What is the Best Filler Material for Pillows?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the suitability of various materials as fillers for pillows, focusing on comfort and neck support. Participants share personal preferences and experiences with different types of pillow fillings, including both traditional and unconventional materials.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest down, particularly goose down, as a preferred filler due to its comfort, while others express concerns about the pain associated with feathers.
  • One participant mentions using inexpensive, medium-density foam pillows, referring to them as a "sleep tax" due to their short lifespan.
  • A participant shares a positive experience with a high-quality goose down pillow, noting its ability to conform to the head and neck and alleviate pain.
  • Another participant humorously mentions using a quiver of pillows for different occasions, including a buckwheat pillow, and describes a restless night of switching pillows.
  • Some participants express uncertainty about the types of foam used in their pillows, with one recalling a previous preference for memory foam.
  • A participant humorously mentions using a cat as a pillow in the past, highlighting the comfort provided by the cat's purring.
  • There are playful exchanges about the idea of using unconventional fillers, such as kittens, and the implications of using inflatable pillows.
  • One participant questions the appropriate stiffness of pillows versus mattresses, indicating a desire for clarification on comfort preferences.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a variety of preferences and experiences with pillow fillers, indicating that there is no consensus on the best material. Multiple competing views remain regarding the comfort and suitability of different fillers.

Contextual Notes

Some participants mention allergies to certain materials, which may influence their choices. There is also a lack of clarity on the specific types of foam used in some pillows, and the discussion includes humorous and anecdotal references that may not directly relate to the main topic.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in selecting pillow materials for comfort, those exploring alternatives to traditional fillers, and anyone curious about personal experiences with various pillow types may find this discussion relevant.

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What material is most suitable as a filler for pillows, which material can provide optimal comfort and neck support?

Examples of Filler Materials:

Feathers
Buckwheat
Cotton
Cloth Fibers
Synthetic Plastic Fibers
Foam
Viscoelastic Foam
Memory Foam
Latex
Compressed Air

Examples of Filler Materials Used For Bean Bag Pillows:

Dried Beans
PVC Pellets
Expanded Polystyrene
Expanded Polypropylene
 
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My favorite is down, specifically goose down. Feathers can be painful.
 
For me, it's a cheap, medium-density pillow - the $3 ones at Target. They only last about a year, just replace them now and then. Think of it as a sleep tax.

I do use a pillow liner though. Allergies, you know.

The filling? I know it's foam but I don't know exactly what kind.

Random foam, that's my answer.
 
Feathers for me, although down is definitely better. (Too expensive, though.)
I don't like foam, and I haven't any experience with those other things.

edit: Oh, hang on. I did actually use an inflatable pillow once in an emergency. Did not like it one little bit.

2nd edit: Buckwheat?! Who the hell stuffs a pillow with pancakes?
 
lisab said:
For me, it's a cheap, medium-density pillow - the $3 ones at Target. They only last about a year, just replace them now and then. Think of it as a sleep tax.

I do use a pillow liner though. Allergies, you know.

The filling? I know it's foam but I don't know exactly what kind.

Random foam, that's my answer.
For years I used soft foam and dacron stuffed pillows, they were very comfortable, but a couple of years ago Evo Child gave me a top of the line goose down pillow, something I would have never spent money on. Oh my gosh! It's the best pillow EVER. Just a tiny push will fluff the pillow up to conform to my head and neck in just the perfect way, it has helped with the pain I have (spine) so much. I lay there and think "this is heaven". I have been tested and am allergic to feathers, but this pillow came with two liners on it in addition to the basic cover. No allergy problems. Sometimes it pays to pay. :-p Considering how many years it will last, it's a good investment, I need to stop being such a cheapskate. Thank you Evo Child! Oh, and she also gave me my new bed, high tech foam stuff, again, it has done wonders for my hip pain. She takes care of her mom.
 
Please crate her up and send her to me.
 
Danger said:
Please crate her up and send her to me.
:smile:
 
I liked memory foam for a while. Now I'm not sure what I have.
 
I use nails and thumb tacs - makes a man out of ya.
 
  • #10
I've got a quiver of pillows for all occasions. Yes, even a buckwheat Sobakawa pillow, soft ones, firm ones, medium ones. They all lay on my bed. I'll put my head down to sleep with my best guestimate as to which one is "the one" for this evening's slumber. Some time into the night I'll get fed up with it, fling it across the room, and grab another. Sometime later in the night I will repeat that operation. And so on, and so on... Then the next morning I'll throw them all back on my bed and go out and face the day fully rested and refreshed :smile:
 
  • #11
Now that I think back upon it, I recall that I have used a cat as a pillow a couple of times in the past. Lucy isn't too much into it, but her predecessor Dingbat McBeth loved it. His purring also served as a sleep aid.
 
  • #12
Evo said:
My favorite is down, specifically goose down. Feathers can be painful.
You're giving me ideas. :rolleyes:

 
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  • #13
dlgoff said:
You're giving me ideas. :rolleyes:

You're going to leave that poor thing naked?! :bugeye:
Won't that adversely affect her omelet-laying ability?

edit: Of course, I've fallen asleep with my head on a pretty girl's lap a few times. Only once did I get my nose tweaked for warning her that I have a tendency to fluff my pillows.
 
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  • #14
dlgoff said:
You're giving me ideas. :rolleyes:
So cute! Nice pen! But don't kill her! :frown:
 
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  • #16
Danger said:
edit: Oh, hang on. I did actually use an inflatable pillow once in an emergency. Did not like it one little bit.

If I have an inflatable pillow and it is too stiff because the air pressure inside it is too high, can I deflate the pillow to a lower air pressure so that it will be softer and provide better neck support?
 
  • #17
My dream is to sleep on a pillow stuffed with kittens.
 
  • #18
Buckwheat was cool and comfortable, but I never could afford one of my own.
 
  • #19
Which should be stiff and which should be soft among the following objects: the pillow and the mattress?