Sobakawa Buckwheat Pillow

What's So Great About Buckwheat Neck Pillows?

What on earth is a Sobokawa buckwheat pillow? Learn more about the unique health benefits of using buckwheat pillows for gentle hypoallergenic head and neck support, and whether this may be a good solution for your needs.

The Sobakawa buckwheat pillow is one brand of pillow filled with buckwheat hulls that's available throughout North America. Manufacturers discovered the benefits of this type of pillow roughly 50 years ago and have been making them ever since.

At first, only the health conscious were purchasing buckwheat pillows, but now that the news has spread about how beneficial they are for getting a good night's sleep, mainstream consumers are also buying them regularly.

Where Did Buckwheat Pillows Originate?

The ancient Egyptians were a clever people! They were one of the first people to come up with the concept of a bed and a pillow. They created buckwheat pillows with what they had on hand, which were buckwheat hulls.

They figured out that by filling a piece of fabric with buckwheat hulls, they felt better when they awoke in the morning.

The Egyptians even provided their dead with a buckwheat pillow underneath their head because they felt it would provide comfort for the journey to the afterlife!

As Egyptian history unfolded, the idea of the buckwheat pillow was taken to other countries and soon the idea spread quickly. The people of the Orient have been using buckwheat pillows for several hundred years as well, enjoying great nights of sleep.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Buckwheat Hull Pillows

What is it about buckwheat pillows in general that make them attractive to consumers? They certainly are a novel idea to most westerners, and so let's look at some of the health benefits of using buckwheat hulls to rest your head on!

Benefits of Buckwheat Pillows

• Supportive without being hard
  
  
• Pillow remains cool - doesn't heat up during night
  
  
• Great for side or stomach sleepers
  
  
• Many sizes available - travel size, small, queen
  
  
• Easy to adjust when switching positions
  
  
• Hypoallergenic - almost anyone can use, even people allergic to wheat since buckwheat is a fruit
  
  
• Resistant to dust mites
  
  
• Excellent neck support - some buckwheat neck pillows are made especially for this
  
  
• Can freeze it in freezer if desired for cool pack therapy, or to keep the buckwheat fresh
  
  
• Reasonable price between $20 and $80
  
  
• Environmentally friendly product
  
  
• Better support than pillows filled with polyfil or memory foam

Well, it all sounds great and very organic, but what are the downsides to sleeping on a buckwheat hull pillow?

Drawbacks of Buckwheat Pillows

• Noisy - they make little crunch sounds when you move your head! Some brands cover the pillow with wool to mask the sound
  
  
• Not machine washable - you will need to freeze it once a month to keep as fresh as possible
  
  
• A lot heavier than a standard style pillow
  
  
• Not a soft pillow, but instead very firm, which deters some consumers
  
  
• Can't get it wet - smells terrible!!
  
  
• With some brands you need to purchase specific pillow cases or have them custom made to fit properly

What is So Special About a Sobakawa Buckwheat Pillow?

This brand of buckwheat pillow is filled with organic buckwheat hulls, making it an excellent choice for people with allergies. The hulls are washed three separate times to ensure that they're as clean as possible before putting them into the pillow.

Consumers who have used this brand of buckwheat hull pillow also say they've had it for 10, 15, or 20 years and still love it, so it must be a durable product. Other brands of buckwheat pillows claim that theirs will last for 8 to 10 years.

The other great news about Sobakawa brand pillows is that they are less expensive than their competitors. A small pillow runs about $20 and a queen size pillow will cost about $29.99.

The Sobakawa brand also helps eliminate the difficulty of finding a pillowcase to fit the pillow by providing a pillow cover with some of their pillow sizes.

Sobakawa buckwheat pillow products can be found only online now, but is available through several different online retail providers. One other place you might possibly find it is in one of those As Seen On TV retail shops that are scattered around the country.

How does a Sobakawa buckwheat pillow compare to others like it? Consumers who love this brand of buckwheat pillow can't say enough about it.

According to some comparisons, this brand is of lower quality compared to some other brands on the market, but it still holds its own with many happy customers.

Who Should Try a Buckwheat Hull Pillow?

You could benefit from using a buckwheat pillow if any of the following symptoms or helath conditions affect you:

• Arthritis
  
  
• Neck and back pain
  
  
• Allergies to feathers, polyfil, or memory foam
  
  
• TMJ syndrome
  
  
• Difficulty sleeping through the night
  
  
• Headaches
  
  
• Tension in the muscles
  
  
• Snoring
  
  
• Torticolis
  
  
• Subluxation - lumbar and cervical spinal misalighments

A buckwheat pillow might be just the thing to help you get your much-needed rest at night. You could wake up feeling refreshed instead of achy or experiencing pain in the neck or back. It just might be worth a try!