Pillows (not the nasal ones) for side sleepers

[Tigerlily]

I'm trying to find a new pillow. One that will support my neck just right...not too thin, not too high. I do have a bad neck. I'd also like one that will have space to allow for a mask. I am looking at 4 different pillows and I'm having a very hard time deciding.

Do you all use a special pillow? And reviews/comments on the pillows I'm looking at?

Here they are:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/cpapma ... oduct.html

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/SleePA ... wcase.html

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/double ... -cpap.html

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/breath ... illow.html

[letsride]

I tried pillows designed for us cpap user but I really didn't care for them.

The pillow that worked perfect was http://www.amazon.com/Serta-Memory-Foam ... oam+pillow I used this pillow with a full face mask and the Nasal mask

Not to expensive!

It is hard to judge personal preference.

[RogerSC]

The third one that you listed is the one that I keep coming back to, the PAPillow . I'm a side sleeper, and active sleeper and this one works for me. I even take it traveling with me whenever I can.

From what I read though, pillows are pretty individual. I think that you should try a couple and see what works for you. If you ask 5 different people, you may get 5 different answers. Some people recommend a buckwheat hull pillow, since you can shape it. Some people recommend the contour pillows, the ones with the hollowed out spots on each side of the pillow, and so on. It's worth it to try ones that you think that you might like to find the best one for you...you'll be sleeping on it for about 1/3 of your life, hopefully *smile*.

[jaybeem]

I purchased the CPAPmax from Amazon for the same price as the link you listed. It was as hard as a brick. Even with the foam insert removed, it was too thick for me (I am 5' 1") because it had no give at all.

[Pugsy]

I checked the specs on all the 4 pillows you mentioned. Everyone of them would be too high for me and my neck.
I have a bad neck also...bad arthritis and a metal plate in it to help stabilize the degeneration.
For years I used a buckwheat pillow...just moved the hulls so that I had a little "next" for my mask when laying on my side or my stomach. I need a rather firm pillow but not a tall pillow because too tall puts a crimp in my cervical spine.
Just recently got one of these MediFlow water based pillows. I really like it but I had to go with full firm to make it work with maximum amount of water added.
ChiroFlow is another brand of water based pillows. I happened on to a great deal on a downfilled (top part) Mediflow and opted for it because I like down pillows.

If you are a small female with small shoulders then you need to really watch the height of those pillows. Now if you are more medium sized person then the height may not be as much of a problem. I am small boned...and don't quite measure 5 ft tall now. Anytime I use a pillow that is too tall I wake up with a bad "neck" headache. Those of you with cervical spine issues will know what I mean. Even those memory foam contour pillows are too tall for me on the short side until it gets broken down with lots of use and isn't so tall and for me 3 or 4 inches tall is too tall.

If you like the idea of a cut out for the mask...try a cheap memory foam pillow from WalMart and cut out your own "holes" for the mask. Measure the height of it and compare it to the height of these others to help you decide what height works best for you. If you are a small woman....the bed pillow that works great for a good sized man may not work well for you.

[chunkyfrog]

I like soft, and squishy, but not very thick.
I put a box in the "purse basket" of my cart at B3, and put a pillow on that to try it for feel.
They might look at me funny, but they know I have coupons!

[caffeinatedcfo]

I have a "My Pillow"

[LSAT]

Regenisis Buckwheat hull pillow

[jaybeem]

I am 5' 1". I sleep either on my side or on half side/half stomach. I just bought a Tempur-pedic Neck pillow in medium at a local Relax the Back. I love it. It is relatively firm, but still soft. Pillow measures 20" L x 12" W x 4" D. I use the thicker edge when I side sleep and the thinner edge when I sleep half side/half stomach. Because of the firm-but-soft feature of the pillow, I do not have to hang my mask off the side of the pillow when I side sleep and it does not dislodge my WISP. My local Relax the Back store will provide a loaner for three days, but I have had this pillow before, so I just bought it. Bed Bath and Beyond carries it if you have a local store.

I have seen online complaints about smell. The salesman said the the smell is from the plastic packaging, not the pillow. And if the smell bothered me to put it in the sun during the day and sit on it while watching TV at night for a few days until the smell was gone. I am very sensitive to chemical smells, but there was no smell to my pillow.

P.S. Although I am short, I have pretty square shoulders. And when I sleep on my side, my shoulder is straight underneath me, not tucked or rounded. The pillow also comes in small, which is 20" L x 12" W x 3" D.

[jdm2857]

...sit on it while watching TV at night for a few days until the smell was gone.

???

[jaybeem]

That is what he said! And I quote: "Sitting on it and moving around slightly will get fresh air down into the pillow and get rid of the smell."

[Kenwood]

I sleep on my stomach and use a Regenisis Buckwheat hull pillow. I like how I'm able to shape it anyway I want throughout the night. Sleeping on my stomach is my natural sleep position.

[Wulfman...]

I've been using the Chiroflow (aka Mediflow) water-based pillows for probably close to a dozen years or so.......before I started on CPAP therapy. It also seemed to work good for this therapy, too, so I've continued to use it. A couple of times since I started this therapy I've tried using a "regular" (fiberfill) pillow out of curiosity and had horrible mask leaks.

The nice thing is that you can regulate the amount of water in them to keep the head, neck and back in alignment and as a comfort (firm/soft option) feature.


Den

.

[Debijo]

I have used my new Mediflow pillow for 3 nights. I am loving it, so comfortable and leaks have gone way down! Amazon $30.02 including shipping

[JohnO]

What type of mattress do you have? If you have an innerspring mattress, you will likely need a taller pillow than if you have a memory foam or latex mattress.

I have two of these latex pillows:

http://www.amazon.com/Malouf-Natural-Ta ... s=malouf+z

One is high loft, one is low-loft.

When I was using just a firm innerspring mattress, I preferred the high-loft pillow. I added a memory foam topper, and then as I was sinking into the memory foam, I felt the high-loft was too tall, so I ordered a low-loft pillow. I ended up returning the memory foam topper and replacing it with a natural latex topper, and now I switch off between pillows.

One benefit that I found with the latex pillow over the Tempurpedic memory foam pillows is that the latex feels softer on initial feel, so it is less likely to knock your mask out of place as you flip from side to side.

John