Best pillow for side sleepers

I am a side sleeper and use a full face mask. A while back I tried
Buckwheat one only to find it didn't help me at all so I am hunting
for a recommendation before I wast another $ 60.

I use this one I use. I bought mine off of amazon. (King sized for under $50)

https://www.xtremecomforts.com/products ... ng-cover-1


Pillows are a really individual preference and what I like most about this one is that I could take the fill out to adjust it. I also sleep hot so the cooling feature is nice.

That being said I get a lot of mask leaks because I mush my face into the pillow. (I use a nasal mask btw). I would probably have less leaks if I had a different pillow but then I wouldn't be sleeping.

Ymmv

I have a memory foam contour pillow. The dip in the middle extends to the sides and helps to prevent the mask being pulled off by the pillow. However I am getting the latex version of the same contour pillow because my head will stay more on top of the pillow thru-out the night. The problem I have with memory foam is that it is heat activated. My bedroom is cool in the winter and the memory foam pillow is very stiff at first and hurts my ears. In 20 minutes the heat from the head will make the memory foam softer and my head will sink in. In the morning my head is at the bottom of the pillow and the mask will start to leak as the pillow is pulling up the mask. The latex version will keep my head sink depth the same in the beginning and in the morning. Also if you are a active side sleeper a latex pillow or even a latex hybrid mattress will response to your cushioning needs faster than a memory foam can do and less stuck in the mud feeling.

I have used 3 different memory foam type pillows, one cpap pillow, and recently bought a 100% goose down pillow. This is all since I started cpap, so how they worked with the mask was very important.

The cpap pillow would work good for a full face mask user, but I found it very uncomfortable to sleep on. No matter what I changed in the padding. If not positioned perfectly, it was worse than other pillows in how it moved my nasal style masks. Waste of a good pile of money.

Foam pillows tend to spring back in place, or want to all night. While comfortable for your head, I find they "push" against whatever mask you are using when side or belly sleeping. You can deal with it, but it takes effort to get it just right.

My wife made me throw away my down pillow probably 20 years ago. I finally bought a new 100% goose down pillow. These are not cheap. $100 or better for a decent one. It is simply amazing how much easier it is to sleep on with a mask! You can scrunch a place for the mask and it never needs attention. Even just letting it make a place works better. With the Dreamwear headgear I never seem to block off airflow enough to tell when laying with into the pillow. Much different feel from foam. Not hard, but doesn't allow your head to keep sinking in. Especially important is that the heat from your head doesn't seem to change anything with how it supports or feels.

I finally purchased a chopped latex foam pillow shortly after starting cpap/apap five plus years ago. I am still using it and will look for a replacement to have as a backup. I find it easily adjustable though too heavy for a pillow fight. I found it at Tuesday morning.

I have an EnduriMed CPAP Pillow that I love. It's a memory foam pillow with indented sections for your CPAP mask on the corners. It lets me sleep comfortably on my side. I got it on Amazon. It comes with a custom pillow case.

Just ordered that pillow. Thanks for the suggestion, Paul! I am a sometime side sleeper and was worried about breaking the full face mask or at least breaking the seal. Hoping it works!

Filigree3 wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 01, 2019 8:00 pm

Just ordered that pillow. Thanks for the suggestion, Paul! I am a sometime side sleeper and was worried about breaking the full face mask or at least breaking the seal. Hoping it works!

Great! You're welcome. I hope it works well for you.

I use a similar pillow and it works well. have the hose running back over your head, to get it out of the way.

realshelby wrote: ↑

Fri Mar 01, 2019 7:42 am

My wife made me throw away my down pillow probably 20 years ago. I finally bought a new 100% goose down pillow. These are not cheap. $100 or better for a decent one. It is simply amazing how much easier it is to sleep on with a mask! You can scrunch a place for the mask and it never needs attention. Even just letting it make a place works better. With the Dreamwear headgear I never seem to block off airflow enough to tell when laying with into the pillow. Much different feel from foam. Not hard, but doesn't allow your head to keep sinking in. Especially important is that the heat from your head doesn't seem to change anything with how it supports or feels.

I too have goose down, and am a (mostly) side sleeper, it works great for me. I haven’t tried any other pillows, I just kept the pillow I had from before Cpap. It is a big fluffy goose down pillow, not sure of the fill, but it was probably around $100 or so at Macy’s.

Woody wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:52 pm

I am a side sleeper and use a full face mask. A while back I tried
Buckwheat one only to find it didn't help me at all so I am hunting
for a recommendation before I wast another $ 60.

Woody, what are you trying to accomplish? With my FFM, I just use an inexpensive, basic pillow. When sleeping on my side, my head is near the edge so the mask sticks out and does not touch the pillow. The pillow should be of a height so your neck/spine is in a straight line.

BTW, do you place a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side? A firm pillow between your knees will prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine out of alignment and reduce stress on your hips and lower back. Pull your knees up slightly toward your chest.

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:04 am

Woody wrote: ↑

Thu Feb 28, 2019 8:52 pm

I am a side sleeper and use a full face mask. A while back I tried
Buckwheat one only to find it didn't help me at all so I am hunting
for a recommendation before I wast another $ 60.

Woody, what are you trying to accomplish? With my FFM, I just use an inexpensive, basic pillow. When sleeping on my side, my head is near the edge so the mask sticks out and does not touch the pillow. The pillow should be of a height so your neck/spine is in a straight line.

BTW, do you place a pillow between your knees when sleeping on your side? A firm pillow between your knees will prevent your upper leg from pulling your spine out of alignment and reduce stress on your hips and lower back. Pull your knees up slightly toward your chest.

I've found that putting my head to the edge of a regular pillow doesn't give my head (and neck) the support it needs. I really need to have my head in the middle of a regular pillow to get good support (which is great if I'm not wearing a FFM, but makes side-sleeping with a FFM impossible).

PaulKTF wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:50 am

I've found that putting my head to the edge of a regular pillow doesn't give my head (and neck) the support it needs.

Well, Paul, I don't think you are a fathead, so maybe you are not using a regular pillow that is thick or firm enough on the edges?

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:27 am

PaulKTF wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:50 am

I've found that putting my head to the edge of a regular pillow doesn't give my head (and neck) the support it needs.

Well, Paul, I don't think you are a fathead, so maybe you are not using a regular pillow that is thick or firm enough on the edges?

Well I might be a fathead. But you are also probably right that the pillow is not as thick on the edge as it is in the center.

PaulKTF wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 1:07 pm

ChicagoGranny wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 11:27 am

PaulKTF wrote: ↑

Sat Mar 02, 2019 10:50 am

I've found that putting my head to the edge of a regular pillow doesn't give my head (and neck) the support it needs.

Well, Paul, I don't think you are a fathead, so maybe you are not using a regular pillow that is thick or firm enough on the edges?

Well I might be a fathead. But you are also probably right that the pillow is not as thick on the edge as it is in the center.

Get close enough to the edge that the less thick part of the pillow isn't pushing too much on the mask, you want less support on the mask, in front of your face than you want on your head.

Might need a different pillow.