Whenever I make a purchase, a trail of spreadsheets, notes, and bookmarks usually leads to that moment. Last summer, the object of my听fixation was pillows, particularly pillows that would bring some much-needed relief from neck pain.
I had upgraded my mattress the year before because of nagging neck pain, ditching my $80 hard-as-brick mattress in a box for a 鈥減roper鈥 $400 model. This provided some relief, but I was still waking up with unexplainable stiffness. After a bit of Googling, I learned that the lingering aches could also be caused by my pillow.
How I Found the Perfect Pillow for Neck Pain Relief
For months, I waded through reviews from 听and听, saving dozens of options to online shopping carts. I even asked my mom about my childhood pillows after deducing that the pain didn鈥檛 start until after I moved out. (They were some variety of Macy鈥檚 down alternative.) However, the decision fatigue was paralyzing, as was the idea of spending a hundred dollars on an听item I wasn鈥檛 convinced about.
After about six minutes of being cradled in the pillow鈥檚 slight sink, I threw down $90 to take it home, sold on its instant proof of comfort and solid neck support.
I Chose a Pillow Made of Wool and Buckwheat
Then, a friend suggested I visit a local store in Santa Fe called听, a family-run company specializing in mattresses, bedding, and pillows crafted from natural fibers, which they also sell online. I walked in the next day, and after telling the woman at the counter what I was looking for, she asked me to lie down on what they called their .
It featured two fillings鈥攁 layer of soft, comfortable wool on top of beanbag-like听buckwheat hulls鈥攅ncased in smooth sateen made from organic cotton. After about six minutes of听being cradled in the pillow鈥檚 slight sink, I threw down $90 to take it home, sold on its instant proof of comfort and solid neck support.
I Tested My New Pillow for Ten Months. Here’s What Happened.
In the ten听months since, my daily neck pain has completely dissipated. The buckwheat hulls provide听better ventilation than other materials, meaning no head sweats鈥攅ven in the dead of summer.听The company recommends removing some of the hulls to听achieve the loft that鈥檚 perfect for you (and to save those听you听don鈥檛 use at first, giving your pillow new life down the line).
It took me some time to get used to fluffing听my pillow, but听once I found the perfect distribution of hulls, it felt like the pillow was custom-fitted to my head and spine. Of course,听while this pillow helped ease my discomfort, it鈥檚 certainly not a cure-all for more serious afflictions鈥攕ee your doctor if you have chronic neck pain.
At the end of my听quest for the best pillow, it turned out my pile of research amounted to nothing more than too many options. While that probably won鈥檛 change my ways, it was a听reminder that sometimes a personal recommendation听trumps weeks of online research.听
Want more of听国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 Health stories?听.