Going Pillow-less, anyone have any success? page 2

[BestBetter]

I usually get a sore neck and back when I sleep with a pillow. I usually ditch the pillow and either sleep on my stomach (prefered) or occasionally I sleep on my back with a pillow under my knees, which makes this position a million times more comfortable.

However, my dad (who has sleep apnea and just did a sleep study) found out that apnea is a huge problem when sleeping on one's back, so he's convincing me not to sleep on my back anymore (I do snore significantly more when I sleep on my back). He's convinced me to try sleeping on my side more, which I can only do with a seriously beefy pillow...so now I kind of go back and forth between pillow/no pillow.

Would love to hear from people with snoring/apnea issues, and how they sleep most comfortably.

[isbolick]

Isn't it kind of weird to change your sleeping habits based on something that no one can ever know? I imagine this is pretty individual. If no pillow works for you, it's probably because of the way you are built combined with the position you find most comfortable to sleep in. Not because nobody had a pillow 10,000 years ago. I sleep best with a memory foam pillow and on a 4" thick memory foam mattress pad. Like sleeping in a cloud. No back or hip problems at all after those changes. And I am thinking our ancestors did not have access to memory foam, but they didn't have access to antibiotics, either. Or cars. Too bad for them; I am keeping the memory foam, the modern medicine and the car.

[sbhikes]

When I hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (3000 miles, 6 months or so) I had no pillow or bed. Just a 3/8" closed-cell foam pad on the ground and a sleeping quilt (bottomless down sleeping bag). I did not dig out a hip hole or arrange my things to form a bed or anything. I would attempt to raise my feet or knees but whatever I used would eventually move or flatten. Sometimes I would use my paperback book as a pillow, but I didn't always have one and it usually got moved out of the way at some point in the night if I did. It took a while, but I figured out how to sleep on my side without a pillow. I had to arrange my hips just so and I usually put my hands under my cheeks, prayer-style. Mostly I slept on my back because it was the only position where I wouldn't drool all over everything. Drooling onto closed cell foam or nylon fabric and down is really unpleasant. The worst is when the drool actually pools in the corners of my eyes. Don't know nothing about apnea but lots of problems with drool. I use a pillow now at home mostly for drool. Sorry that's so gross, but if you know how to stop the drooling, please let me know. It's been a life-long bother.

[Paleobird]

Isn't it kind of weird to change your sleeping habits based on something that no one can ever know? I imagine this is pretty individual. If no pillow works for you, it's probably because of the way you are built combined with the position you find most comfortable to sleep in. Not because nobody had a pillow 10,000 years ago. I sleep best with a memory foam pillow and on a 4" thick memory foam mattress pad. Like sleeping in a cloud. No back or hip problems at all after those changes. And I am thinking our ancestors did not have access to memory foam, but they didn't have access to antibiotics, either. Or cars. Too bad for them; I am keeping the memory foam, the modern medicine and the car.

Exactly. I <3 my Tempurpedic and its pillows.

[Uncephalized]

I've been sleeping with a buckwheat pillow for a while. And our "bed" is just an extra-firm 2" natural latex mattress topper on the floor. It's very comfortable.

I might try going without a pillow for back-sleeping, though if I sleep on my side a thick pillow is essential or I wake up with a horrible crick in my neck--wide shoulders do not allow for a neutral spine when sleeping on the side without a pillow.

[Tribal Rob]

I sleep with a pillow sheilding my balls from Kicky McKickerson, the person who my child turns into after she has snuck into our bed at 2 in the morning.

[Figlio di Moros]

I'm a stomach sleeper and am so much more comfortable without a pillow! I sleep better every night and no more sore neck in the morning.

Same here, although I have two on my bed. I spend some nights back-and-forthing them out of my way and eeking as little support as possible(which usually turns out to be too much).

[BigJilm]

Tried it last night... lasted 15 mins.

Going to suck it up and try for 20 tonight.

[Dr. Bork Bork]

Ohmigosh, I could never part with my pillows! 3 for my head, one under my arm, will probably add one for my legs in about 4 months...

I actually flipped out ala hollywood birth movie worthy when the epidural guy took my pillow when I was having Grace.

Don't freakin' touch my pillows, man!

[Gravyboat]

I have attempted to sleep without my pillow, but I always wake up in the morning with it. I guess I wake up in the middle of the night and go "Wtf?!" and find my pillow and then go back to sleep. And then don't remember it afterward.

Anyway, I use the squishiest, most under-stuffed pillow ever. I like it because I can ball it up or stretch it out as needed. It's the everypillow, infinitely customizable for all your sleeping needs. When I'm laying on my back, I can ball up the stuffing to support the curve of my neck, meanwhile my actual head is basically resting on the bed. When I sleep on my side, I hug the pillow, and position the stuffing so that it supports my face, so I'm not pushing my jaw out of alignment with my arm.* And when I sleep on my stomach, I can position the stuffing to push my upper chest up enough so that I'm not squashing my breasts.

I do not sleep well at all with other people's pillows unless they're as squishy as mine. I have tried all sorts of pillows, and most are just horrible. If faced with a dense, immalleable pillow as my only option, I usually would rather go sans-pillow. But the squishy pillow is my A+ #1 true love.

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* Sbhikes, maybe that's what's happening to you? Maybe you are putting pressure on your jaw in your sleep and the drool is coming out.