Pillows: Crowning Health

Since Ancient Egyptian times, pillows have been part of our bedding plans. While we have come along way from the days of stone pillows, pillows remain a strong personal choice of great debate; firm or soft, organic or foam, feather or hulls.

For some, the soft fluffy down pillow is the stuff dreams are made of, for others the firmness of buckwheat hulls is more the ticket. Whether your head rests best on foam or goose feathers; the pillow has become an essential part of the bedding package.

For some people, pillows are needed for support either to align the neck or to offset the spine with knee pillows. Knee pillows help to align the spinal column and tend to work best with firm pillow choices. Without a pillow to support the knees, the pelvis twists placing the spine in a distorted position, the pillow allows the pelvis to align; which can relieve the pain.

For some people, elevation is critical. Pillow stacking may not provide the level of elevation needed to mitigate health conditions. Adjustable beds can provide a more stable form of support if head or legs need to be elevated to a specific angle. This could be personal choice, or to offset issues like snoring, lower back pain or recovering sports injuries. Expecting mothers often find comfort with the full body pillow.

Some of the more unusual pillows are water and memory foam based pillows. Pillows filled with organic materials could include the buckwheat hulls mentioned earlier, virgin wool, organic cotton or natural latex made from rubber tree plants.

For those suffering with allergies, the cover and stuffing of the pillow can be critical for safety and comfort. Anti-allergen cotton covrs with anti dust mite fabrics and liners are the best choices for allergy sufferers.

There are specialized pillows such as the u-shaped travel pillow made popular by the frequent flyer set. The donut pillow often used post surgically or for tailbone injuries.

Stacking, propping and lining up pillows can be part of the nightly ritual for sleep. All of this can be made simpler if the bed elevates, as adjustable beds do. The need to elevate head or feet can be made much more effective when you can determine how high to lift it. The adjustable bed can reduce the need to buy tons of pillows for the stacking exercise.

For many designers and decorators the bed isn’t dressed without decorative and specialized pillows that create additional depth and interest. This can include fringe, tassels and decorative shapes and sizes. Pillow shams may provide the finishing touch on the bedding with matching or complementary fabric to coordinate with the duvet or bedspread. There is a relaxing element to the plushness of lots pillows on the bed; it looks lush, inviting and complete.

So whether you are looking for lush sink into plushness that comes from goose down, the firmness of memory foam or the dust mite free lined organic pillow; the comfort and support of the pillow has become important to making the night dreamy and restorative.