Memory foam pillows

[Sam]

Well, I have tried sleeping on Tempurpedic pillows before but my neck was always so far above horizontal. Been using down pillows for years, and the bad thing is that within a year, the body oils permeate the down, even though I was it. So my head is flat against the mattress and the down covers one nostril, and I can scrunch it up and sleep on my back. Wife has been having neck and shoulder aches lately with her down pillow.

So we are trying some Sleep Innovation pillows from Kohls, one with the neck roll and the other a conventional-shaped pillow. On first blush, the neck roll one is very comfy for me. It has a cooling chamber set up to it, but it is less dense, maybe 2.5 pound foam if I read correctly. The conventional pillow makes my neck sit up higher when I lay on the back or stomach, and I think it is 4.0 or 5.0 pound foam.

So, I wonder, does this stuff compress over time, like the down pillows do? If so, then the conventional foam pillow will work eventually, and the neck roll pillow will flatten more.

I have tried latex pillows, but they leave my neck up too much, and fiberfill and buckwheat. I have tried to sleep more on my back but I dont get the deep sleep like I do when I start on my tummy and pass out.

Suggestions?

 

[Gruder]

I don't know about the latex pillows, Sam, but we've had good luck with allergen-barrier cases for our down pillows.

 

[WhosYerBob]

We have a Tempur-Pedic bed that is 15 years old now. The foam is slowly developing memory in the spots where we normally sleep, but it's been a very slow process to get to that point.

 

[Sam]

Well, here is what I did. Took the memory foam pillow back. Tried out several different down and then down alternative and polyfill/fiberfille, Ralph Lauren included. Basically indistinquishable except how they would bounce your head up and the amount of fill, typically 17 ounces to 24 ounces.

Tried the Isotonic side sleeper and that is the one I took home. Still a conventional looking pillow but not as dense as the one I took back. Still denser than the contour pillows with the neck roll, which may be the third one I try if this one does not work.

They have one that has half memory foam on one side and then a microfiber filling on the other, basically half the thickness of say the conventional memoryfoam. But really, it is not all that much different from the poly fills when you try them out, except that the memory foam may not totally squish flat like the down one does. That might be a third one to try also.

 

[Sam]

Welling, washing a down pillow had no effect. First five minutes felt great but after that, nothing, flat as ever.

The Isotonic Side Sleeper with memory foam, well, if one could take a carving knife and slice off about half, then that would be great. What it does is it tilts the top part of my head up every so slightly, so that makes it feel like it is on a great incline. Back wise, might work okay, but face, no way. Side seems to be perfect though.

I think my next venture is to get the half memory foam, half stuffing of some sort (microfiber something or other) and maybe have the best of both worlds - the underlying support- halfway- of the memory foam and then the flatness of the stuffing.

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/bed...omfort+System+Memory+Foam+2in1+Bed+Pillow.jsp

http://www.kohls.com/kohlsStore/per...novations+Memory+Foam+Classics+Bed+Pillow.jsp

 

[Thebigspendur]

I had originally bought the Tempurpedic swedish neck Pillow. It was OK. It lasted about one year and it had just flattened out and lost most of its contour. Now I'm using a tempurpedic side sleeper. I've only had it a couple of months but it seems to be working out fine. I'll see how long it lasts.

 

[Carnivore]

I've been using a contoured pillow from IKEA for about a year and it's great. I haven't noticed any flattening or degradation. One side has a large bump, intended for side sleeping and the other is smaller, for back sleeping.

 

[Sam]

Well, I can not sleep with any memory foam pillow. Tried one with the neck roll. After sleeping 48 years on my face, I am getting back pain about half way up and on one side mostly. The the lower back at times just above the crook where the legs connect (buttocks, lol). On the face, a memory foam pillow makes me rest higher, as if my head is inclined. On my back, sure it supports my neck very, very well, either with a neck roll or without, but either the top of my head is elevated above horizontal or even worse, there is a dip down. That and I am not really getting to the deep sleep when on my back.

So I took four dead down pillows to the dry cleaners with instructions to cut them open and stuff one pillow into another one, making two super-sized and stuffed pillows. My thinking is that it will be bulky when it is fluffed out, but as my head rests and the oils again compact the down, at least there will be more of the down in the pillow case even if squished flat by my head and offer more support than what i have now.

And it is on to latex and maybe synthetic down alternatives now.

 

[Greybeard]

Pillows are really a case of YMMV. I can't get a comfortable sleep on what should be the ideal pillows for me so it's really trial and error. I do know the theories though.

If you have started having pain and discomfort since you changed pillows, then it's because of the pillow. If you changed pillows because of the pain and discomfort, it's because you sleep on your stomach. You will have to learn to sleep on your side. Orthopedic pillows do not work for stomach sleepers, period.

To slow down oils from entering your pillows you should use a pillow cover under the pillow slip and wash it and change it when you change your sheets.

Fluff your pillows frequently if they're down, polyfill, loose foam or feather. It's the air in the pillow that provides the resiliency and support.

If you are going to continue to sleep on your stomach, use a soft pillow so that your neck stays relatively straight. You don't need a lot of support. The pillow's material is a matter of personal preference, comfort and durability. It's also ok to use if you sleep on your back. It's terrible to use if you sleep on your side since it doesn't provide enough support for your neck.

Latex pillows are not very good for stomach and back sleepers since they provide too much lift for the neck. They're great for side sleepers and last much longer than other materials.

Memory foam pillows are good (without the neck roll). The caveats are that they can be too warm for some people since they retain heat. In addition if you change position frequently, they can be slow to change shape and are firmer on cold nights.

Pillows with neck rolls, thick pillows and firm pillows are for side sleepers who require support to raise the neck to align with the spine. There are pillows with small rolls for back sleepers. Neck roll pillows are hard to get used to for people who change position frequently. Latex is the best material for a neck roll pillow.

Back sleepers should use soft to medium pillows, not firm.

Pillows lose their support faster than people realize. You get used to change in the pillow since it happens gradually. Softer pillows and cheaper pillows have to be replaced faster than firmer and more expensive pillows. Some as often as yearly.

As I said at the beginning, YMMV. I'm a side sleeper and use a high loft medium density down pillow which is supposed to be too soft for me.



- Peter

 

[Prince]

Memory foam pillows are good (without the neck roll). The caveats are that they can be too warm for some people since they retain heat. In addition if you change position frequently, they can be slow to change shape and are firmer on cold nights.
Peter

no kidding. I took mine camping one winter (upper 30's at night) and it felt like sleeping on a rock.

 

[Justinsane]

I picked up a latex pillow...oh man I love it. Hugs my head and neck and feels like it's made of some magic material. I can drop this pillow on my bed and it bounces back up at me. Love it.

 

[Sam]

Grey, great post. Yes, the back and side problems are recent, so it is more of a recent development and yes, the pillow was a soft down and over a year old. I do change positions frequently but usually start on the tummy and stay there for 4 hours or so.

Latex I think would be too high for me, and so are the memory foams without the neck roll. In fact, the conventional memory foam works well on my back, but on my tummy, gives my head an incline. Cleaners wants $50 to combine two pillows into one and will have to dry clean it per rules, and well, I can get a new pillow cheaper.

What I would love is to take a conventional memory foam pillow and use an electric knife and carve some of it off. The conventional pillows could work if I could care off maybe a third of it thickness-wise.

I have the pillow slip and then a pillow cover over the down pillow and still, they compress too flat over time. I do fluff them out but really, after a point, they have compressed or absorbed my oils and never go back to what they were

 

[Greybeard]

Buy a new pillow, Sam. Refurbished pillows don't work.

If you're using a pillow cover, then oils won't be a problem unless the pillow is several years old. It's compacted and broken feathers with down and stretched and flattened material with polyfill. Foam loses its elasticity.

Go back to a soft down low loft pillow. A soft good quality foam-fill (not memory foam) might also work for you. Both will flatten a bit fairly quickly. You can find them if you look. You will probably have to replace them annually. After 48 years of sleeping one way you're not going to change unless you're forced to by discomfort (which may eventually happen). My wife's sleeping pattern was similar to yours and she only changed to side sleeping when her fibromyalgia became more painful.

Your wife may require a different type of pillow if her sleeping pattern is different than yours.

Just another thought. You both may be having pain at the same time because you both need new pillows. If you bought them at the same time, it's logical that they would lose efficacy at the same time. However if your mattress is inner spring and 10+ years old, it might be an indication that you will need a relacement in the near future. I used to work in the business and the average effective life span of an inner spring mattress is 10 years.

When you're young, you can sleep on anything. As you get older you become more sensitive. Around 50 seems to be the magic number when s___ starts happening. This from statistics and direct experience .



- Peter

 

[bob.e]

I tried sleeping with a memory foam pillow and when I woke up I couldn't remember anything

We have a pile of all sorts of memory foam pillows all sizes and shapes and it seems you have to adjust yourself to fit each pillow so now I'm sleeping more comfortably on a mushy mystery pillow that I can shape as I need and I'm sleeping better

 

[Sam]

Trying a medium density fiberfill Ralph Lauren pillow with 500 thread count cover and a pillow cover. If that does not work, then the next best filling one is the half memory foam (more like 1/3rd the memory foam compared to the conventional ones) and the other half is the fiber filled.