tiggymalvern (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tiggymalvern) wrote2022-02-16 08:43 pm
tiggymalvern) wrote2022-02-16 08:43 pm
The Body Pillow (or how Kuro learned to stop grumping and love the lump)
I've had a lot of issues with low back pain over the years, especially in bed. It's really annoying when you wake up at 6am and want to keep sleeping, but your back won't stop aching until you get out of bed and move around. I've had all kinds of different mattresses and pillows, and I decided to try out a body pillow. So I looked at reviews and bought this thing:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MZ9WYDQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title
It's not as big as the picture makes it look - the model is short! I tried sleeping with it like in the picture, but it wasn't comfortable for my neck, it was far too thick. So I reversed it and put the U down at my feet, with an arm sticking up either side of me. That way, there's an arm to prop my top leg on, whichever side I sleep on.
It worked really well. I've been waiting a while to say anything, because there are good phases and bad phases with spines, but now it's been a month and I haven't had a back ache in bed. I am pleased!
The same could not initially be said for Kuro, who for fifteen years has been sleeping curled up in front of me, propped against me. He was APPALLED to find that his spot on the bed had been taken by this lumpy THING. He wowzled. He kneaded HARD, and failed to reshape it. For several nights, he came to bed with me, wowzled, grumped around, and then stalked off in a huff. Sometimes he would return later in the night, and wowzle and knead and grump some more before leaving again, all rejected and humpy.
And then a few nights after I turned the bed pillow upside down, he discovered the U at the bottom. Which, in being designed to fit a human head and neck, turns out also to be precisely cat shaped. He curls into it beautifully, with support on both sides of him, and this support doesn't even wriggle around in the night. It is FAR better than sleeping propped against a stupid human!
So now Kuro is happy. And I am mostly happy. I have a really good body pillow. As long as I arrange my feet around a sixteen year old cat.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MZ9WYDQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title
It's not as big as the picture makes it look - the model is short! I tried sleeping with it like in the picture, but it wasn't comfortable for my neck, it was far too thick. So I reversed it and put the U down at my feet, with an arm sticking up either side of me. That way, there's an arm to prop my top leg on, whichever side I sleep on.
It worked really well. I've been waiting a while to say anything, because there are good phases and bad phases with spines, but now it's been a month and I haven't had a back ache in bed. I am pleased!
The same could not initially be said for Kuro, who for fifteen years has been sleeping curled up in front of me, propped against me. He was APPALLED to find that his spot on the bed had been taken by this lumpy THING. He wowzled. He kneaded HARD, and failed to reshape it. For several nights, he came to bed with me, wowzled, grumped around, and then stalked off in a huff. Sometimes he would return later in the night, and wowzle and knead and grump some more before leaving again, all rejected and humpy.
And then a few nights after I turned the bed pillow upside down, he discovered the U at the bottom. Which, in being designed to fit a human head and neck, turns out also to be precisely cat shaped. He curls into it beautifully, with support on both sides of him, and this support doesn't even wriggle around in the night. It is FAR better than sleeping propped against a stupid human!
So now Kuro is happy. And I am mostly happy. I have a really good body pillow. As long as I arrange my feet around a sixteen year old cat.
no subject
All in all if the precious kitty is happy, the rest will sort itself out. That's the most important thing - sort of. :)
Whenever I use my Tricore pillow, Cody seems to think that the triangle hole in the center must have been made specifically for him and not my head. Had the same issue with Mikey and Teni in the past. Bailey happily sleeps inside her little carrier.
Glad you found something to help ease your back pain. If you don't mind doing an update in another month or so I'd be interested to hear if you still like it.
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I'm still trying to find a good neck pillow. I've tried pillow cubes, memory foam, specially shaped neck pillows, and every one of them seems to be too thick so that my neck is bent upwards rather than straight. Might have to try a tricore...
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Then, it was discontinued.
Tried several similar pillows but found they were not the same so the search resumed. I may need to go back to the Tricore again now that the menopause monster has decided to slink off. :P
There are several styles of Tricore pillows. The link below is for the "gentle" fill so it's softer, it might be more suited for you if your neck is bent upwards with the other pillows. One side is a little shorter than the other so you can get a better fit for your neck. You'll want to lay on it so the pillow lifts a little bit of your upper shoulders so your head is fully in the triangle.
https://smile.amazon.com/Core-Products-FIB-220-Tri-Core-Cervical/dp/B005RCBKE6/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=tricore&qid=1645208297&sr=8-4
I prefer the more firm version (that's what my chiropractor's office uses for the traction machine and where I first learned about these).
https://smile.amazon.com/Core-Products-Tri-Core-Pillow-Full/dp/B000ET9TXQ/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=tricore&qid=1645208297&sr=8-3
Tried the rounder one (D-Core) but hated that it made my neck hurt more than ever but YMMV.Whichever pillow you get, keep in mind that it's going to take some time to get used to it, and you'll more than likely have to fight your kitties for it, too. :)
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So I ended up buying one of these:
https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B09HXFZPYH?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_dt_b_asin_title
It has a separate pouch for the area under your neck which you can pack with as much fill as you need. It sounds perfect, because I have a couple of rejected pillows which were super comfortable in the shaped area under my head, it's just that the neck part was too high and wouldn't squish down.
It arrived today, so I will have to play with it and let you know.
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It's not perfect - I actually wish the central dip where your head goes was a little bit thicker. The adjustable part is the bit that fits your neck, there's no way to change the deoth of the hollw, though I suppose you could put a blanket or something under it to lift it up half an inch or whatever. But since I got the filler right, I haven't once woken up with a stiff neck. It's the best pillow I've found by quite some margin.
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How is the heat with this pillow? Do you find yourself feeling hot in the night?
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