Pillows and Your Health

My first inkling that pillows contributed to overall good health started with a particular pleasure my wife and I enjoy. We love to stay in hotels. It allows us to eat at a nearby restaurant or catch a comedy act, have a few drinks out knowing we don't have to get in a car and drive, and simply enjoy being "away".

On one particular outing we got back to the room and discovered that all the pillows were feather pillows. Now, I much prefer that to the foam variety but my wife is allergic to feather pillows. Nothing drastic, but enough to make her nose stop up, which leads to her head hurting and from there, sneezing. In short, what kept this from being a pleasant evening for her was something I would never have thought about - the simple fact that there were only feather pillows on the hotel bed.

And yes, I know, I know...the thing to do is call the hotel front desk and request a latex pillow or a foam pillow. That is not the point of the story.

The first point is that good health is not just a platitude, i.e. "...as long as you have your health...". It really does matter for full enjoyment of life. In the case of my wife, a stopped-up nose with headache and sneezing sure subtracted from her full enjoyment of a nice evening, which by the way, took away from my fun as well.

The second point is that good health is not just about the biggies like the stress test every one or two or five years or the annual checkup or taking your medications regularly as prescribed. Good health is about the little bits every day, even the nondescript and barely noticeable bits like a pillow.

Does this sound silly? Think about all the variations that emphasize different aspects of the word and concept of "health" and then take these one step further and you can see how the often unconsidered, lowly pillow is a part of the overall picture.

For example, travel is a concept of health, i.e. travel health. Now, if you are like a good number of people, you don't get to choose when you travel based on how you are feeling. I am talking about people who travel for work.

What if you had to travel long distances with that back or neck pain that keeps you stiff and hurting if you must sleep in awkward sitting positions for several hours? Are you feeling 100% healthy with that constant nagging pain and knowing you have to put up with it for the next 14 hours on the flight from LA to Hong Kong?

You get the point - travel pillows made to assist you with easing the unnatural, uncomfortable state of staying in limited positions for long distances in cramped space.

Let's take another example from the joys of flying on business with nagging aches and pains. What about that sore bum after 10 hours of flying during your normal bedtime? Can you twist and squirm enough to ease the discomfort? What about the poor guy with hemorrhoids? In comes the inflatable seat pillow to bring about relief.

The person with orthopedic health problems might actually be prescribed a neck, cervical, lumbar or orthopedic pillow. If you add in pregnancy and body pillows, you can see that pillows are important for sleep health.

Heard of a toddler pillow? Getting the right size and form pillow for your toddler is most important for your child's safe and healthy sleeping.

Latex pillows are one part of our defense against allergens - important for those of us who know how miserable allergens can make us feel.

And of course, good health is not just about fixing or preventing problems - we just want to feel good. Buckwheat pillows and pillow forms that are right for us help us sleep soundly and well. Decorative pillows warm a home and add to our emotional health.

All the bits and stuff that make up our lives adds to or detracts from our physical, mental and emotional health. Knowing "a little bit about the bits" can help you put more of your stuff in the "add" column. Hopefully this article helped remind you about the pillow bit.