sleep week

This Latex Pillow Is So Good, I Take It on Holiday

Photo: Found Image Holdings Inc/Getty/Corbis via Getty Images

Three years ago, my mum called me up and, unprompted, spoke at length about the benefits of her new bedroom setup: a memory-foam mattress and two sturdy latex pillows. We’re a family of notorious hand-me-downers who think nothing of sleeping on pillows that are two generations old, so I was curious about this change of heart. During a trip back home soon after, I nipped into my parents’ room and tried out their new-and-improved bedding. Lying down, I realised I’d been living in ignorance about how pillows should feel. I began to see my own pillows for what they were: wafer-thin, drool-stained, and sad. My mum’s latex pillow was high and deep (so only one was needed) — and it actually lifted my head off the mattress. I instantly ordered my own.

I opted for the Dunlopillo Super Comfort, which is designed for side sleepers like me, so it’s deep and firm but not too hard (front and back sleepers can opt for the slimmer Serenity version). After my first night sleeping on it, I woke feeling more relaxed and way less tense in the shoulders. I marched my crappy old pillows out to the recycling bin, and I haven’t looked back since. The latex core supports my neck and holds its shape with confidence, rather than moulding like memory foam. Unsurprisingly, there is a marked difference between just lying on something and being physically supported. I sleep with one (which is the perfect height), but I’m going to buy another for stacking while I read in bed.

I’ll admit, I haven’t tried other latex pillows on the market. It’s entirely possible that other brands might do just as good a job. But the Dunlopillo Super Comfort is the one for me; and unlike feather pillows, it doesn’t affect the allergy sufferer I share a bed with. An allergy note: The latex core is encased in spongy non-allergenic fibre, which means it’s suitable for latex-allergy sufferers, too. Though if you suffer from severe latex allergies, you should double-check with your GP.

Now, the thought of being separated from my pillow for even one night fills me with dread. I’ve camped with it and packed it into the car for several trips to France. Let me say, it takes a very special pillow to outweigh the shame of greeting the friendly owners of a chambre d’hôtes, with my own bedding prominently under one arm.

Another Strategist-recommended pillow

Author Susie Yang rates this buckwheat pillow, which “stays cool to the touch, which is especially wonderful during those few weeks in the summer when Cambridge has its hot, sticky evenings. ” She also likes that it’s ecofriendly, as it is all-natural and plant-based. She adds, “now that all of us digital creatures do everything in bed — sleeping, eating, watching shows, and working — the buckwheat pillow even acts as a solid back support for typing on our laptops late into the night.”

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This Latex Pillow Is So Good, I Take It on Holiday