Consider Memory Foam Pillows

Since the dawn of mankind there have been pillows. The American Indians used to fill blankets with fluffy white cattail seeds to make them. Over 3000 years ago Chinese and Egyptian cultures used shaped blocks of wood or stone, even evidence of ancient Kenyan tribes and cave paintings in France show that pillows made from a variety of materials were in use over 10,000 years ago. It would seem that as long as we can tell we have slept better as a species with a pillow.

This is not so surprising physiologically, as our spine is held more in line by the use of a support, and anything that helps the spine to stay straight in sleep or support the average head weight of 10lbs while sleeping will always be a desirable item.

Of course there are more uses for a pillow than simply sleeping, and if your bedroom has a TV or is a place where you like to read or simply lie and talk to your partner, a pillow can be a nice support for a semi-prone or sitting position too. Hard to imagine a rock or a shaped piece of wood being that comfortable in this scenario, so its no surprise either that the development of the pillow has taken a leaf out of the American Indian playbook and gone the design route of being a piece of material stuffed with something soft; after much thumping and plumping one eventually gets a very soft and partially shaped comforter for the head while one sleeps.

Now the pillow has evolved again with the entry of the modern benefits afforded by memory foam. These memory foam pillows can be shaped to bridge the gap between a shaped support and the softness of a stuffed pillow. They can be the shape of a pillow, or the redesigned shape of what a pillow should be given our knowledge of physiology (I have one of those) or even a supportive shape for that ‘before sleep’ time. Many such pillows of varying shape, size and density can indeed create the perfect TV support. There are even memory foam manufacturers that make body pillows, which are full body shapers that aid in the correct positioning of the spine and neck for people with chronic difficulties in this area. Thank goodness for technology!

Some people overlook the importance of sleep, and of a bedroom that is well designed for sleep, comfort and relaxation, but even with those people that do consider these things and take a great deal of time in the choosing of a good bed, decorations, air quality, etc. they still often simply pick a standard pillow without considering the wonderful benefits that the new memory foam pillow technology brings to the table. It has the capability of literally changing the way we sleep. It also brings anti-allergy benefits, and has no deteriation of its shape over a long period of time. Different shapes and densities give different sleep experiences, so we can shift our choice of pillow according to what we want to experience that night.