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#1
12-17-1999, 12:21 AM
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Is there a physiological reason to use pillows? I mean, could we physiologically not sleep (or would we suffer some worse fate) if we didn't use them?
I, for one, can't sleep without one, and I suspect most Dopers would say the same. But is that because of our anatomy, or is it because we've been sleeping with pillows since our moms first put them under our heads in the crib? In other words, we can't sleep without them because we're used to them. Is there any culture that doesn't use pillows, thus proving that it's possible to get by without them? 
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#3
12-17-1999, 02:58 AM
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I met my guy at a party, where we kept alternateing passing out on the same pillow. Ends up that he had lived his entire life pillowless. His dad thought it would cause back pain or lead his morals astray or something. I offered him the use of my pillows anytime he wanted. So, yes, there are some poor pillowless souls out their who sleep quite fine, deprived though they be.
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#4
12-17-1999, 04:41 AM
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Dunno bout pillows being a human invention. I see my dogs sleep with their heads up on a cinder brick quite often. Maybe elevating the head during sleep is more universal than we think. While it is not something I would use as a pillow, they seem to prefer it over just lying on the ground. Well some times anyway. Then again, they also eat their own barf... OK, forget I said anything.
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#5
12-17-1999, 06:21 AM
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I often sleep without my pillow. And the one I have is flat and thin. I think it's something to do with my posture, which is a bit crooked.
I think it weird that some people can't sleep without three pillows stacked and balanced just so... I'd go nuts bent over like that. When I travel, I often don't have any pillow available, or it falls off the camp bed I'm using, or something. No big deal for me. Though if I need some kind of comforting surface against my head, so I use a bunched up jersey or something. ------------------ -PIGEONMAN- Hero For A New Millennium! The Legend Of PigeonMan - updates every Wed & Sat. If I can be bothered.
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#6
12-17-1999, 07:12 AM
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The argument that primitive man didn't have pillows is one that I would hesistate to take too far. Primitive man also didn't have shoes or central heating or ... Doesn't mean that the "natural state" is better.
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#8
12-17-1999, 08:36 AM
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Never use a pillow anymore.I guess I don't need my head higher than the rest of my body. Tho I used to put one over my neck when small to protect against the vampires1
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#9
12-17-1999, 08:47 AM
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Many egyptians used rock headrests on their beds, molded to cradle the head while they slept. This samee item has been found in some Roman ruins also, however, which group introduced it to whom is debatable.
I, for one, can sleep without a pillow, but i must prop my head with something, more out of habit i believe than necessity. ------------------ Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph.
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#12
12-17-1999, 05:36 PM
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Nickrz has the right idea.
In my case, I have to sleep propped up on 2-3 pillows. My asthma is easily aggravated at night, and if I lay flat, I just can't breathe. Bad plan. For me, I actively NEED the propping of a few thick pillows, or I just can't sleep. A nice hairy chest, though, can work just as well.
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#13
12-17-1999, 06:22 PM
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A hairy chest? Hmm, try as I might I can't seem to get my head to rest there. gruuuunt!
Pretty old word, though: 1pil•low \"pi-(')lo\ noun [ME pilwe, fr. OE pyle (akin to OHG pfuliwi), fr. L pulvinus] (bef. 12c) 1 a : a support for the head of a reclining person; esp : one consisting of a cloth bag filled with feathers, down, sponge rubber, or plastic fiber b : something resembling a pillow esp. in form 2 : a cushion or pad tightly stuffed and used as a support for the design and tools in making lace with a bobbin pil•lowy \"pi-le-we\ adjective (C)1996 Zane Publishing, Inc. and Merriam-Webster, Incorporated. All rights reserved.
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#16
12-19-1999, 07:53 PM
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Beruang is correct, but often these pillows are not headrests but neckrests-- wooden curved stands maybe 4 inches high which support the neck-- straightening and cradling that part of the spine between the head and torso. I don't think I could sleep with one, but apparently a large part of the world can.
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#17
12-19-1999, 09:01 PM
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Well, i gotta have a pillow to sleep, but just one. Those 3 pillow freaks are contorting their neck in the same way as going without.
I suppose you need to define a pillow. Is it just a way to prop up the melon, or is it specifically the article of bedding used to rest your head on. The difference being using your arm, or a higher mound of dirt as opposed to the feathery pillow and a carved wooden head rest. I recall seeing a special about a aboriginal tribe who all sleep by laying on their side and buring their elbow in the desert sand bent so the can rest their head in their hand. Buring the elbow keeps them steady so they don't drop their heads  The motivation as explained was to keep their heads off the ground to keep bugs out of their ears and from biting their head. I assume this is the initial reasoning for pillows and we've used them in some way since the beginning of time. Either a arm, rock or a dead goose, we probably instinctively used something to keep the noggin off the dirt.
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#19
12-20-1999, 01:14 PM
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I HATE feather pillows. They are the most uncomfortable things in the world. Now me, I like LOTS of pillows. Thick ones that don't squash flat. I rest my shoulders on them too... actually I usually put my shoulder and arm on one pillow, then put another pillow on top of my arm and put my head on that. Sometimes I sleep with my head propped up on my hand, balanced on my elbow. Apparently I'll assume this position in my sleep and the balance doesn't seem to be a problem. My husband thinks it is funny. I've seen my son do it to.... think it's genetic?
Btw, it isn't the bend of the neck that makes me want a pillow, it is the elevation. I get really bad head rushes and headaches if my head is at the same level as my body. ------------------ -- Teeming Millions: http://fathom.org/teemingmillions "Meat flaps, yellow!" - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat O p a l C a t www.opalcat.com
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#20
12-20-1999, 09:16 PM
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Hey, maybe we're related Cat... I like to sleep that way, especially with the shoulders up with arm. I like to lie on my right side almost on my stomach, with my left knee out for balance on a pillow, my right arm under two pretty flat pillows and, like you, my hand balanced, just so, underneath my chin. Okay, so it ain';t the same, but if this sort of thing is genetic, maybe we are distant relatives :-)
------------------ "C'mon, it's not even tomorrow yet..." - Rupert If you need a graphic solution, http:\\talk.to\Piglet
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#21
12-21-1999, 01:24 PM
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I always thought the use of pillows or other head-rests was to best facilitate oxygen intake and blood circulation.
I've slept with no pillows (camping especially) and multiple leaning towers of pillows and those times are usually the only times I am told I snore. I'm also more likely to wake up sore or stiff (mind out of gutter, pervert) after sleeping this way. I don't think the Origin of the Pillow had anything to do with protection from bugs or snakes - but beds probably did. I mean, a fluffy pile of feathers or straw isn't going to help much when that colony of fire ants is headed your way. Both pillows and beds are largely western inventions. Headrests and mats are used by an aweful lot of the world. One thing I've always thought about is the health ramifications of pillows. Most people don't wash or replace their pillows often enough - I've seen some nasty looking pillows, believe you me! Even if they look clean, they are probably holders and breeders of billions of germs and they serve as vast cloud-like cities for millions of microscopic bugs. Sleep Well, Indeed! ------------------ Hell is Other People.
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#22
12-22-1999, 12:00 AM
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Me.. I sleep on my stomach... with THREE pillows.. unless I have 3 i can NOT get comfy. One folded in half under my head and one under each shoulder/side. Unless I have a woman to hold.. then one is fine... but I think I wear out pillows to fast.
 I remember seeing on a nature channel that some african (maybe south american) tribe slept on the ground not with there head on a pillow but in there palm with there elbow cocked up on the ground so there head is elevated so insects wouldnt crawl into there ears.
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#23
12-22-1999, 12:52 AM
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Okay, okay. Two thoughts seem to be escaping the thread after the OP.
First, there is an anatomical reason to support the head when resting. Unless lying flat on your back, and even to some extent then, failure to support the head or neck results in either twisting or bending the spine. That has GOT to be both discomforting and potentially injurious in the long run. Given the tendency to just stuff an arm under one's head when sleeping on one's side, I would say that supporting the head becomes one of the first things you look to do while sleeping. Second, let us not forget the value of comfort while sleeping. A well rested individual is probably a more alert individual. (I invite those who know of studies on the issue - I know that sleep-deprivation studies have been done) A more alert individual likely succedes better at whatever he/she tries, including both procreation and the defense of his/her offspring. Therefore (warning, tongue in cheek comment here) pillow use is the result of evolution!
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#24
12-22-1999, 07:29 PM
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That was painful.
THEIR THEIR THEIR THEIR! ------------------ -- Teeming Millions: http://fathom.org/teemingmillions "Meat flaps, yellow!" - DrainBead, naked co-ed Twister chat O p a l C a t www.opalcat.com
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#25
12-23-1999, 03:30 AM
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As was mentioned, babies aren't supposed to sleep with pillows and my son gets along fine without one. So, I guess it's habit more than need. Besides, I think most of us have fallen asleep on the couch, floor, etc without a pillow and lived to tell our tale.
Speaking of which, IIRC, the Elephant Man died not from a pillow, but rather that he was supposed to sleep in a chair so his lungs wouldn't fill with fluid. However, he one night decided to sleep "like a normal person" and sure enough.. his lungs filled with fluid and he died. Probably a lesson in there somewhere. ------------------ "I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn't."
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