A good pillow is essential for a restful night’s sleep. Without a pillow, the neck and head are unsupported which can cause both short and long-term muscle strain. A pillow that’s overly soft may supply insufficient support, whereas one that is too hard will be uncomfortable.
Perhaps more important than the comfort is an unseen feature of the pillow: the fill. The wrong kind of fill can cause sleep-disrupting allergies such as a congested or runny nose, along with inflamed, red teary eyes.
The reason down fill can cause allergies is partly due to dust mites, a microscopic household creature not even visible to the naked eye. Dust mites take up residence in the natural clusters of down fiber. The dust mites produce an allergen which is incorrectly recognized by the immune system of some people as an infectious invader. The body starts off an immune response which leads to allergy attacks.
Fortunately, people with such sensitivities can opt for a non-down or down alternative pillow. These pillows can conceivably control the severity of an allergy, and are also cheaper than their down counterparts. The non-down pillows are broadly divided into three categories, each typed by three kinds of fill. The first kind is made from natural down alternatives, such as silk from the silkworm. The second kind is a synthetic fill, which is sometimes called gel fiber fill. The third kind is known as memory-foam, oftentimes attributed to the fruits of space research.
Natural down alternatives such as silk are beloved by aficionados because of its two excellent qualities: high insulation, low weight. The popularity of silk is quite high in Asian nations because of historical and industrial advantages. For those of us here in the U.S., the disadvantage is that silk tends to be somewhat pricier.
Synthetic down alternatives in pillows are a close second behind down pillows. Inevitably, technological evolution has meant that synthetics can almost achieve the same level of warmth-to-weight rating as down products. If you’ve ever slept in a Primaloft sleeping bag, you know how “lofty” and comfortable it is. However, the average buyer will find these high quality synthetics to be close in price to down, and the low quality synthetics are considerably less comfortable.
The traditional construction of a pillow is two piece: a bundle of fill enclosed by a fabric pillow case. Memory foam pillows up-end this traditional construction by being made from a single piece of foam. Developed in the earliest days of America’s space program, memory foam has since then become ubiquitous in home bed products. Many find that it’s a good compromise between too soft and too hard, which additionally can shape almost perfectly to the shape of your head and neck.
This and related topics on down alternatives are available to everyone. The articles provided for hypoallergenic pillows will be informative to many.
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