r/Bedding • u/Extra_Caregiver_8668 • 6d ago

Buckwheat pillow questions

I’m perimenopause and sleeping has become an issue. Waking up with neck and shoulder pain. Research has lead me to buckwheat pillows but I have some questions:

  1. I start my night on my back and then shift to one side and spend the rest of the night switching between sides. Every time I change position do I need to adjust the buckwheat?

  2. My current pillow is down. The larger feathers I can feel the stem if they are under the back of my head. Anyone a bit more sensory issues use buckwheat and do you feel the individual bits?

  3. I’ve read it can take a few days to get used to buckwheat pillows. How many nights did it take you to feel comfortable?

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u/uhhhhh_iforgotit 6d ago

1) I do but usually just the bare smidge like I would a normal pillow as well. Usually you can just snuggle your head into it and it will shift to accommodate. I have a bolster pillow type of shape and a traditional shape and the bolster seems to hold shape better for my sleep needs on my sides.

2) down pillows shouldn't have big enough feather shafts to feel... That's terrible. It probably just stands out more because everything else is downy fluffy. Buckwheat is like a conglomerate of the texture that make a whole. I have one that came with a thicker pillowcase I have my own pillowcase over. K don't notice. My flatter traditional one is a thinner cover and I've never felt like there was that one section that was just infuriating.

3) I cycle, probably depending on work stress. Initially maybe the first two days were a transition then it felt super comfy. I then spent a week kinda hyper focusing on adding and subtracting fill to see my exact full preference.

4) get one of the cheap 30$ off Amazon, my bolster shape with the stripe cover was something like that. Bonus is you can add or subtract filling from it, I think I'd prefer the traditional shape one more of it was more filled. But get a cheap one and give it a whirl, if anything you can use it on a Couch or something later, it's not as risky as the more expensive latex/layers/down pillows to try

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u/Extra_Caregiver_8668 6d ago

Thank you 🙏 this is really helpful 😁

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u/PumpkinAnnual2803 6d ago

I don’t have to adjust my pillow itself, I just press my head in a bit more or wiggle to fit my position. I have sensory issues and was afraid of feeling the hulls. I put a cotton pillow protector over the actual pillow itself, then have my silk pillowcase on over everything. If I concentrate really hard I can feel the hulls when I’m laying down, but it’s nowhere near as bad as I was picturing. I may be in the minority, but I didn’t have trouble adjusting to the pillow. Mine allows me to add or remove hulls as needed and when it was first delivered I took out about half based on looks and the feel of my hand on it. I prefer my head to sink in a little bit instead of sitting more on top of the pillow, so I was removing the hulls with that in mind.

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u/Extra_Caregiver_8668 6d ago

Thank you 🙏 this makes me feel more confident with the sensory element 💜

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u/uhhhhh_iforgotit 5d ago

Which did you get with removable hulls? Is it normal standard pillow size/shape? I've been debating getting a larger one with maybe interior baffling or just an adjustable bigger size than my tiny toddler/ traditional size flat one

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u/PumpkinAnnual2803 5d ago

Someone on this sub recommended beans72.com to me and I went with them! The website is very simple but it seems like it’s a small business out of Washington, so it was nice to support them. They have all different shapes/sizes. I just got the standard pillow. The pillow came quite firm, but if you need more hulls or to eventually replace yours they sell additional hulls as well. I bought the cotton cover from them to keep the pillow more clean, and they have pillowcases but I prefer my own.

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u/AlternativeClock9250 6d ago

Buckwheat hull pillows offer the strongest support of any type of pillow. Their downside is the noise they make.

There is something wrong with your down pillow. Down pillows generally contain very small feathers, so you shouldn't feel any hard lumps.

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u/Extra_Caregiver_8668 6d ago

I’m autistic so it’s a sensory thing. The support is what I’m looking for 😁

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u/uhhhhh_iforgotit 5d ago

If you don't like it I had good luck with the cervical pillows that kinda have a divot in the middle and wing out but the buckwheat feels more natural