Input on Pillows?

[phoenix]

Hi GraciePlush5!

Welcome to our Mattress Forum!

Pillow question here. I have been sleeping on one of the ubiquitous Tempurpedic contour pillows for the past 6 years. After successfully making the switch to a Sleep EZ hybrid bed last month, I no longer want any poly foam in my bedroom, especially near my face.

Congratulations on your Sleep EZ mattress purchase! I am glad to hear that you’ve had a successful experience. ( one of our members here. I understand the desire to want to transition away from a polyfoam pillow.

I am worried that I will not be able to find a natural pillow that will give the same firm compression for my compromised rotator cuff and c5, c6 stenosis. I have tried sleeping on the shredded latex pillows that came with the bed, adjusted the fill level many times, and no go.

You may be interested in this thread that discusses a somewhat similar situation. They were also seeking a firm replacement for a polyfoam pillow. Choosing a pillow is also very personal like choosing a mattress as there are many unknowns, variables, and personal preferences involved in choosing a pillow to make specific suggestions or recommendations for someone else…

I have seen latex pillows online in the same shape as the contour pillow, but as they are latex and not memory foam, they will not have the same nature, and I am worried they will not come close to the firmness I need.

I wouldn’t discount the “firmness” of a solid latex pillow just yet. Shredded latex pillows will generally be softer and “fluffier” and less “bouncy” than a solid latex pillow, so I wouldn’t avoid a solid latex pillow based on your experience with shredded latex.
Several companies also offer solid latex pillows in different firmness, but to be sure you’d need to test it first. One option that has been discussed and recommended previously in the forum is the Malouf 100% Natural Talalay Latex Pillow that you may want to have a look at – although, this is not a contoured pillow.

In desperation, I ordered a millet cervical pillow, and a kapok contour pillow with a head indent and a zipper. I am going to try to put the cervical pillow in the neck area of the kapok pillow, and see what happens. I did find a wool double bolster pillow, but at 180.00, I would like at least a couple of reviews before I commit to that.

While it would be impossible to cover the properties of every possible pillow or pillow material on the market because there are so many (memory foam, polyfoam, latex, shredded foam materials, different types of wool or other animal fibers, plant fibers such as kapok or cotton, feathers, down, synthetic fibers or fiber “clusters”, buckwheat or millet hulls, and others) … in very general terms fiber fillings will tend to compress and pack down and become firmer over time (or in some cases over the course of the night) more than foam materials or shredded foam materials.

Wool is one of the stronger and more resilient fibers though so it tends to maintain its loft better and for longer than other fibers such as polyester (dacron) or cotton (especially wool “balls” vs wool batting).

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I would be wary of relying too heavily on other people’s reviews when it comes to choosing a pillow. Although one can learn a great deal from other people’s experiences, what worked and did not work for them … I’d keep in mind that is no single pillow that is “best” for any particular situation or “symptom” because the goal of a pillow is to keep your head and neck in good alignment in all your sleeping positions and which pillow does this for any particular person or on any particular mattress will vary widely from person to person. In other words … a pillow that works well for one person with upper back, shoulder, or neck issues may not be suitable at all for someone else with similar issues.

Pillows are a very personal choice and different people will have very different pillow preferences or different opinions about what they perceive as firm and soft or the general type of pillow that “feels” good to them but some of the information in the pillow topic here and the posts it links to can help you choose a pillow that is the best “match” for you and the mattress you are sleeping on.

Like mattresses … there are certain “needs” that depend on body type (or in your case, specific medical needs) and sleeping positions but with pillows, personal preferences play a more important role because the face is much more sensitive to textures, temperature, smells, and other more subjective “feel” based properties of a pillow. There is more about choosing pillows in the above-mentioned pillow thread that you might find interesting if you haven’t read it already, and the other topics and sources of information that it links to that may be helpful as well.

That said, I did a forum search to see if anyone else had commented on these pillows, but could not find anything on these products. Hopefully, someone who owns one will see your post to weigh in with their experiences!

Phoenix