When you suffer from chronic migraines you spend a lot of time lying down. When you spend a lot of time lying down, you become very particular about what your head is resting on. This tends to turn you into a pillow-perfectionist or a cushion-connoisseur.
The problem with experimenting with different pillows (memory foam, feather and so on), is that each pillow that is rejected, has to go somewhere. If you’re like me, then that “somewhere” is right where you last used it – on your bed. And um… that means there’s a heck-load of pillows (and frou-frou cushions) on my bed! So many, that if feels like a ridiculously long-winded ritual to remove all but one each night before bed-time, and find somewhere off the floor to prop them up for the night!
According to House Beautiful, and their article on how to dress a bed, you should: “go for two pillows on each side [of a double bed], and make sure to fluff them up before sitting them on top of the duvet, with the open side facing the outer edge of the bed.”
[Hmmm… I’ve always put the open end facing inward so that you look at fabric as you walk past the bed not a peek-a-boo pillow popping out!]
The same article suggests 2 of those pillow covers should match the sheets, and the other 2 should match the duvet for a cohesive look. Another contributor adjusted the prior advice and suggested one pillow should be laid flat under the duvet (ready to go) whilst the other one should be propped up on top of the duvet as decoration or for support when resting or reading.
The image they showed for the pillow section of the article was a form of a vindication – there were LOTS of pillows and cushions:
The idea that I might be laying my pillows out wrong, got me thinking – what else don’t I know about pillows? AND what were pillows of the past like?
Turns out – it was pretty grim – I’ll never complain about my pillow again!
Next time your head is hurting and you lie down to rest, spare a thought for the Ancient Egyptians who used a carved rock – not so much for comfort, but to keep their head off the ground so that you minimized the chance of bugs and insects getting in your ears and mouth. Yikes. But that was only for the wealthy (carved stone is not cheap), most people, presumably used their crooked-arm or their partner’s jacket.
[Image source: Pillows Throughout The Ages | Hankering for History]
Then there were the Chinese who had plenty of sewing skills and access to soft materials, but tended to make their pillows from timber, jade or ceramic because (according to the Hankering for History website) they believed that soft pillows “stole energy and vitality from the body while one slept and were ineffective at keeping demons away”:
[Source: Wikipedia]
Apparently, the ancient Greeks and Romans (maybe even gladiators?!) were A-OK with straw and feather filled fabric pillows, but by the Medieval Era they were rejected again as “a sign of weakness, and their use was primarily limited to pregnant women.”
It was really only in the Industrial Age, when materials were becoming mass-produced that pillows (and decorative cushions) began to be, well, mass-produced, and used by everyone, even non-pregnant people.
According to Wikipedia, the contents of the pillows are variable. You can have cotton or latex, buckwheat or cruelty-free down. There was even this… odd… image of plastic straws filling a pillow in Japan which seems like a decent recycling idea, but I’m guessing might actually be a bit noisy:
[Image source: Wikipedia]
And now, in a full-circle moment, I’m going to do a product-shout-out (which I never do) because it’s just so darn funny:
[Image source: Dwayne the Rock Johnson Meme Spun Polyester Square Pillow – Etsy Australia]
Yes – you too can go back to sleeping on “The Rock” pillow of the past!
He he.
Take care taking care out there – and may you have just the right amount of pillows for your rest!
Linda xx
[PS – Disclaimer – I do NOT own a Dwayne Johnson cushion, from this Etsy provider or any other, and cannot provide advice on its suitability for a good rest – please speak to your friends and family for more reliable product advice.]
PPS – here’s a picture of my fridge and my Team Challenge progress so far – it’s got off to a slow start because I lost a couple of days to a bad migraine… but yesterday I ticked my last spot by humming the alphabet, and then I treated myself to my first ever Chai Latte (which I thoroughly enjoyed). Hope you’re filling in your bubbles too!
The Mindful Migraine 
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