In today’s day and age, it’s hard to open a social media app without being pummeled by ad after ad promoting various products. The sleep world is no different. Sleep is so critical to our day to day that it makes sense there are many different products on offer to try, but how useful are these products? What are they actually used for?
Come along as we dive into the world of viral pillows. I personally am someone who has tried a LOT of viral pillows so I will be adding my own two cents as to what worked and what didn't. I'm also someone who is well aquainted with Bear's varied lineup of pillows so will be adding info about what situations these pillows work best in.
The Knee Pillow:
The knee pillow is designed to go between your thighs to help keep your knees more comfortable throughout the night. Targeted towards side sleepers who's knees stack on top of each other, the idea behind this pillow is that it helps keep your spine aligned as you sleep.
Verdict: While I enjoyed this knee pillow to begin with, it lost value for me quickly. The positives? It is comfortable! The strap also does help keep the pillow in place. The cons however outweigh the positives. If you are a person who often has to toss and turn a few times to find the perfect sleeping position, you might struggle with a knee pillow. It can get annoying to fiddle with constantly as you turn over and search for the right angle. If you are sleeping in any position that isn’t set with your knees parallel, it quickly loses value. Knee pillows come in various shapes and sizes, but ultimately that specificity is what limits its use.
Ultimately I ended up tossing the pillow aside after a few weeks. It wasn’t worth the hassle. If you are a person who can stay still in the same position in bed without fail, maybe the knee pillow is a good match. Also for all the pillow's claims for helping your posture and pain... I doubt this pillow will be a miracle cure. It did not add any noticeable pain relief in my back or knees. When it comes to specific areas that are causing us pain as we sleep, targeting those areas with exercise and strengthening are always going to be a more effective route than a pillow.
Alternatively, if you are looking for something more versatile that could serve as more than just a knee pillow, consider the the Bear Kids Pillow.
It’s smaller size means it can easily slot into the nooks and crevices perfectly. The knee pillow is only formed for the shape of your knee. You could place a Bear Kids Pillow between your knees for added support or you could place it under your feet for some added comfort at the end of the bed. If you are tossing and turning, the Bear Kids Pillow will move with you as opposed to being stuck with a strap to your knee. The best part of all? The cooling Double Ice fabric the Bear Kids Pillow is made with. The cool, smooth fabric keeps you feeling comfortable all night no matter where you put it.
Need something to hug? Bear Kids Pillow. Something to give your shoulder some leverage? Bear Kids Pillow. Something to give your knees a cushion? Bear Kids Pillow!
The Bear Kids Pillow’s smaller size also means it doesn’t take up too much space on the bed. Always a plus.
Neck & Cervical Pillow:
Another product I’ve tried is the cervical pillow. This pillow is promoted to help those who are experiencing shoulder and neck pain. It’s unique shape has a space for your head and carved out sides so you can slip in your hands and arms.
Verdict: This pillow gave me a lot of hope in the beginning. Right off the bat it seemed so comfortable. I liked sliding my arms through the little slots on the side and getting some extra support on my shoulders. It seemed like a great option. However as time went on, I found it harder and harder to get comfortable at night when using this pillow.
For example, the place where your head goes is shaped in such a way where it’s hard to get a comfortable spot for your head and ears. If you are a side sleeper, having your ear in the crevice can creates a sort of muffling effect. This part of the pillow works out better in theory than in practice for me. There's a reason we don't have head hole in normal pillows.
The shape of the pillow also kind of locks you into one position at night. For those of us who move around a bit and try to snuggle into the bed to get comfy, this pillow can be a bit restrictive. It doesn't really move and adapt to how you are laying like a traditional pillow would because it doesn't have the same surface area. There's a specific spot for everything on the pillow so I ended up being a little frustrated by the lack of flexibility.
Ultimately I gave up on this pillow after a few months and switched back to my Bear Pillow. The reason why is because of the versatility of my Bear Pillow, it gives you the space you need to accommodate your position at all times of the night. Nothing about it restricts your movements and it gives ample support. Another key element of the Bear Pillow is that it is built with cooling technology so it also stays cold to the touch at night. Of course, comfort is king and the Bear Pillow never lacks for comfort.
Alternatively, we do have an option at Bear that is closer to the feel of a cervical pillow. It is called the Contour Pillow.
This pillow follows a similar recipe as the cervical pillow. It has two curved edges for you to slip your shoulders under. The difference here though is that the Bear Contour Pillow does not restrict your movement in the same way that cervical pillows do. Your arms can be positioned more freely amongst the real estate of the pillow where as with the cervical pillows your arms kind of only have one route.
Importantly, Bear’s Contour Pillows are built with a cooling side, similar to the Bear Pillow. This way if you are getting warm in the night you can literally flip to the cool side of your pillow. This fabric is cool to the touch and will keep you comfortable all night.
Pregnancy Pillow (Infinity Pillow) -
Like the name suggests, this is a popular pillow for pregnant people. It’s a long U-shaped pillow that is great for wrapping around your entire body. Obviously pregnancy is no picnic and these pillows are super flexible to contour to your body just how you need. You can hook a leg over the side, give your bump a little extra support, or cocoon yourself in the pillow. These pillows have started to gain notoriety outside of the world of pregnancy though with many people purchasing the pillow without even being pregnant.
Verdict: Having used one of these, the comfort these pillows offer is hard to deny. With so many different position you can utilize to snuggle up, the versatility of the pillow is clear. However, the comfort is coming at the cost of space. These pillows are biiig. They have to be to fit around an entire adult. So if you are sharing a bed, immediately that poses issues. Unlike the other pillows we discussed, it is not easily tossed aside when not in use. This pillow will take up bed space and it will take up space where ever it is stored during the daytime. That being said, if your pregnant partner asks for a pregnancy pillow, you get them the pregnancy pillow!
While Bear doesn't have a like for like replacement for a pregnancy pillow, one alternative could be found in our Chunky Knit Weighted Blanket.
This blanket is built with enough structure and rigidity that it could be used to wrap around us to provide additional support where you need it. It is solid yet soft enough to mimic the feeling of a pillow, but keep you locked in place. The added weight of the blanket means it won't be moving around easily as well which is handy. Ultimately the blanket can be spread across the bed as decoration when not in use too which is handy for space saving.
Another option to consider would be our Adjustable Foam Pillow.
However, you might need a few to truly match the size of a pregnancy pillow. This pillow could be a great option because you can adjust the exact amount of fluff inside to get the pillow exactly to your liking. Don't waste time punching the pillow into the shape you want, just simply adjust the pillow's fluff content. If there's an area of your body that needs extra support, you can customize your Adjustable Pillow to fit the bill.
While pillows are great tools to achieving better sleep, ultimately your mattress is going to be the more important choice. Making sure your mattress is right means everything from your shoulders to your neck to your knees is benefitting. Most importantly, your back. You need to build your house with strong foundations and you need to build your sleep setup with the perfect base, your mattress. Every sleeper is different, so it’s up to us to decide how to best set up our beds. Pillows are great additions, but don't expect them to change the game as much as your mattress will.
