Bed Bath & Beyond gift card at one point, and found the only thing in the store I had any interest in was the pillow.
If anything, my opinion of them went up after having a chance to sleep on one for a couple weeks, and I now don’t use anything else. I even got a spare to keep at my parents place when I visit there.
My wife and I then went a step further, and got a mattress pad made out of the same stuff. That wasn’t worth it, as it wore out quickly and unevenly, and in the end made the bed too soft.
Now, are there cheaper alternatives that are just as good? Nothing I ever came across, but I never looked very hard either.
I built up a repetitive strain injury in my left hip from fencing, and ended up getting a second “between the knees” pillow with a similar effect to that full body model. I generally don’t need it, but when my hip acts up it makes a big difference.
I’ve had my Ikea Hassel pillow for six months now and I love it. It’s a great foam pillow with just the right support I want, a little thicker on one end, and it’s yields enough to be soft while still being supportive.
I used to have all down pillows which are great to pile up when I’m reading in bed but I don’t sleep on them anymore.
I sleep on a slab of granite with a wooden plank as a pillow.
No, but seriously, my mattress is extremely firm, and my pillow is a flat, hard old thing I’ve had for years. Whenever I stay the night away from home I always get really uncomfortable with the fluffiness and general volume of the pillows people use; I’ve sometimes ditched the pillow entirely and slept with my head on my folded-up jeans. Maybe I’m weird that way.
We recently bought a new bed, getting rid of our ancient one. We went with a Tempurpedic Rhapsody bed, and got Tempurpedic pillows too (queen size, look like trapezoids or something). Truly wonderful all around. The pillows were on sale buy one get one free otherwise they were pretty pricey, but worth it still I think.
I use one of those pillows that has buckwheat hulls for a filling, you can sleep with your arm under it withough your arm going to sleep. That, and my neck never hurts, and I never get a sweaty head from poor air circulation.
They’re latex foam (not memory foam) and I’ve been told they will keep their shape for more than 15 years. Extremely comfy (not too squishy, not too firm), but they take a couple of nights to break in.
I used to have a lot neck pain in the morning as well. Not every day, but 3-4 days out the week I’d wake up with neck pain. It wasn’t bad, and would usually go away within an hour or with some advil, but, still, annoying.
Then I got one of those memory foam pillows. I guess they come in different sizes, because mine is tiny. It’s not very comfortable, either. Kinda hard. But not enough that it’s any harder for me to fall asleep.
But I very rarely wake up with neck pain now, so, I think it’s worth it.
My wife got one of those when she was pregnant as well. I’m told it’s quite comfortable and really helped her sleep through the experience, but it never left the bed. Seven years later and we still have it.
I have a tempur-pedic mattress and pillow thanks to my in-laws who run a furniture store. I love that stuff so much - travel is always a bit better if you take your comfy pillow along too.
