Some days I can’t wait until my head hits my pillow. Sometimes I envision a fairy tale before I go to bed in hopes of sweet dreams. Just the thought of sleeping can make my eyelids feel as though a one pound weight is tethered to each eyelash. I climb into bed and slip under the covers until my heavy head rests on something that feels like it’s been run over by a Mack truck.
I looked up pillow in Wikipedia and was surprised to read that they’ve been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. If mummies have been resting comfortably through the millennia, didn’t I deserve one comfortable night’s rest?
I picked up my pillow and flipped it over. Maybe it’s too flat. I pummeled it while channeling Vin Diesel, but it was as soft as a brick. I tried folding it over, but my shoulder was off the bed when I turned onto my side. When I lay on my back, my chin hit my chest.
After tossing and turning much like The Princess and the Pea, I finally fell asleep. The next day I forgot all about aforementioned pillow even though I had a stiff neck.
In the beginning of summer, I had such a humongous knot that even my husband Danny couldn’t rub it out. One day while sitting at my computer, I pulled down as hard as I could with my shoulders while lifting up with my head and neck. I thought it would be a good stretch until I heard something pop below my clavicle. Boy! Did that hurt! After a couple of weeks of pain, I went to a massage therapist who told me I had popped a rib out of place. Wow! I am massive!
After three sessions with a chiropractor while being hammered, cracked and snapped, it went back into place. I felt relief at long last.
All this time, I assumed my neck pain came from sitting at my computer all day.
When the same stiffness started up again the following month, I tried to ignore it. Then, weeks later, I had one of those “EUREKA” moments. I thought of the pillow fight I have every night. It’s not the typing, it’s my stupid pillow! I threw my offensive tormentor onto the floor and grabbed another from the pile of decorative pillows on my bed. Ahhh! So much better or so I thought.
The next morning, my stiff neck problem reared its ugly head once again. (Bad pun alert.) I went through the entire day with my head cocked to one side as if I wondered, “Oh really? Is that right?”
That night I dragged my tired and worn out body back to the torture chamber. This time I tested out the other pillows in the room, frantic for a good night’s sleep that wouldn’t leave me looking like Quasimodo in the morning.
The feather pillow flattened out after a few minutes. The firm pillow gave made me wonder if a soccer ball was hidden inside. My big head squished the middle of the soft pillow so it felt devoid of any stuffing.
After scattering most of them on the floor there was only one left. I stared it down. Then I heard the theme song of The Good the Bad and the Ugly playing in the background. I was hallucinating after so little sleep. If this wasn’t the one, I would have to forfeit another night’s sleep or wait until I went out shopping and even that was no guarantee.
I picked up the last pillow and caressed it. So far, so good. With both hands, I tested the resistance of its core. It bounced right back. I’d been fooled before and had become skeptical and suspicious of all pillows. I laid it on the bed and gently reclined. As soon as my head hit that pillow, I was transported. Before I knew what was happening, I was in dreamland floating around the clouds. Okay, I didn’t have a flying dream, but I slept.
The next day when I woke up, my stiff neck was gone. What a relief!
I had found the perfect pillow! Not too hard, not too soft; just right. I had transformed from the Princess and the Pea to Goldilocks to Sleeping Beauty. Now every night I look forward to my own dreamland fairy tales.
And she slept happily ever after…snore…
Do you always sleep well at night?
Love the pics of Roxie!! Especially the first one. Too cute.
She played “me” in my story! Hahaha! I was laughing so hard when I took these. She is such a ham!
Love your writing style
keep it up.
Thanks Marilyn!
Like you, I discovered my pillow was the source of all my sleeping problems. but the perfect one is hard to find. The result is certainly worth it though, isn’t it?
It sure is! A good night’s rest is so important! I am finding that going to bed earlier helps too.
Thanks Louise!
You are right if mummies had’em why can’t we?
oh i used to have many a tossing turning nights till i found the perfect one, the one which angels wanted me to have and it took a while to get it but oh the bliss…
i am so glad you found your pillow Susie..
Thanks Soma! It makes such a huge difference! I love it and hope that it lasts a while…..
Now that you made peace with a pillow, time for a real pillow fight. See that person next to you? Little does he know in your mind it’s early morning 7 December, 1941, and he’s Pearl.
Enjoy.
I definitely think that anyone who’s suffered a bad night sleep can definitely relate. Stupid pillows. One day my neck couldn’t take it anymore so I got fed up with all of them, threw them out, and headed to Bed, Bath and Beyond on a serious mission.
I hope you found the Holy Grail of pillows. It is hard if you ask me. (pun intended…
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Thanks for reading!
I sleep with 4 pillows….. don’t know how I evolved from just needing one, to four. And your Roxy is so cute and spoiled, bless her!
4 pillows! I LOVE it! Hey, whatever works to get a decent night’s rest…
Roxy is hilarious! Luckily she doesn’t sleep on our bed at night or my husband and I would both end up on the floor!
i nearly stole a pillow from the hotel i was in on holiday becuase it was so good, it was one of those ones with a bubble of air in the centre. dreamy
Nice! I would have been tempted too.
Thanks for stopping by! It’s great to “see” you!
sorry i’ve been an absent friend!
I don’t always sleep well. In fact, I know I need to buy a new pillow. Mine was perfect when I bought it, but it’s turned into a pancake through regular use. What I find funny is that my husband and I have completely different ideas on what makes for a comfortable pillow. He likes firm pillows and I like medium pillows (which he thinks are WAY too soft).
Mattresses get all the attention when pillows can make or break a night’s sleep! I think a lot has to do with what position we sleep in and how big our shoulders are. But I’m no expert!
Thanks for stopping by Marcy!
Is that your dog? Me want!!
It is Roxy! She recently jumped into a car after running through her dog watch system. Apparently she licked everyone and they were all strangers to her. Luckily they weren’t strangers to me and they brought her back home! She would be happy where ever she goes.
I am getting an ID for her collar today!
It’s like the Golden Egg! You found the Golden PILLOW! Please tell you know where the giant lives so I can steal one.
And Oh, that Roxy, she is such a show girl. Haha.
She is a show girl! I laughed so hard while taking these photos.
A golden egg is right. Hahaha! That is another fairy tale I could have mentioned! Gee. I wonder if they were all inspired by bad pillows and stiff neck…..
Dunlopillows are heaven!
This post is too!
Thanks JM! I’m not sure we have Dunlo pillows “Up Over.”
She is so spoiled. Great pics…
Totally! But she doesn’t sleep with us at night! She’s a great poser…
That pillow posing pup!
My last couple of posts (and 1 or 2 in the past) have all dealt with my sleeping problems. I am not done posting about that, so I will let you read it all there!
Glad you are sleeping!
Scott
Thanks Scott and sweet dreams to you!
Working on it!
I am so exhausted by the time I get to bed, that not even a bad pillow can stop me from falling asleep. But yes, bad pillows do give me stiff necks in the morning! I love my down feather pillows.
That’s crazy that you popped a rib out of place. I didn’t think you could do that by stretching! Holy cow!
I know! I heard it pop and thought, Uhoh…. I had no idea I could do that to myself! Hahaha!
I used a feather pillow many years ago and wore it out. My replacements were never the same!
Pillow problems here too, and my super duper contour pillow helped, until it started causing problems too. Not constantly, but on about the same semi-regular basis as a standard pillow. Finally found an old one that’s great. And I’ve just discovered a help for my insomnia- a friend bought me a valerian/lavender spray that I spray just above my pillow at bedtime. Even my agitated thoughts calm down! Only on day 4, but it seems to be helping.
Wow! I will have to remember lavender. I have a home spray somewhere… My daughter swears by her contour pillow she got for migraines. Now that I think about it, she is due for a new one! She hasn’t had a migraine in years. That pillow must be pretty old!
Thanks for swinging by Jennifer!
As always, love Roxy the wonder dog. I know the stiff neck of which you speak. It takes me a long time to go to sleep. Once I am asleep, though, I sleep hard. I also have nightmares. (You’ve seen my blog.) During my sleep, I twist into weird positions and wake up hurting. Tiger Balm is my friend. LOL
Also, love your headboard. It is so unique!
Thanks Catie! Roxy loves you right back!
Sleep is a funny thing. As long as I don’t think about it, I fall right to sleep.
I can see where you have nightmares after all the creepy stories you research and write!
That headboard saved my life! Another story to tell….
I am in the midst of a very bad pillow fight these days. 90 min massage today
Uhoh! You better stop at a store and buy a couple of new ones to try out. When you find the right one, it makes such a big difference… zzz…zzzz….zzzzz
I love my old one but Juliet made me get a new one because it was funky and old….I am sad
Oh bummer! You will have to try to replace it. Buy a bunch at Marshall’s and return the ones that don’t feel right.
If sleeping were a profession, I’d be a millionaire so yes, I am a very good sleeper, but I stay up far too late during the workweek. Good bedding is a vital component to good sleeping and of course, that includes the pillow. As you can tell I take sleeping seriously. It is my calling in life.
It is good to have a calling in life. I usually have no problem napping, but can get wound up at night. I think I was a bat in a past life…..
I’ve got eight pillows on my bed just in case one doesn’t work out I can try another. Been thinking of scrapping the whole lot and getting a couple of those Japanese buckwheat hull thingies. Or I’ll leave well enough alone and listen to tapes of politicians speeches.
I haven’t heard of buckwheat pillows but listening to politicians might just do the trick! Hahaha!
Thanks for reading Tom!
We recently purchased new pillows and like you, after weeks of thinking something must be seriously wrong with my head, I realized it was the dam pillow. I am still on a hunt for something better….very frustrating.
Roxy looks FABULOUS!
Good luck with the hunt! It is hard to find one when you can’t lay down on it to try it out without looking like you have a problem!
Roxy loves to pose for me. It is ridiculous! Hahaha!
Who would have known? I have three pillows and Steve has one.. he does not know how I do it.. but we all need something special and so glad you found ‘the one’
HUGGGGGGGGGGGGG
Three pillows sounds like heaven!
\I hope my pillow lasts a while….Thanks Linda!
This inquiring mind wants to know what kind of pillow finally solved your problem, Susie.
I’m involved in a pillow fight and have to do a mish-mash mix of feather and hootchamacallit (technical term) pillows to get my head and shoulder at the proper height. Then, since I’m a side sleeper, I have the pillow between the knees and pillow snuggled to my side for draping of the arm to deal with.
No. Snuggling up to hubby is not an option. I hate body heat next to my skin when I sleep.
Despite it all, I sleep through the night. But, even after those pillow fights and positioning, I sometimes awake with a crick in my neck.
It’s a polyester fill, king size pillow that is juuuuuust right! It has made such a big difference! I have never slept better!
I hate those cricks….
Thanks Gloria!
The pillow must be perfect of course–because Miss Priss insists that she owns at least half of it every night. I’ve discovered a good night’s sleep requires she must go to bed when I do. Normally by morning-she’s stollen my whole darn pillow and I’m left with rolled up conforter. I have to get something so I can start posting pictures – Miss Priss tells me she can give Roxie a run for her money in the cute department.
So funny! I would be afraid that Roxy would become a wreath for my head if we let her sleep with us! I would end up on the floor….
Oh, no. Roxie can’t sleep on the floor. Prissy says, “Not allowed under any circumstances!” I think I have to agree with Prissy–although Tom’s shih tzu prefers a cushion on the floor but Prissy and I know Scooter is a little touched in the head!
I need to have atleast 4 pillows to get comfy at night. I have trouble breathing due to my Asthma. I have fought many nights with a pillow just to end up bunching my extra blanket up to the right consistency.
What a nightmare! Pillows are important. I have bought so many thinking they were “the one” and yet the one I ended up using was under a sham!
Man that sounds like the men in my life.. okay I didn’t buy them but you think you got “the one” and then they go soft on you..lol
Hahaha! I LOVE the metaphor!
Aw, cute pics! I can’t believe you popped a rib–yeeouch! I haven’t been sleeping at all lately. I thought it was my hot flashes but now I’m thinking it’s my dang pillow. I can never get comfortable. Plus I feel like I’m in an oven all night. Grrrr…..but if I slam my husband in the head with the pillow a few times, I find I can rest a bit easier.
Thanks!
Whatever works. Smack! Youch! Hahaha!
I think this has been going on for a long time, but I only recently figured out the pillow was the culprit…
First of all I’m definitely not answering your question, my household’s sleeping habits are outrageous and I blame all my ADD on sleepless nights.
Your dog sleeps the same as mine, isn’t that the cutest position!
Ouch about your back. Pillows are so important. We’ve just got new ones and they seem a bit high but so far so good.
I have had some doozy nights, but ever since I switched pillows, I am having snoozy nights! Hahaha!
Ah…. To live a dog’s life without a care in the world!
Good luck with those new pillows!
Okay I need to write a pb called Doozy and Snoozy
Night Night!
There you go!
Pillows and I have a long history of not getting along. I need a certain type and will take it w/ me on vacation lest I turn cranky and mean.
I wish I could take mine, but it is HUGE! I never realized how important a pillow is. I think I have had neck pain for years and never really gave it much thought!
Thanks Emily!
A good pillow is a must for a good night’s sleep. I have my “sleepy time” pillow that I don’t share with anyone. It is just perfect for a good nights sleep and I am dreading the time when it will need to be replaced. I’m glad that finally found your “sleepy time” pillow.
I am glad I found it too! Thanks so much. I will be tempted to take it on vacation with me except it will take up my entire suitcase!
I take mine with me if at all possible. LOL
The good the bad and the ugly is a fine fine film!
It is…
Roxy is sooo cute! Glad you found your favorite pillow, so important!
Thanks John! She is a camera hound!
I am sleeping like a baby or a dog or is that “let sleeping dogs lie….”
Sometimes I sleep well, when I take Ambien. But there are days when I don’t use big pharma, and to combat insomnia on those nights, I just pop in “Lawrence Of Arabia” and I’m out by the end of reel one.
Reel?? Wow, that must be some movie projector at the end of your bed!
Thanks Jules!
naaah…just know this info from years and years of working in the movie world, mainly in editing.
Cool!