Poor sleeping posture can disrupt sleep quality. When you wake up, you might find that you have neck or back pain that may last throughout the day. But aside from your mattress, pillows are vital in good sleep quality. They keep the head, neck, and backbone aligned when sleeping. If your spine and neck aren’t in a neutral posture, you may keep waking up in the middle of the night, and wake up feeling deprived of sleep.
Pillows, just like any other aesthetic inclusions in your bedroom, can be designed for very specific purposes, particularly to suit your typical sleeping position. But whether you sleep on your stomach, your back, or your side, you need that ‘perfect’ pillow that will help give you a good night’s sleep. For some people, the perfect pillow has to be soft and plush, while some might prefer it flat. And there are those who are constantly on the hunt for the ‘perfect’ pillow that will help them sleep better no matter what position they sleep in. For a growing number of consumers, it’s the buckwheat hulls pillow.
The Sobakawa
Also known as the Japanese pillow or sobakawa, as based from its origin, these pillows are stuffed with hulls, which are the hard outer casings of buckwheat seeds.
If you’re wondering how’s that possible, check out this video on how a buckwheat hull pillow is made:
Buckwheat hull pillows are a more pleasant alternative to cotton, latex, and feather pillow fillers. They’re also durable, heat-resistant, and hypoallergenic. But perhaps one of its best features is you can also modify the amount of hulls inside the pillow to get your preferred level of firmness.
Because buckwheat hulls are firm, when stuffed in a pillow, they can provide contouring support to your head and neck, which is helpful in sleep. But how else can these unique pillows help in improving sleep? Read on to find out.
1. By Maintaining Air Flow
One of the most common problems with ordinary pillows is they tend to accumulate heat when u lay in them too long. However, because of the shape of the hulls that leave spaces around even when clumped together, air flow is not obstructed. This helps to maintain comfortable temperatures in your pillow when you sleep, especially during warmer seasons.
2. By Emitting A Calming Scent
Buckwheat hulls pillow has a natural fresh scent that’s very subtle but calming. The strength of this scent varies depending on the pillow type but hulls, in general, emit a mild, fresh scent that may help you drift off to sleep faster.
3. By Reducing Snoring
One of the reasons why people snore is poor sleeping posture. There are no pillows that can directly prevent snoring issues. However, using a pillow that promotes proper sleep posture can help reduce snoring.
If you’re using pillows that cannot support your neck muscles properly, chances are you won’t be able to relax completely while sleeping. In worst cases, the lack of support can lead to awkward neck positions that may partially obstruct the airways and cause snoring. The buckwheat hulls pillow may help address this by adjusting to the shape of your neck to provide firm support where it’s needed.
4. By Helping Relieve Migraine
If you’ve ever had a migraine, you know how intense the pain can be, and how it may keep you from falling into a deep sleep. This is an exacerbating cycle since sleep deprivation can further trigger migraines. While significant migraines should be addressed by a doctor, a good set of buckwheat hull pillows may help you when it’s bedtime. The best pillows for migraines are the ones that are soft but firm to help realign your spine and relieve neck and back discomfort that migraines are known for.
5. By Supporting Muscles
Most people sleep on their side. However, this can cause significant back and shoulder discomfort if not properly supported. A buckwheat body pillow that adapts to your body shape and posture can help you overcome this problem. Buckwheat hulls can also provide neck support by filling the depression behind your neck when you sleep on your back.
Stomach sleepers frequently endure shoulder, back, and neck pain as a result of their uncomfortable sleeping posture. Using a buckwheat pillow packed less than normal is the easiest way to minimize this. This will ensure that the hulls are distributed equally and that your body is in a more neutral posture when you sleep on your stomach.
Key Takeaway
There are many different organic materials used to stuff pillows, but buckwheat is one of the most cost-effective options that offer versatility. It’s flexible enough to adapt to all types of sleepers without compromising quality. If you’re looking for a versatile pillow that can match your multiple sleeping positions, the buckwheat hulls pillow may be the right one for you.
