I Think I Have Found My Sleep Pillow for Life

Contents

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• 01 – Introduction
• 02 – Buckwheat Hull Pillow
• 03 – Buckwheat Hull Pillow Pros and Cons
• 04 – Maintaining a Buckwheat Hull Pillow
• 05 – How to Save Money on a Buckwheat Hull Pillow
• 06 – Conclusion

01 – Introduction

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I’ve used a number of pillows for sleeping over my lifetime. For years, I wasn’t very picky about the pillow I used for sleeping. However, I began to become picky about the pillows I used for sleeping when I began experiencing sporadic neck pain after a night of sleep.

The first pillow I purchased after becoming picky about pillows was a contour pillow that I purchased at a local Linens & Things store (Linens & Things now only has an online presence). I used that pillow for years. The pillow was washable, but it took days to completely dry out. One thing I didn’t like about the pillow was that it wasn’t wide enough.

Eventually I replaced the contour pillow with a Tempurpedic pillow. I don’t remember what the pillow was called. It was a unique pillow that is no longer sold. The Tempurpedic pillow didn’t last very long and if my memory serves me well, I didn’t particularly like the pillow.

I then tried another pillow from an online retailer, but returned it after using it for only one night. The pillow completely bottomed out when I laid my head on it.

Next, I purchased a shredded memory foam pillow made by Coop Home Goods on Amazon. I used the Coop Home Goods pillow for three years. I had issues with the pillow being too warm and the pillow also tended to bottom out after sleeping on it for a few hours.

My neck pain became worse after a few nights of using an extra pillow case on the shredded memory foam pillow when I tried washing my face using oil. I also learned the possible cause of my neck pain during a consultation with Dr. Douglas Gillard in 2018. Dr. Gillard identified a grade 1 spondylolisthesis of my seventh cervical (C7) vertebra from the MRI images I sent to him for the consultation.

So, once again I began searching for a supportive, comfortable pillow in 2020.

02 – Buckwheat Hull Pillow

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During my research for a supportive, comfortable pillow in 2020, I came across recommendations for using a buckwheat hull pillow. I knew about buckwheat hull pillows from prior pillow research, but I dismissed them for reasons that I now can’t remember. There were a number of online vendors offering buckwheat hull pillows. I eventually narrowed down purchase candidates to two vendors; beans72 and ComfyComfy. After researching the pillows offered by beans72 and ComfyComfy, I decided to purchase my first buckwheat hull pillow from beans72. I chose beans72 because the pillows were cheaper and the lady who runs the business is Japanese.

I quickly fell in love with my buckwheat hull pillow. The pillow was very supportive, moldable, and breathable. I did have to learn how to get out of bed differently because I had developed the habit of pushing off of the bed with my head. I’ve done that at least twice with the buckwheat hull pillow and my neck let me know that it was not happy.

03 – Buckwheat Hull Pillow Pros & Cons

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Pros:

• Supportive and breathable
• Moldable and customizable
• Very little compression
• Longevity
• More environmentally friendly
• Cooler than memory foam

I can personally attest to all of the above pros. The longevity applies to the case that contains the buckwheat hulls, not the buckwheat hulls themselves. More about the longevity of buckwheat hulls in the section on pillow maintenance.

Cons:

• Heavy; a standard size pillow can weigh 8-10 lbs.
• Extremely firm initially
• Frequent molding may be required if you’re a side sleeper or turn in your sleep.
• Makes a crunching sound during movement
• May be considered pricey by some people
• Typically only available from online merchants
• Only the cover (ticking) is washable.
• Not the best choice for stomach sleepers due to firmness.
• Not molding the pillow properly may result in neck pain, aching, and/or stiffness.
• Maintenance required to address the breakdown of buckwheat hulls.

The pillow is heavy. You will not be using a buckwheat hull pillow for pillow fights.

While a buckwheat hull pillow is extremely firm initially, it does soften up some as the buckwheat hulls wear. However, I’ve found that I prefer the firmness of new buckwheat hulls over softer, worn buckwheat hulls.

Buckwheat hull pillows do make a crunching and rustling sound when you move your head. However, the sound has never bothered me.

I don’t think buckwheat hull pillows are that expensive compared to the price you will pay for Tempurpedic pillows.

I have experienced neck pain at times using my buckwheat hull pillows. The pain results when I don’t properly mold the pillow. On two occasions over five plus years of use, I have also experienced a searing pain across the top of my skull. I don’t know what I did to cause the searing pain.

I eventually regretted not buying my buckwheat hull pillows initially from ComfyComfy instead of beans72. The owner of beans72 calls the case containing the buckwheat hulls pillow ticking. The pillow ticking that comes with the buckwheat hull pillows sold by beans72 is noticeably thinner than the pillow ticking that comes with the buckwheat hull pillows sold by ComfyComfy. That is why, in my opinion, the pillow ticking from beans72 becomes infused with a fine, brown dust as the buckwheat hulls break down.

04 – Maintaining a Buckwheat Hull Pillow

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Nothing is mentioned on either the beans72 or ComfyComfy sites about maintaining a buckwheat hull pillow, except for the ComfyComfy site recommending setting the pillow out in the sun periodically.

After about 18-24 months, I noticed that the pillow protector covering the pillow I purchased from beans72 was becoming brown. Upon opening the pillow protector, I discovered that the pillow ticking was even browner; reference the image at the end of the previous section. Both the pillow protector and the pillow ticking had become infused with a fine brown dust. I sent an email to the owner of beans72 asking about the issue and she stated that the dust was due to the buckwheat hulls polishing each other. I asked her how I could clean the hulls and she recommended using a fine mesh sifter.

I purchased what looks like a gold miner’s sifter from Amazon and I used that to perform my first two cleanings.

While the fine mesh sifter worked, it took quite a while to sift all of the buckwheat hulls. Although I held over a large Tuff Stuff flex tub, dust still got all over the folding table I used while sifting the hulls. Following is an image showing the amount of dust I was able to sift from the buckwheat hulls:

Last year I purchased an electric sifter from Amazon. I haven’t used the electric sifter yet, so I will update this post when I do.

The ComfyComfy site recommends setting the pillow out in the sun periodically. I haven’t done that, but I think it’s a good idea. I need to figure out a way to set the pillow out in the sun without it getting particulate matter on it from the air.

As the buckwheat hulls wear, the volume in the pillow ticking will shrink. You’ll need to add more buckwheat hulls about every 18-24 months. I add new buckwheat hulls after cleaning the existing hulls.

You can purchase buckwheat hulls from a number of online vendors, including beans72 and ComfyComfy, although neither vendor is the cheapest. I purchased 20 pounds from Hullo last year for what I thought was a reasonable price.

05 – How to Save Money on a Buckwheat Hull Pillow

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One way to save money on a buckwheat hull pillow is to make your own pillow ticking (the cover that holds the buckwheat hulls). However, you need to have a sewing machine (I don’t have one…yet) and you need to know how to sew.

I learned how to sew when I was in grade school as home economics was taught at that time. The first part of the school year, we made an apron. The second part of the school year, we used the aprons we made while making soft pretzels. While it has been many years, I feel confident that I could pick up the skill again without a problem.

You can also buy pillow tickings on Etsy (use pillow case as the search term). I purchased a few last year.

I think ComfyComfy has the best pillow ticking available. ComfyComfy calls their pillow ticking the ComfySleep cotton twill zippered case. The ComfyComfy cotton twill material is 10-ounce fabric weight, so you’ll want that or something close to it if you decide to purchase a pillow ticking(s). The pillow tickings sold by ComfyComfy are more expensive than what I paid for almost the same quality material from a couple of vendors on Etsy. However, the pillow tickings I purchased on Etsy were 8-ounce fabric weight.

While you can make your own pillow ticking, you’ll still need to buy buckwheat hulls. I’ve found Hullo to be a cheaper source for bulk buckwheat hulls. Both beans72 and ComfyComfy also sell bulk buckwheat hulls, but at a higher price.

06 – Conclusion

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I use three buckwheat hull pillows for sleeping. I use one pillow for resting my head on. I use the other two pillows for body positioning; a queen-size pillow for resting a leg on and a travel-size pillow for resting an arm on.

I also use a buckwheat hull chair cushion that I purchased from ComfyComfy.

Unfortunately, the chair cushions are no longer sold. The chair cushion is 18 inches square, so you may be able to find a pillow ticking/pillow cover of the same size on Etsy. Remember to look for one that is zippered and close to 10-oz fabric weight, the type of fabric that ComfyComfy uses to make their pillow ticking/pillow cover.

I purchased two of each size of buckwheat hull pillows that I use. That way, I have one available to immediately use when it comes time to perform maintenance on the current pillow I’ve been using.

If you decide to purchase a buckwheat hull pillow and a pillow protector, I recommend purchasing a pillow protector that is smooth. I made the mistake of purchasing quilted pillow covers (protectors) from beans72 and the pillows were difficult to insert in, and remove from, a pillow case because of the quilted fabric.

So, what do you think? Have I tickled your curiosity into looking into purchasing or using a buckwheat hull pillow? Let me know in the Comment box at the bottom of the page. Thank you for visiting.

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