PillowFacts / Problems
The pillow is never the only thing in the bed
Every situation below puts something rigid between a head and a surface. The pillow question is the same each time — how much room is there, and can the surface give it up — even though the objects could not be more different.
Something in my ear, and I sleep on my side
Earbuds, healing piercings, hearing aids and earplugs each ask something different of a pillow.
I sleep with earbuds or AirPods inAn earbud adds a hard, protruding point to the smallest contact patch on your body. It does not create ear pain; it ex…I have a healing cartilage piercingThe requirement here is usually total contact removal rather than better pressure distribution, because the sore point…I have been told I have chondrodermatitis (CNH)The same contact-removal geometry as a healing piercing.…I sleep in hearing aidsSame as earbuds — a rigid object that will not compress, on the contact patch. Devices vary widely in how far they pro…I sleep in foam earplugsThe mildest case in this cluster, because foam compresses. When it still hurts, the pillow has usually bottomed out an…
What this whole group has in common →
Something strapped to my face, and I sleep on my side
A mask, its frame and its hose are rigid objects at the contact patch. The pillow question is geometry; the therapy question is not.
I side-sleep in a CPAP maskA mask frame sits proud of the face and does not compress. On a surface that has already bottomed out, the frame is le…I use a nasal-pillow or nasal-cradle maskA smaller frame than a full-face mask, so it needs less clearance — but it sits directly under the nose, where a pillo…
What this whole group has in common →
Work out your own loft first → It comes before everything on this page.