Sleeping Better With a Buckwheat Pillow
The buckwheat pillow, which has been used in Asia for hundreds of years, has come to the West. And like many things people have transplanted from the Orient, it’s here to improve the quality of their health and sleep.
Buckwheat isn’t actually wheat; it’s a fruit with a husk. The husks of the buckwheat, properly roasted to remove all the dust are inserted into the buckwheat pillow. When you sleep on it, the husks form naturally to the shape of your head and neck – and in the case of full body buckwheat pillows, to your whole sleeping shape.
Air circulating between the husks keeps you cool on hot nights and warms you up when nights are cooler. The temperature control properties of the buckwheat pillow make it ideal for people who suffer from heat related conditions (related either to room heat or the heat generated by their own bodies) – like migraines and night sweats.
It is important to buy buckwheat pillows in which the husks have been roasted rather than simply washed or vacuumed. Lower price buckwheat items often contain washed rather than cooked husks – which means there’s a reasonable chance that some of the buckwheat dust may remain. The dust can cause allergies or a feeling of stuffiness after a night’s sleep.
Buckwheat is a tough substance, which doesn’t lose its shape over time – so a good quality buckwheat pillow can last for a long time. It’s also a relatively environmentally friendly substance: it’s renewable, and by using the fruit husks to make pillow stuffing you’re using every part of the plant that has been harvested.
The creation of a buckwheat pillow need involve none of the petrochemical reactions required to make foam stuffing or synthetic down.
It’s important to note that not everyone benefits from a buckwheat pillow – just as there are people allergic to any healthy substance, so are some people allergic to buckwheat. Though, in the majority of cases this can be put down to poor quality buckwheat (washed rather than roasted, as noted above) preparation. Some users have also found that the buckwheat draws facial oils into the ticking of the pillow, making pillowcases harder to wash. But, of course if you use an under-case and wash regularly you should be fine.
Health benefits experienced by buckwheat pillow users include better sleep, more energy during the day and a noticeable decrease in neck pains where they were pre existing. It’s also possible that the buckwheat pillow is able to cut down snoring, minimise backache and prevent neck stiffness.
You can get buckwheat pillows where the hulls are accessed by a zip, so you can make your own bespoke fill – using the exact right quantity of hulls for the support you require.
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