You sleep on your side. You only use one pillow under your head, extra firm. How often do you need to get a new one?
I find myself with an excess of spent pillows, since they only retain their firmness for 3-6 months; after that they make my neck ache and I sleep badly, so it’s time for a new one. It was okay when the dog was alive, because I got rid of 3 of them making him a bed, but now they’re everywhere…
Kidding aside, though, how often do you find yourself replacing pillows? And does anyone recommend a particular brand of pillow that has lasting firmness?
One pillow, folded in half, then folded at the corner to lift the head. Very comfortable.
My pillow has two covers (regularly washed) and is made of foam with uniform holes in it. It seems to be quite high-tech. I haven’t replaced it in years. Washed it a few times though, and the covers many times.
I sleep on my side, and tuck a big, firm pillow between my knees. I go through them quite regularly, getting a new one every 3 or 4 months. I always get mine at a local bedding store in the mall.
I get the brand called ‘Sealy Posturepedic Encompass Fiber and Foam Extra-Firm Support Standard Pillow’.
I found you can get them here, for much cheaper than I’m always paying!
I give my ‘used’ pillows to my dogs and my cats, too.
I use a contoured foam pillow, so it has a divet for my head, but comes up under my neck to provide support. It’s the kind that’s made of that egg-crate foam. I’ve had it for years, and it still looks and works fine. In addition, I like to fold my blankie* just so and wedge it under my head to keep my face elevated. I hate it when I sink into a pillow so I can’t breathe.
I got hubby a Tempur-Pedic pillow of the same shape - yuck. The thing smelled like hell, and was so hard it bruised your ear after a mere few minutes of side-lying. We returned it.
I have a Tempur-Pedic pillow that I think is comfortable (and though it was smelly at first, it improved before too long), but I guess it insulates enough that I always seem to wake up with a sweaty neck in the morning. I dunno if adding another layer or two of pillowcase would alleviate the issue.
I like solid latex foam pillows. They retain their shape for a long time and have perferations so they don’t get too hot. I only replace them maybe every ten years.
Got to recommend latex pillows as well. They come in a variety of sizes and firmnesses (?) and last for ages. I just bought some “Dunlopillos” by Dunlop. They’re expensive, but far less expensive than 2-4 pillows a year!
I was just recently lamenting the fact that pillows don’t seem to last very long anymore. When I was a kid, I think I used the same pillow for 20 years. Now, I need a new pillow every few months.
I’m not too enthralled with the Tempurpedic ones. The density of the material seems to make my face and neck hot and the more covers you put on it, the less effective it is. I’ll try the latex pillow next. I just Googled Dunlopillos and can only find the mattress, though.
My extra firm pillow for side sleepers lasted me three months before I figured out it was the cause of my back pain. Now I’m like Lobsang: one soft pillow, folded. I thought I slept on my side, but it turns out I actually sleep on my side, my stomach, and my back. Not, of course, simultaneously.
The pillows that seem to work best for me are the really good down pillows. Yes, they’re expensive, but they have lasted me several years now with no appreciable change in firmness.
I use two pillows: a regular one, and a small “sobakawa” pillow on top. That’s a pillow containing, I think, buckwheat hulls. It’s not soft, and it’s a bit noisy to move your head on, but it has two advantages from my POV: it molds to the contours you want it to, and it is much cooler against the head than a regular pillow, if you’re prone to perspiration.
For a while you could buy these “sobakawa” for $20 or so from local Walgreens-type drugstores. Google sobakawa, and you’ll find links like this one.
Presume they’re just Aussie, then. Never mind, have tried other brands of latex pillows and they’ve been pretty good - they’re definitely the way to go for durability.
A chiropractor told me to put towels in a pillow case until it’s the right height for your head. Then, get a squishy pillow and mold it to your neck. That’s what I did, and it works great. The towels are a lot firmer than any pillow I’ve used and they don’t shift, settle, or get too squishy. That’s what the squishy pillow is for, and I’ve had that pillow for, oh, about 30 years now, I’m guessing.
A couple weeks ago I decided to try one of the “memory” foam pillows. Well, I’ll give them this, they’re very firm. Like a board - flat, low and hard. Being too low bothered my shoulders more than being too firm. A few days ago I hit on a good solution, though: I took one of my flagged pillows and pulled out 1/2 of it’s stuffing, which came out in a nice sheet. That on top of the new pillow is now the right height and much much softer. So far so good. ::knocks on wood::
