Buckwheat Pillows

A buckwheat pillow doesn't compress. The hulls slide against each other and lock into whatever shape your head and neck make, then stay there, so the support you had at 11 pm is the support you have at 5 am. Air moves through the gaps between hulls, so it sleeps cool. Side sleepers scoop a hollow for the ear and the shoulder; back sleepers push hulls under the neck for the cervical curve. That's the reason chiropractors recommend them and the reason they're HSA/FSA eligible through Truemed.

Two things to know before you buy. Buckwheat is firm: it feels more like a beanbag than a feather pillow, and most people need a week to adjust. And it rustles when you move. The sound fades as the hulls settle, and if it bothers you, millet hulls are quieter.

Which size

• Japanese 14 x 20 (The traditional shape): Back and side sleepers who want a low, compact pillow that stays put
• Standard 20 x 26 (Twin and full beds): The most common pick; enough hulls to shape and still move
• Queen 20 x 30 / King 20 x 36 (Larger beds): Sleepers who move around; more surface to shape
• Travel / Toddler 13 x 18 (Kids, car, carry-on): A first buckwheat pillow for a child, or an office nap pillow
• Neck roll 4 x 12 to 6 x 16 (Under the neck or knees): A buckwheat neck roll pillow gives cervical support on top of a flat pillow; lumbar in a chair

Buckwheat, millet or both

Buckwheat hulls are larger and firmer and lock together for the most solid support. Millet hulls are smaller and rounder, so they pour like fine sand, conform more closely and make almost no noise. The multigrain pillow is reversible: millet on one side for a soft surface, buckwheat on the other for structure. Flip it depending on the night.

Setting the height and keeping it

Start full. Sleep on it two nights, then remove hulls a cup at a time until your neck is level with your spine when you lie on your side. Keep the extra hulls; you'll want them back as the fill settles. When the pillow finally feels low years later, top it up with organic buckwheat hulls rather than replacing it.

Care

Never wash the hulls. Unzip, empty them into a tub, and lay them in the sun for an afternoon a few times a year to freshen and dry them. Wash the shell and a WheatDreamz pillowcase like any cotton bedding, or shop organic pillowcases if you'd rather rotate in a fresh cotton case between washes.