kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

kayaking on Loch Leven near Glencoe, Scotland, 2018

Sunday, January 22, 2012

Pillow Talk

I woke up this morning with a stiff neck. I need a new pillow. I've been using the same pillow for way too many years -- not that I'm attached to it. I've been wanting to get a new one. I just can't find one I like better. Invariably, new pillows are too thick and bulky. But that's the problem with my old one. It's worn out and squashed too thin.

I think there should be a way to be "sized" for proper pillow fit. You know, the way my feet were measured by the patient middle-aged bald-headed man who worked in every shoe store I was ever in as a kid. Pillows should come in more precise sizes than thick, thicker, and thickest. Shouldn't we be able to measure the distance between shoulder and ear and buy a specific size? I don't like my head to be tilted up at an angle. I want my head to be perfectly aligned with my neck and spine. But that's the problem with my current pillow. My pillow is so thin, my head tips down. Hence, the sore neck this morning.

But I'm daunted by the task of pillow shopping. So many choices! Down feather-filled, polyester foam, synthetic foam, latex foam, memory foam. There are pillows for side-sleepers, back-sleepers, stomach-sleepers, and multi-position sleepers. I tend to toss and turn, so I guess that puts me in the multi-position category. And then there's such a wide range of prices; from ten bucks for a two-pack at the JC Penney white sale, to $150.oo or more for the high-end at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. My head spins just thinking about all the options.

So, I'm going pillow shopping this week. Any suggestions? What kind of pillow do you like?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have had the same problem. I tend to keep ALL the pillows and share them with whoever might need one when my daughter has sleepovers. At times they get rearranged so I sleep with different ones. My favorite, probably simply because it's a cool idea, is my water pillow. You fill it with as little or as much water as you want! I got it from a chiropractor in Shreveport but I'm sure you can order them on-line. it doesn't get to hot and I kind of like the ever so slight sound of swishing water. It is a little heavy but i don't move much in my sleep so that's ok. You might want to research this one because it's a little expensive but I am happy to have mine! Happy shopping!

Common Household Mom said...

I can sympathize, but I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice. My pillows (I use 2) lately seem to feel like bricks. Maybe I need new ones too.

I like two foam (not feather) pillows that are not too squishy. But not like bricks either!

I'm just wondering what you get in a pillow when you spend $150 that you don't get for $10.

GerdieMom said...

When my neck is causing me problems, the contoured pillow really does help, but otherwise, I don't like it. It's not soft enough for me. I only use it when I'm having problems.

Angie Kay Dilmore said...

Thank you all for the suggestions. I found a temporary fix by adding another very thin squishy pillow I swiped from Eric's bed. Two thin ones seem to work okay. Really it's just a way for me to procrastinate pillow shopping.