Luxury Bed Sheets & Bedding

The History of the Pillow

The ancient Egyptians regarded the head as the seat of life and therefore lavished much attention, detail, and money on pillows for the dead. Generally speaking, pillows were originally reserved for the wealthy, but they were originally art forms rather than sleeping accessories. This was due to the fact that the mastering of both dyeing and sewing techniques was very difficult, and known only to a select number of artisans.

Highly decorated pillows became prized commodities first in China and Persia and later in Medieval Europe. For the Chinese, soft pillows were considered undesirable and contrary to inspiring vitality. In their stead, wood, leather and ceramic materials were used. Some pillows were even filled with herbal remedies, as many believed they could cure disease, turn white hair black, restore lost teeth, and inspire sweet dreams.

Only the very wealthy filled their pillows with feathers and down, which made them soft and malleable, while the poorer classes, in addition to sometimes having to eat cake, also were forced to use straw as a filler, which is so uncomfortable and rarely used today. Still, in olden days, hard pillows were preferred on the theory that soft substances robbed the body of vitality and were bad for everything from blood circulation to keeping demons away.

The Industrial Revolution brought about the mass production of decorated textiles and pillows Modern fillers can be made from foam, synthetic products, feathers or down and hypo-allergenic varieties of down. In Asia, buckwheat is commonly used.

Different Types of Pillows

There are three main types of pillows: bed pillows, orthopedic pillows and decorative pillows, with some overlapping of use between these. Throw (or toss) pillows are purely decorative and are not meant to support or comfort. (Go cry somewhere else!) Outside the United States, this type of pillow is called a cushion and the word “pillow” refers only to bedding.

Orthopedic pillows come in different forms. Some are body pillows, which are often as long as a full adult body, providing support to the head and neck at the top and to the knees and legs lower down. These pillows are especially useful in providing support for those who sleep on their sides and for pregnant women. Also known as cervical pillows, neck pillows provide an area for the head to rest and a supportive area to keep the neck in alignment with the spine while sleeping.

Travel pillows are “U” shaped and are made to support the neck and head in a sitting position. The special shape fits around the back of the neck and keeps the head from slipping during sleep, but these pillow are also often known to force the head forward, which creates stiffness in the neck.

Donut pillows and lumbar pillows are two other orthopedic varieties. Donut pillows are firm and used primarily by those who have either suffered an injury to the tailbone area or who suffer pain from hemorrhoids or other ailments. Lumbar pillows are designed to support the inward curve of the lower back and are generally used to provide support to the user while driving or sitting.

There are five common synonyms for decorative pillows. These include: Accent, Sofa pillow, Couch pillow, Toss and Throw pillows. They are usually found on furnishings in the more public areas of the home, such as sofas, chairs and window seats.

Miscellaneous Pillow Styles

Novelty pillows are often shaped like humorous objects (a banana, Tweety bird, a human leg, a well known political figure). These are primarily meant to brighten up and add humor to a room or lounge area. A “Boyfriend” or “Husband pillow” is large with a high back and two arms. The user is propped upright while in bed or on the floor.

The Asian world has many different types of specialty pillows. Some of these include: a Takiya which is used as an armrest in India and Pakistan, a Shitou Zhentou (rock pillow in Chinese), which is made from jade. Dating back to the Ming Dynasty, jade is said to be a cure for headaches as it translates energy from the stone to the brain.

General Advice

All pillow covers should be laundered periodically as they always come in contact with the user’s body. Even regular washing, however, cannot eliminate the large amounts of dust and microbes that gather, as if for global conferences, among the fill. For this reason as well as to not exacerbate allergies, it is suggested that pillows (like nasty in-laws) be replaced every few years.

Happy Pillow.