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Best Pillow

Posted , 13 users are following.

wrizvi
wrizvi

Hi - I wanted to ask what pillow do most of you use. Most normal pillows are too high for me and give me bad pain.

Since my diagnosis last year, I have been sleeping on a sofa pillow that is not too high. Its life is expiring and I am terribly worried about what to replace it with.

0 likes, 26 replies

26 Replies

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  • patricia45838
    patricia45838 wrizvi

    Posted

    Hi

    You need to have a look around, memory foam pillows are of no use.

    the full sized pillows advised by specialists are expensive.

    The Mackenzie roll is advised but also expensive as they come from USA

    you can use a rolled up towel but that soon unfolds.

    the best pillow I have found was from a certain German supermarket.

    it has a seam all around the edge & is called an orthopaedic pillow - cost £8.99

    i have bought a travel sized pillow with a roll end but I'd only use it as a last resort because the one from the supermarket is better

    also a good advice book is "How to treat your neck by Robin Mackenzie

    • wrizvi
      wrizvi patricia45838

      Posted

      Thanks patricia45838. Last night I ended up buying a pillow and cutting it open and takin out a bunch of form to decrease its height. Only managed 6 hours of sleep.
  • jeanette43594
    jeanette43594 wrizvi

    Posted

    hi wrizvi. i also have that problem with pillows and as patricia45838 says some are really expensive. the money i have spent on them is beyond belief but a friend of mine has the same problem(cs) and she has just bought a pillow (not that long ago) and she said she paid £80 for it but as she said it was a lot of money to pull out but it has done her good. i know a lot of people will not have that kind of money for a pillow but if it works you will save in the long run as you are just thowing good money after bad because it will save you money it is just pulling that amount out at once if you like i will ask her where she got from and will pass this on to you i myself have not succumded to buying one as mine is not just cs i have other health issues so i am thinking long and hard about getting one so the nexttime i see my friend i will ask if it has done her any good and if so i will bite the bullitt and buy one cryrolleyes  

  • jeanette43594
    jeanette43594 wrizvi

    Posted

    back again!!

    your best bet is to buy a pillow not to soft i found asdas pillows are not to bad  as they tend to go quite big have you tried a feather pillow  it might be better for youquestionrolleyes

    • wrizvi
      wrizvi jeanette43594

      Posted

      Hi Jeanette - No, I haven't tried feather pillows as yet. Are they firm. The two things I need the most are (i) correct heigh, (ii) correct amount of firmness.
  • jeanette43594
    jeanette43594 wrizvi

    Posted

    you could also try sittingwell .co .uk. you could always try the putnam royale site they have a good choice of pillows and supports and are reasonably priced you might find something on one of those sites smile
  • Praveen_1976
    Praveen_1976 wrizvi

    Posted

    Please use only "Memory Foam" based pillow for spondylitis...It serves :-)
    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 Praveen_1976

      Posted

      sometimes memory foam pillows can be a bit to hard i found that out to my cost. which was a terrible night as it was to hard to low dont have many good nights.everyone is different even to the pillow they use what is good for one person it is  no good for anothersmile   

       

    • Praveen_1976
      Praveen_1976 jeanette43594

      Posted

      Jeanette

      select a low/medium height memory foam pillow...its the only alternative...

      yes tis hard to find a good pillow for ones self...but in my case memory pillow worked perfectly fine.....sometimes i roll a soft towel of some 5-7 inches thick and keep under my neck for 10-15 mins..it helps... 

       dont forget to do light weight dumbells - strectching hands exercises ..as we generally do in the gym...its more powerful than the neck exercises...:-)

    • wrizvi
      wrizvi Praveen_1976

      Posted

      Thanks for all yout comments. What I have found is that I need a medium height firm pillow. Too high is painful and too low is horrible.

      Are there any decent shops in the city where pillows of multiple heights are available? I will have to ust go and liw down to figure out which one is perfect for me.

    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 Praveen_1976

      Posted

      hi Praveen-1976i have tried nearly all memory foam pillows all to no avail either to hard or low.cant do dumbells as other  health issues stop me from doing exercises;( as i was pretty active when younger and makes me worse rather than better(as such) i can sympathise with wrizvi because if i went any where and i just happened to have a good pillow at the time i always took it with me making sure it went in the car first!!! i am still going to check out the one my friend bought. i know it is £85 but if it works will be worth it. i will be meeting her again shortly and will ask her if it works and go from there.now there is more to choose from in the way of pillows as i posted last night if you look up putnam royale they have some good pillows and other stuff you might find usefull i was told about it when i was at pain management clinic all you do is type that in and the site pops up so good luck every one in the hunt for a good pillow

  • Jane3928
    Jane3928 wrizvi

    Posted

    I also have had trouble finding the right pillow.  I did a lot of experimentation and found the best solution.  I bought a piece of foam (you can get hard, firm, soft, really soft) in the roll form.  I had it cut to about 18" long and I have wrapped it in a couple of pillow cases.  It cost me about $5.  I had to experiment with the firmness of the foam, but now have got it just right!  The beauty of it is, it is easily replaceable as I have left it on many vacations.  It packs well in a suitcase and not too disastrous if I lose it.  I love it and really notice it if I don't have it>
    • wrizvi
      wrizvi Jane3928

      Posted

      Hi Jane - That might be an idea worth trying. Does it pack intactly, i.e. does it give you a firm feel?
    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 wrizvi

      Posted

      hi wrizvi i am like you were my pillow has to not to hard or soft if i dont get it right i have an awfull night and it plays havoc with my neck! it might be ok but you could try and squeeze it because a feather pillow does not  so much as loose its shape like other ones a good feather one might do the trick and they do your neck good because they dont push your head upor they are not to low (for some people) hope this helps a littlerolleyes
    • Jane3928
      Jane3928 wrizvi

      Posted

      Yes it packs in well, it squishes in very small places and when removed goes back to it's original shape, size and firmness.  Foam comes in many "firmness" forms.  You can decide which is best for you.
    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 Jane3928

      Posted

      hi jane3928 as you know i have tried several pillows all to no avail and still looking i myself will try that and see if it helps. what firmness did you find best for you? i know every one is different but to have a rough guide would be helpful

    • Jane3928
      Jane3928 jeanette43594

      Posted

      I preferred on the firm side, but had to try 2 or 3 to get it just right.  I found a rolled up towel too firm and some foams are too soft.  Try a rolled up towel and see how that is first, if that is too firm then go to a medium firmness in foam.  It was a bit of a trial and error process, but once I've figured it out I've been happy for  6 years with my foam.  She even has a name,  her name is pinky!!
    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 Jane3928

      Posted

      is the foam just an every day foam what they use for the seats as i have tried nearly every one i could find (or it might just feel like it)i have tried a rolled up towel no good! i have been trying for nearly 40odd years and still never found a one. but there is still time!! rolleyes never say never    

       

    • Jane3928
      Jane3928 jeanette43594

      Posted

      I went to a special foam shop, and tried a couple of samples for firmness right there.  Once it's cut, though, it's yours.  It was a long 6" diameter roll that they cut off 18" for me.  The diameter is also as important as the firmness so try out differing ones (5",6",7",8").  It was definitely a trial and error process.  Each cut cost about $10 cdn, I think I tried 2 or 3 before I got the perfect fit!
    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 Jane3928

      Posted

      thanks jane3928 will try that. must be better than those pillows(or all pillows i am trying) and have been for more years i care to remembersad i just hope there is a one near where i live or there abouts you dont mind trying some out  when there might be a chance to  find a one that is right for you and you dont wake up with a  stiff neck and numb head worse than you went to bed!!rolleyes   

       

    • HC58
      HC58 jeanette43594

      Posted

      I had a really bad spell with CS last summer. I use a memory foam pillow from Dunelm Mill, the flat sort, which is quite good, but found there is not enough support under my neck. The ones with the shaped edge were just not right, so I cut off the larger edge and shaped it into a cylinder shape about 8 inces long.  I use this along with the flat pillow, you can wedge the cylinder pillow into your neck and move it as you change position. My CS has been much improved since using this, it really made a big difference. 

      Hope this helps someone. 

       

    • jeanette43594
      jeanette43594 HC58

      Posted

      hi HC58 just and thank you for the sort of pillow you use.I have used the memory foam ones an i found that they werenot very good made my neck worse so that got thrown out! never thought of cutting the large end off i will definitly try this and see what happens! hopefully some respite at least (dont ask a lot do we)!! i am sorry to hear you were not well ther is nothing worse when you have a bad spell it knocks you off your feet pleasedyou are better so take care and hope to hear a post from you soonsmile.

    • HC58
      HC58 jeanette43594

      Posted

      Hi Jeanette, thanks for your reply. Have you tried out my pillow idea? It really helps me. I've not been to bad lately, but have been spring cleaning and that has set it off again, it's the window cleaning I think!  I have been persevering with the yoga, I have to be very careful, some classes are better than others, it depends what the instructor is working on each week.  How are you?
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