I have no idea how this idea formed in my mind, but a few months ago, I decided that I had to have a buckwheat pillow. After some internet research, I was even more convinced that I needed one. My usual preference for a pillow is something firm, but not too high, and a buckwheat hull-stuffed pillow sounded right up my alley.
I ordered a twin-sized pillow from beans72.com which I found through Amazon. Strangely enough, their price on Amazon including free shipping was more than their price on the site with non-free shipping, which is why I ended up ordering directly from their site.
When the pillow finally came, I understood why the shipping was so much. Buckwheat hulls are heavy. As many reviewers noted, the pillow came over-stuffed, so I had to empty about 1/3 of the buckwheat out of it. These, I keep in a ziplock for refilling the pillow later, when the buckwheat in the pillow has been polished down.
My first couple of nights on the pillow weren’t as restful as I had expected. This is the first pillow I’ve come across with a learning curve. First, there’s the noise. It’s pretty crunchy when I move my head around it. I think it’s only loud to me because my head is directly on it, but luckily it doesn’t seem to bother Will.
Then there’s the firmness. I’m all for a firm pillow, but this pillow is really firm. Like plopping your face on a mound of sand firm. I’ve found that if I smush the part of the pillow where my head usually rests down before I actually put my head there, it makes a perfect cavity for where my head would be, while still giving me neck support. It’s awesome. I can move around as much as I want on the pillow and it still seems to hold its shape fairly well.
The pillow also works well for when I want to sleep on my side. It’s hard to explain, but the way the pillow supports the side of my face and my shoulder is really comfortable.
I was afraid that the pillow would be all hype because all the raving reviews I’ve read of buckwheat on The Internets, but here I am, adding to the hype. It really is a great pillow for people who like firmer material. It’s pricier than all the other pillows I’ve owned, but it’s certainly cheaper than some $100 ergonomic foam pillow.
I’m one of those people who have a $100 ergonomic foam pillow (as well as an ergonomic foam mattress). My first thought reading this post was that I couldn’t sleep on a pillow that firm, but then I realized I also love sleeping on tatami, which is like the opposite of a foam mattress.
Do you think the $100 ergo pillow is worth it? I slept on a buckwheat pillow for the first time when I was in a ryokan in Japan and I don’t think I realized what it was till the next morning, but loved it.
Oh yes I love it. I’ve had mine for about 8 years and it’s near impossible for me to have a good night’s sleep without it. When I travel, I can’t bring it along but I’ve found that a foam neck pillow is a convenient replacement. I learned my lesson after too many mornings waking up with a creaky neck, even at the most fancy hotels.