I consider myself lucky that I don’t have to worry about sleep. To me, it is a naturally occurring part of my day, much like getting up and going to work. Six months ago, if you had asked me about my sleep, I would have said I sleep fine – it’s not terrible but it’s not great either. And I did say I am lucky because a study conducted by the Sleep Foundation in Australia showed 60% of respondents suffer from sleep disorder symptoms, with a whopping 50% actually being impaired by them. We’re talking chronic symptoms like trouble falling asleep, issues with staying asleep and waking up constantly without being able to go back to sleep, that last over three months. So when I was introduced to a latex pillow, there were absolutely no expectations either way that it would impact me given what was already my sleep norm.
A simple search on natural rubber latex as used in bedding shows how it has been around since the 1920s. It is an extremely durable material with some user anecdotal claims that their mattress is still fit for use for 40 years or more. However, memory foam gained popularity in recent decades and somehow became the standard for comfort. We’ve all seen the ads a full wineglass on a mattress and someone jumping on it to demonstrate the supposed lack of partner disturbance with memory foam. Whilst it makes for compelling visuals, it distracts from the fact that memory foam is a synthetic, petroleum-based material that degrades quickly and creates chemical off-gassing. And I have to admit that even I was suckered into buying a memory foam mattress nearly a decade ago, which is also how long my warranty is. And sadly, this is the lifespan of said mattress as it is now sagging in the middle and needs to be replaced. But that probably needs a separate write-up!
When I was introduced to the Peacelily latex pillow, as I mentioned I did not have any expectations that it would improve my sleep. I’m a restless sleeper and always have been – I wake up several times at night, but promptly fall back asleep. It takes a while for me to doze off as well. All in all, I was resigned to my sleep habits. The first thing I noticed is that the latex pillow has a low profile and is quite dense and springy. It’s on the heavier side weighing 2.5 kgs and rather than being solid, it has round holes on its surface. Its key selling points are that it is resistant to mould, mildew and dust mites and as a material, latex is malleable. This seemed promising enough but again, still did not translate to anything special for my sleep so I had to actually use it.
The first night I slept on the pillow, I noticed that I didn’t have to shift positions to find “the sweet spot”. Once I lay on my side which is my default sleep position, my neck and shoulders seemed to settle and be ideally supported by the pillow. Previously, my fluffy pillow filling had to be shifted around to create the nest I needed. With the latex pillow, I found the ideal cradling. Less movement at the start then meant I could relax quickly and get my sleep process started sooner. From there, I noted that where I would wake up three to four times a night, it was reduced to once or twice with some nights even being uninterrupted. On nights that I felt a need to lie on my stomach, the latex pillow was low enough to allow me to do this comfortably. With the times I do end up on my back, I did not notice any discomfort either even though this is my least preferred sleep position. On the whole, I experienced longer, better quality sleep purely just with the change from a down to a latex pillow.
Truthfully, the experience was a revelation that better sleep can be had with a simple change. Again, I am fortunate enough that I get good sleep in general so it’s understandable how this was not something I pursued. But for those who suffer from poor sleep, changing to a latex pillow just might be the fix you need.
