Buckwheat Pillow Benefits

When everything else is going the natural, organic way, why should pillows be left behind? That's why, now we have the buckwheat pillows! As the name suggests, these pillows come with a stuffing of buckwheat hull. Buckwheat, contrary to popular belief, is not a grain, but a fruit! Buckwheat hulls are first of all roasted and then placed in pillows. This is done to ensure that the dust from the field does not go inside the pillows. You will be surprised to know that these pillows have been used in many Asian countries since centuries! It is only now that the western world has woken up to their benefits, thus gaining them unbridled popularity in the recent years!

Advantages of Buckwheat Pillows

Environment Friendly
If you look at some of the most popular kinds of pillow stuffing such as foam, polyester fiber or feathers, they are detrimental to the environment, one way or the other. The polyester fiber is actually a man-made plastic, feather stuffing come from birds while foam is petroleum-based. On the other hand, buckwheat hull being derived from a fruit, is all natural and a renewable resource. This makes such pillows environment friendly.

Good Support
Buckwheat pillows are often recommended to people who suffer from problems such as back and neck pain, tension in the muscles, TMJ syndrome, headache, migraines, night sweating, snoring, sleeplessness, etc. The reason behind this is that these pillows offer a very good support to the head, neck and shoulders. Unlike the foam or polyester pillows, these pillows do not sink in and lose shape when someone rests on them. They remain in the same shape, maintaining a person's neck and head in the same position, throughout the night. This reduces sleeping problems such as insomnia, snoring, etc. in a person as well.

Right Temperature and Air Circulation
When buckwheat hulls are stuffed in a pillow case, they have naturally formed spaces in between, which allow for proper air circulation. So another benefit of sleeping on a buckwheat pillow is that these pillows maintain comparatively low temperatures, thus allowing for a restful sleep. Speaking of the right temperature, certain pillows can actually be heated in a microwave or cooled in a freezer! This feature definitely makes them stand out from the other kinds of pillow stuffing!

Wide Variety
One of the buckwheat pillow benefits is that the buyer does not have to compromise on size and shape as these pillows come in numerous varieties. Right from the full-body sized ones to the travel pillows to neck-rolls to the tubular ones with straps used while driving for lumbar support, the market offers lots of options to the buyers. These days, aromatherapy pillows which come with some herbs mixed in the buckwheat hulls, have become very popular too.

Low Maintenance and Longevity
A buckwheat pillow can last for anywhere between seven to ten years. For keeping it clean and germ free, the pillow case needs to be washed periodically. The inside pillow only needs to be kept in sunlight for a few hours, once a month.

The above-mentioned benefits makes them a must have. However, it would help if you know their drawbacks too, before adding them in your bedroom decor. One of their biggest disadvantages is that they can cause allergy in an occasional user, especially if the hulls have not been properly roasted and cleaned of dust and germs by the manufacturer. Another of their drawbacks is that these pillows do not automatically shape-up according to a person's neck and head shape. They have to be manually molded as they can be pretty stiff. Lastly, the buckwheat hulls make a cracking sound when someone rests on the pillow. Thus, a person would need time to get used to this sound. As you can see, there are both pluses and minuses of a buckwheat pillow. So, if you finally decide to buy these, go in for the good quality ones, to limit the drawbacks and enjoy their benefits!