Everyone deserves to have a good night’s sleep. However, not everyone can achieve them in just a snap, especially insomniacs. To help people have better sleep quality at night, one must begin by improving their sleep environment. It will help to create a relaxing ambiance that’ll drive people to sleep and experience a quality one.   

One of the things you might consider doing is to switch your regular pillow into Buckwheat pillow. While it might feel a bit odd to sleep on them first as they’re not cloud-like soft, they can provide your body with plenty of amazing benefits. Understanding this pillow can help you further comprehend how it’ll benefit you and how you can buy and take care of one.   

What Is A Buckwheat Pillow? 

To begin, a buckwheat pillow is completely made up of hulls, which are the hard outer shells of buckwheat seeds. Instead of the traditional feathers, foam, or fibers, a buckwheat pillow uses hulls as the filling of the entire material.  

The hulls are relatively small, which allows you to move them effortlessly. Some might even refer to them as dense bean bags as the hulls inside are small enough to make someone sleep comfortably. And with its natural materials, sleeping with a buckwheat pillow gives plenty of benefits.  

Pros Of Buckwheat Pillow 

Diving into the advantages of a buckwheat pillow can help convince you to have one of your own right away. With that, listed below are the pros of having and sleeping on a buckwheat pillow:  

• Provides Maximum Support 

Since a buckwheat pillow is full of tiny hulls, you can move them around inside the casing, allowing maximum support for your head, neck, and shoulders. As you lay your head to sleep with a buckwheat pillow, you can let the hulls move and adjust to your head properly. It should help you to sleep with the right posture, as you’re not allowing the pillow to tilt your head in an odd direction. You can check out this video:

and see how it can properly support your head for a great night of sleep.    

• Reduce Snoring 

No one enjoys sleeping next to a person who snores, especially those who are light sleepers. Luckily, a buckwheat pillow is available to help people who are experiencing snoring problems. Snoring usually occurs when a person sleeps with a bad posture. It’s causing blockage of their airways, which produces snoring. With a buckwheat pillow, one can sleep properly and adjust their spine well for a great night of sleep. It can also help with uninterrupted airflow, allowing a person to breathe as they sleep easily. However, if there are other medical issues because a person snores, a buckwheat pillow might not be the only solution.   

• Plenty Of Other Use 

A buckwheat pillow is common for home use, but that doesn’t mean that it’s limited to indoors. Today, there are plenty of ways to use them, such as for your armrest or for travel. Since a buckwheat pillow uses hulls, you can manipulate them into various shapes and sizes. You can even use them as your Buckwheat travel pillow and allow yourself a great night of sleep even when you need to go out. With the number of things to do with a buckwheat pillow, you can surely achieve a comfortable sleep every night.    

• Promotes Maximum Airflow 

For those people who crave cool sleeping experiences as they’re hot sleepers, then switching to buckwheat pillows would be the perfect option for you. Since it's full of tiny hulls, there’ll be a little space between each hull, which promotes airflow. It prevents heat-trapping but allows it to get through them and out of the entire case. Thus, it can finally help you comfortably sleep as you’re lying your head on to something that promotes airflow and eliminates heat. With this, you can guarantee an improvement in your sleep routine as you sleep sweat-free.   

• Naturally Dust Mite Resistant 

Hulls don’t contain any food sources that dust mites want to eat. It makes your buckwheat pillow completely dust mite resistant as there’s absolutely nothing that makes them attracted to it. It would work great for people who are sensitive to dust mites or want amazing sleep quality, free from bed bugs and other things. It also helps to make buckwheat pillows hypoallergenic as they’re completely natural and free from any pests. However, if you’re extremely sensitive to plenty of things, you might want to consult with your doctor first to rule out buckwheat allergies.   

• Long Lasting 

Ideally, you should replace your regular pillows every one to two years to ensure you’re still getting the proper support that your body needs. However, this process can be quite costly, especially if you crave good quality materials. Fortunately, a buckwheat pillow can last you for at least 10 to 20 years, depending on how you care for and maintain them. It’ll be a great step as you no longer have to purchase one yearly, saving on cost and the environment as you reduce waste.   

Cons Of Buckwheat Pillow 

Of course, there are drawbacks that a buckwheat pillow brings to the table. Knowing them will help you determine if you’re making the right decision in switching to one. With that, below are some cons of a buckwheat pillow: 

Makes A Rustling Sound 

Since a buckwheat pillow contains plenty of small hulls, you can expect them to make a soft rustling sound. It's due to the hulls colliding with one another and being hard and firm. But don’t worry, as this is only bothersome if you’re still adjusting your pillow. As soon as your head settles in, you shouldn’t hear any rustling sound anymore. 

Might Be Too Firm 

A hull is made from the hard outer shell of buckwheat seed. It can make your pillow too firm, even if you reduce them already. If you’re not comfortable sleeping with a stable material, switching to a buckwheat pillow might not be an option for you. Moreover, kids might also not enjoy sleeping on them as they like soft fluffy pillows.   

They’re Heavy 

If you plan on bringing pillows wherever you go, prepare to bring on some muscles. A buckwheat pillow can be quite heavy, as a standard size can weigh up to nine pounds. A regular flat pillow only weighs about one pound, which makes it very different from your buckwheat pillows. But if you only plan to place them inside your bedroom and never for travel, then this shouldn’t be an issue for you.   

It takes Some Time Getting Used To 

Since a buckwheat pillow is full of hulls, which is a different material from a traditional pillow type, sleeping on one might need some time to get used to. With its different texture, it might take at least three to five days to get comfortable using it as your main pillow. But after getting used to this, it should help you achieve a great night of sleep and put your posture in its best condition.   

Buying Guide 

If you’re interested in buying a buckwheat pillow, you might be in a hurry to buy one as soon as possible. But before you make any purchases, it’ll be helpful if you could read some guides to help you find the best one. With that, below are some quick buying guides for buckwheat pillows:  

• Learn The Condition Of The Hulls 

As your buckwheat pillows will be full of natural hulls, you need to learn where they’re made from and what they’ve gone through. Ideally, your hulls should live in a pesticide-free environment to guarantee they’re all natural and chemical-free. It can help minimize any possible allergies and ensure they’re in their best condition.   

Moreover, you should also learn how the hulls are processed and treated for production. Preferably, they should be thoroughly air-cleaned from any dust, dirt, and debris. It’ll allow for a maximum comfortable sleep as it’s thoroughly clean and would not cause any pain as it’s full of hulls and nothing else, such as sharp objects.   

• Check The Fabric 

Since all of your hulls would be encased inside a fabric, it’s important to check its condition and texture. Ideally, the material should be thick enough to prevent any hulls from poking but still soft and comfortable enough, making it a joy to sleep on. Furthermore, it should also use hypoallergenic materials to maximize what a buckwheat pillow has and prevent you from catching any allergies. Using organic cotton would be the best option to make your entire sleep experience natural and organic.   

• Ensure Zipper Enclosure 

Since a buckwheat pillow will be full of moveable hulls inside, it would be nice if you have the power to fill and remove them, depending on your height preference. To allow for seamless hull manipulation, you should look for pillowcases with a zipper enclosure. It allows you to easily remove and add as many hulls as you like and let yourself customize them for a unique experience at any time of the day.  

Buckwheat Maintenance 

When owning a buckwheat pillow, you can’t expect them to last for decades inside your home without proper care and maintenance. And just like any other things you own; you need to care for them to ensure their quality and lengthen their lifespan.   

With buckwheat pillows, you’ll need to wash and dry them to keep their best shape. To help you make the most out of your buckwheat pillows, listed below are some washing and drying tips you should follow:   

How To Wash Your Buckwheat Pillow 

Washing your buckwheat pillow isn’t easy as it looks. Unfortunately, you cannot toss them in your washing machine as you cannot soak your hulls. Prolonged water exposure can affect the hull’s quality and ability to give you a great night of sleep. With that, you need to learn how to wash them properly.   

• To begin, you should prepare a ribbon or a tie and an extra pillowcase that’s big enough to accommodate your entire buckwheat pillow.  
• Lay your buckwheat pillow on a flat surface with its zipped enclosure on the other open end of your pillowcase. Ideally, your buckwheat pillow should be entirely tucked to prevent any spills. 
• Once snug in, you should slowly open the zipper of your buckwheat pillow and let the hulls slowly transfer to your new pillowcase. Remember only to open them slowly to prevent the hulls from splatting all over the room.  
• After transferring all of the hulls into your new pillowcase, you need to ensure that you enclose it properly to avoid any spillage. You can tie them with a rubber band or ribbon and ensure that it’s completely sealed.  
• Once tied up, you can proceed with washing your buckwheat’s pillow case, depending on the washing instructions.  

Unfortunately, you cannot wash your buckwheat hulls as prolonged exposure to water will lose its three-dimensional shape and ability to be slept into. If your buckwheat hulls are soaked, you’ll have no way to salvage them as you need to replace them immediately.   

How To Dry Your Buckwheat Pillow 

If your buckwheat hulls are spilled or damp with a bit of water, such as spilling your coffee, or your bedroom has a high humidity level, then you can still look for ways to rescue them from being damaged. With this scenario, below are the steps you need to do to dry your buckwheat hulls: 

• Begin by preparing a container that can fit the entire hulls of your pillow. Ensure that the container is clean and can accommodate the size and weight of your hulls.  
• Carefully, pour your hulls into the container and ensure that everything stays inside the container.  
• After preparing your hulls and container, place them directly under a bright and sunny spot until your buckwheat hulls dry out. It will take a few hours, especially if you’re drying many hulls. Periodically, you can fluff and rotate the hulls to ensure that everything gets even sun exposure. And just make sure that you place them away from your pet’s or children’s reach to avoid spilling them all over the room.  

Takeaway 

Having a buckwheat pillow can provide you with plenty of benefits. It can help you have a better sleep posture while keeping your sleep experience cool and comfortable. As you’re interested in having one, you must know the pros and cons to see if it’ll be the best option for you. It’ll also be helpful if you can learn what the things you need to do to maintain and clean them are. It’ll help you identify if you’re willing to go through the trouble of the maintenance or if it’ll be something too much for you. Moreover, you also need to check out some buying guides to purchase the best ones out on the market.