Why is a travel blogger reviewing a pillow?
Because after a long trip, there’s nothing I want to do more than climb back into my own bed and get a good night’s sleep.
We spend a third of our lives in bed, as they say – except when we travel.
Personally, when I travel I’m more likely running on caffeine and excitement rather than sleep. The bed at my hotel or Airbnb is usually too firm or too lumpy, and the pillows? Well, they’re sometimes a bit frightening (I try not to look too closely, you know?). Not to mention that staying up late and waking up early wreaks absolute havoc on my sleep hygiene.
So when I’m home I make every effort to set myself up for a good night’s sleep: winding down my use of technology, honoring a bedtime, plugging in a white noise machine – and now choosing a pillow that can be customized for my sleep style.
This post is in partnership with Nest Bedding - they generously provided a pillow for my review today, and a bonus one to give to one of you! This post contains commissionable links to offset the many costs of running a blog.
Most people fall into the categories of “back-sleeper” or “stomach-sleeper” or “side-sleeper” – but I’m not any of those*. Michael and I have even coined a term for my sleep style: rotisserie.
Much like, yes, a rotisserie chicken, I lay and rotate on my imaginary spit every couple of minutes until I finally fall asleep (no, the imagery is horrible, I agree). It’s truly a gamble whether I’ll land on my stomach, side, or back – so I’ve never found an agreeable pillow dedicated to my strange sleeping position.
Until now, that is.
ABOUT THE EASY BREATHER PILLOW
Enter: The Easy Breather Pillow from Nest Bedding. This vegan pillow with a low-scent shredded memory foam and soft fiber filling arrives overstuffed in a zippered cotton case and cover, ready for the sleeper to adjust down to their comfort level (it even comes with a drawstring pouch for storing your extra stuffing, which they’ve adorably called the pillow egg, but don’t we all feel like there’s a missed marketing opportunity to call it the Nest Egg?).
Nest Bedding has a helpful blog post for determining the type of pillow you need for your sleeping position, and this information can be used when adjusting the filling in the Easy Breather Pillow. The cover itself is made using Icecore™; according to Nest Bedding this material is “a performance yarn technology that adapts to its environment and regulates temperature by managing heat and moisture.” The cover is also machine-washable, which should help extend the life of the pillow.
A REVIEW OF THE EASY BREATHER PILLOW
When The Easy Breather Pillow arrived, I was a bit surprised by the weight of the box. It didn’t feel light like a cloud – in fact, it felt quite heavy. But once I opened and unrolled the compressed pillow, it expanded and the weight distribution made it feel a bit lighter (it’s funny how that works, isn’t it?).
There were no instructions included, so I decided to let the pillow rest for a full 24 hours before using it, in order to ensure the filling had adequate time to expand. And even though the shredded CertiPUR-US® certified foam fill was chosen for its low scent, there was still a discernible odor to the pillow.
Thankfully, by the time bedtime rolled around the next evening, the smell was gone and I was ready to sleep. The only thing standing in my way? Trying to figure out how much filling to keep in the pillow.
Nest Bedding recommends side sleepers try the pillow as-is, back sleepers remove about a quarter of the filling, and stomach sleepers remove around one-third of the filling. Since I am technically all three of these, I decided the best approach was to start with the pillow as-is.
Well, dear readers, that was far too much filling for my taste. I made it halfway through the night, and groggily unstuffed my pillow, filling my pillow egg to the brim and going back to sleep.
The second half of my sleep was better, but my neck was still asking for a smaller pillow. So the next night I grabbed a clean dustbag from my closet and added more filling to it. Although I did not sneak into a bear family’s home, I did start to feel a bit like Goldilocks.
It took almost a week of adding and removing filling (and getting the zipper a little stuck in the process), but eventually, I found my perfect pillow (and unstuck the zipper!).
I landed on my Goldilocks’ pillow about a month ago, and have noticed an improvement in my sleep health. I feel like I’m sleeping for longer periods without waking, and noticing that I’m feeling a bit more well-rested.
We’ve been cursed with some 90°F days already this year, yet I haven’t awoken feeling like my neck and face are on fire, as I had with my previous pillow. And I discovered that to better accommodate my giraffe-like neck, I can shuffle the filling around a bit, leaving a dip in the center to provide better support. That’s something I was never able to accomplish with a standard polyfill pillow.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE EASY BREATHER PILLOW
The Easy Breather Pillow strikes a balance between soft and supportive thanks to the unique mix of memory foam pieces and wispy fiberfill, and it has greatly helped my sleeping habits at home. I no longer find myself flipping and turning my pillow over to find a cooler spot to lay since it never quite feels hot on my face. And while I’ve only been using it for the past month or so, I haven’t noticed any compression or change in the filling (but if I did, they offer a two-year warranty on their pillows).
My only qualm? I’m trying to figure out what to do with all my extra stuffing. I think I’ll keep my pillow egg in my closet in case I ever want a little more support, and the rest might just become cat toy-filling.
If you’ve been struggling to find a pillow that suits your sleep style, or if your current pillow is more than two years old, I recommend giving The Easy Breather Pillow a try. Their generous 30-night sleep trial is more than enough time to adjust your pillow to your comfort level, and really give it a try. I suspect that you’ll look forward to going to bed every evening, just like I do now.
—
If you found this review helpful, please consider shopping through my link. It doesn’t impact the cost of your purchase, but allows me to continue running this blog ad-free.
Thank you for your support – it means the world to me!
—
Enter to Win a FREE Easy Breather Pillow from Nest Bedding | update: giveaway is now closed
The team at Nest Bedding has generously offered to send one wayward reader their very own Easy Breather Pillow! Simply fill out the form at the link below to enter (U.S. and Canada only). Good luck!
*technically I think I would be considered a “combination sleeper” but “rotisserie” seems far more accurate
Enjoyed this post? You may also like:
- Italic is a New Marketplace For Home and Away
- Five Easy Meals
- An Honest Review of Misfits Market
- Five Easy Swaps I’ve Made to Reduce Waste
- Five More Easy Swaps I’ve Made to Reduce Waste
- A Review of Every Fragrance from Riddle Oil
- Knitting on the Go: Three Portable Projects for Your Next Road Trip
- I won a trip! (Now what?)
- Checking In: Hotel Reviews
- Shop My Closet
- Exclusive Promo Codes + Discounts
- All of My Packing Lists
- All Travel Guides by Destination
Do you have a standard sleeping position?
Do you use a pillowcase on the Nest Side Sleeper pillow? If so, what kind? It looks like a standard rectangular pillowcase would make it hard to tuck your shoulder into the curve of the pillow. Please let me know what you do…
Hi Susan!
I currently use the Standard/Queen Easy Breather Pillow which doesn’t have the curve with a regular Queen pillowcase (I rotate between a linen one from IKEA and a silk one from Slip.
The Side Sleeper Easy Breather Pillow has the same L/W dimensions, but you’re right–I wonder if the pillowcase would pull taut across the curve of the pillow. I have a little wiggle room in my pillowcase so I would assume not, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility.
So sorry I couldn’t be more help! If you do decide to order that one, would you mind letting us know how it works out for you?