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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 3, 2009 at 1:14pm

Heart goes out to you and all hopes for your little grandbaby. I like my oxygen pillow. It's supportive and very comfortable.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on April 3, 2009 at 1:57pm

I will keep your grandbaby in my prayers. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

It seems pillows, like so many things with cpap, tend be an individual thing.

For the last several years, I have used a king size memory foam pillow. This is particular pillow is dense and cradles my neck without flattening. Loved that pillow and still have it.

A few weeks ago, I was in on a trial product that www.pur-sleep.com was introducing. It is the Regenisis pillow. It is a buckwheat hull pillow. Love that pillow and now use it full time.

I have not tried the pillow that Mike has recommended but it looks like it would be a great pillow as well.

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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 5, 2009 at 6:38pm

i know the manufacturer of the oxygen pillow, and he really knows his stuff. i am going to try to get him to post some on here to give his perspectives on mattresses/pillows generally (and not just his products). He's really a sharp guy.

sleepycarol said:

I will keep your grandbaby in my prayers. I hope he has a speedy recovery.

It seems pillows, like so many things with cpap, tend be an individual thing.

For the last several years, I have used a king size memory foam pillow. This is particular pillow is dense and cradles my neck without flattening. Loved that pillow and still have it.

A few weeks ago, I was in on a trial product that www.pur-sleep.com was introducing. It is the Regenisis pillow. It is a buckwheat hull pillow. Love that pillow and now use it full time.

I have not tried the pillow that Mike has recommended but it looks like it would be a great pillow as well.

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Permalink Reply by April Reeves on April 16, 2009 at 2:09pm

I sell the Oxygen Pillows in Dallas, and yes indeed. Pillows are just as important as the bed. As a general rule, the pillow should keep your head in a neutral alignment with your spinal column. To determine your neutral alignment, just stand up normally. Then take a look at the space between your chin and your chest--that's the same amount of space you need when sleeping on your back to get in maximum oxygen without putting undue stress on your neck.

I don't know how much side sleeping you're doing (or NOT doing!) but a properly fitting pillow would once again be able to keep that space nice and open without pitching your head up, or making it drop too far towards the bed. (and when testing for proper sizing, be sure to put your hands underneath the pillow if that's how you sleep-otherwise the pillow you test without doing that will end up being too tall.

Also very important--make sure you test out a pillow on a bed that approximates the feel of the bed you have at home! What works on a super firm bed is going to be (usually) WAY too tall to get you into your neutral on a soft, plush bed.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 16, 2009 at 2:25pm

Super helpful and informative post, April!

April Reeves said:

I sell the Oxygen Pillows in Dallas, and yes indeed. Pillows are just as important as the bed. As a general rule, the pillow should keep your head in a neutral alignment with your spinal column. To determine your neutral alignment, just stand up normally. Then take a look at the space between your chin and your chest--that's the same amount of space you need when sleeping on your back to get in maximum oxygen without putting undue stress on your neck.

I don't know how much side sleeping you're doing (or NOT doing!) but a properly fitting pillow would once again be able to keep that space nice and open without pitching your head up, or making it drop too far towards the bed. (and when testing for proper sizing, be sure to put your hands underneath the pillow if that's how you sleep-otherwise the pillow you test without doing that will end up being too tall.

Also very important--make sure you test out a pillow on a bed that approximates the feel of the bed you have at home! What works on a super firm bed is going to be (usually) WAY too tall to get you into your neutral on a soft, plush bed.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Judy Sharp on April 18, 2009 at 3:27am

Sending prayers, Thanks for sharing about pillows I have arthritis everywhere, and I need a good pillow for
my neck,

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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 22, 2009 at 3:32am

Was this information helpful and did you find a pillow that you like yet?

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Permalink Reply by Mary J on April 22, 2009 at 8:39am

Thanks for asking this question. Since I started with my treatment 3 weeks ago....my neck has been totally out of alignment. I think it went out of alignment when I turned to sleep on my side...and the mask put in in an unusual position. I went to a chiropractor for an adjustment.....but I'm wondering if a correct fitting pillow would help?

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Permalink Reply by Judy on April 22, 2009 at 10:59am

A good ole 100% down pillow is what has worked best for me. Simply because I can punch it into any postition I want for my head, my mask, whatever.

I tried the buckwheat hull pillow. Too hard and too NOISY for me! I tried the PAPillow, a bit too thick for me. I like something soft and "skinny". I love my down pillow and "beat up on it" as need for the position I'm in. One punch and it doesn't bother my mask at all. The "dent" is just right. Or, if I want I can punch up the end and let my mask hang over the end. Or punch a hollow in the end for my mask to lay into.

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Permalink Reply by sleepycarol on April 23, 2009 at 8:38pm

Pillows are like cpap masks -- what one loves another hates!!

I know hubby was home a few nights ago and stole my pillow for the night (he hadn't been home since I had switched pillows and he probably thought he was doing me a favor since it is on the small side) and I didn't sleep worth a hoot. I have a buckwheat pillow and love it. I have found that it has helped my neck and upper back (I have chronic back pain).

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Permalink Reply by Mike on April 23, 2009 at 9:30pm

I personally am sticking to my guns that the Oxygen Pillow is the one to get.

Mary J said:

Thanks for asking this question. Since I started with my treatment 3 weeks ago....my neck has been totally out of alignment. I think it went out of alignment when I turned to sleep on my side...and the mask put in in an unusual position. I went to a chiropractor for an adjustment.....but I'm wondering if a correct fitting pillow would help?

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Permalink Reply by April Reeves on April 29, 2009 at 12:02pm

So many people do get very attached to pillows--I always have customers who come in and tell me that their necks are killing them. Then the "probing" begins. Usually, when I ask people "okay, how are you sleeping?" the answer is "side and back." More often than not, when I ask about the pillow situation, the customer will tell me they sleep with feather pillows. (and usually, it's 2, and they're stacking to make TV watching easier, or reading).

Down pillows are very malleable, which is initially wonderful. The problem is that they do get flattened out as you change position. So you either wake up with an awfully sore neck from trying to sleep on your side with not enough lift to fill the area between the neck and bed, or you get knocked out of your sleep cycle to have to reposition and punch away at the pillow to make it fit right again. or BOTH!! I'm not sure which is worse.

Judy loves her down, because she can punch it into a good fit. I'm wondering how many times she wakes up each night to get the pillow to fit. I call it "The Never-ending Pillow Orchestration." That being said, if you love it and feel like it works for you, that's a beautiful thing!!

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