Buckwheat Pillows - A Natural Way to a Good Night's Sleep

Buckwheat pillows may not sound like the most exciting topic but if you have trouble sleeping and hate super soft pillows, a buckwheat pillow should at least pique your interest. I'm guessing that a lot of people have seen these pillows on TV infomercials and so you may have already written them off as a scam - at least that's how I feel about TV infomercials. Well on a trip to Japan a couple years ago, I got a chance to sleep on one and needless to say, I was quite impressed. In this article, I'll address what buckwheat is as well as some of the benefits to sleeping on a buckwheat pillow.

Buckwheat is a domesticated and widely cultivated plant. Despite it's name it has no relation to actual wheat or any other cereal for that matter. Buckwheat is most grown for it's seeds for which there is an outer part or hull and the seed itself. The inside of the seed, technically called the endosperm, is ground up to make buckwheat flour. Many Asian cultures make wide use of buckwheat in noodles and other cuisine.

In a buckwheat pillow, the hull is used as the filling in place of the goose down or synthetic fillers used in other types of pillows. Buckwheat hulls have several advantages over other types of fillers. One advantage is that they typically stay cooler than other fillers because the hulls don't really hold heat and air circulates easily between the hulls. Another advantage is that they provide an alternative to people with allergies to goose down or who are sensitive to out-gassing from synthetic fillers. Many people who suffer from neck and shoulder pain while sleeping often find relief when using a buckwheat pillow because buckwheat conforms to the contours of the neck and head while sleeping.

A disadvantage is difficulty cleaning because the buckwheat hulls cannot get wet. So if you plan on buying a pillow, look for ones that have a zipper on the inner liner. That will allow you to remove the hulls so you can wash both the inner and outer covers. Having a zipper also means that you can add or remove hulls to adjust the pillow to your liking. Another disadvantage is that being a natural product, there may be some people who are allergic to buckwheat. If you have asthma, please use caution when trying a buckwheat pillow.

Bob Barkley writes about buckwheat pillows for the website Decorative Home Pillows.com. While in the US Army, Bob suffered with insomnia but later found peace with a buckwheat pillow and a memory foam mattress.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobbie_Barkley