Decorative Pillows

Posts Tagged ‘buckwheat pillows’

I’ve written about buckwheat hull pillows before on my blog and about how much sleeping on one has helped sleep better at night. In this article, I hope to provide some information about other types of pillows where buckwheat hulls might be used as well as why buckwheat might be superior to other fillers.

Before I start, I want to give out a little disclaimer: Buckwheat is a natural product and as such if you are prone to allergies, might not be for you–so use this information at your own risk.

So with the legal stuff out of the way, let’s dig into why buckwheat is great as a filler for pillows. You see buckwheat has some characteristics, that are quite unlike other fillers.

Buckwheat hulls stay cooler than goose down or polyester batting.

Buckwheat hulls stay cooler than other fillers. Goose down is designed to keep geese warm and it will keep you warm too which is kind of bad if you like a cool pillow. Some goes with memory foam and batting.

Buckwheat hulls provide firm support for the head and neck.

It’s form fitting–something that goose down is terrible at. Memory foam is really great at this but pillows made from memory foam tend to be on the expensive side. Batting, also not very conforming.

Other pillow fillers give off manufacturing gasses long after their production.

Buckwheat is a natural product and so is goose down. Memory foam and polyester batting are petroleum derived and some people think prone to outgassing after manufacturing. I generally shy away from topics like that but I have heard of people feeling ill after new carpets and things have been installed from the foam outgassing–the so-called sick building syndrome.

So these are some of the benefits that buckwheat holds over other types of fillers and pillows. Here are some places where buckwheat hulls are especially suited. Note that this list probably is 100% comprehensive.

Buckwheat hull neck pillows can help with snoring.

Buckwheat Hull Neck Pillow – A neck pillow, also called a cervical pillow, usually comes in two types. One is meant to support the neck and to a lesser extent the shoulders during sleep and looks a bit like a cylinder in shape. The other style, which is also called a travel pillow, looks like a horse shoe and is used to not only help you sleep while on a long flight but will help prevent you from waking up face down in the crotch of some stranger upon arriving at your destination.

Because both types of neck pillow are required to cradle the “parts” they’re under, buckwheat hulls are an excellent choice for either one.

A buckwheat hull lumbar support pillow can have you feeling great after sitting in an office chair all day.

Buckwheat Hull Lumbar Support Pillow – Like the neck pillow, the lumbar support pillow is used to cradle the “parts” it was designed for. In this case that means the lower spine and specifically, the small of your back. Because they stay cool and conform so well, buckwheat is again a great choice.

People prefer organic and American producers responded. America is the greatest source for organic buckwheat pillows.

Organic Buckwheat Hull Pillows

For a long time, the Japanese buckwheat hull pillows have had a reputation as the best ones to buy but recently, I’ve noticed some small scale producers in the United States and Canada turning out really nice quality organic buckwheat pillow. So not only can you buy more locally, but additionally a lot of pillows made in Japan are actually coming out of China so they’re not really “Japanese” at all. I’m sure that people living in Europe or other parts of the world can also find a local producer.

-organic hulls and organic cotton fabrics.

One other nice thing I’ve noticed about the newer pillows is that they’re also using not just organic buckwheat hulls, but organic cotton fabric as well. So if you’re concerned about going with organic, there are a lot of options available.

Hopefully by now, I’ve convinced you how comfortable and useful sleeping on a buckwheat hull pillow can be. Since my first “taste” several years ago, in Japan, I’ve bought quite a few pillows for use at work and believe it or not in my car, not to mention that I also sleep on one.