Green Pillow Talk: Sustainable and Healthy Choices For Your Bed

With all the time we spend in bed, it behooves us to make sure they are safe as well as comfortable.

Our pillows can do more than cradle and support heads and necks. Use the wrong kind, and they can make you toss and turn in your sleep. That is why this post is dedicated to making sure that your ‘pillow talk’ –– and pillows –– includes words like, green, clean and sustainable.

Conventional pillows typically contain petroleum chemicals that release volatile organic compounds into the air in your home.  Fire-retardant, non-iron, moisture-resistant pillows are made from compounds that are bad for your health and bad for the planet. Not to mention that many synthetic pillows make great incubators for dust mites, one of the leading allergens that are irritating to lungs, particularly in people with asthma. Yuck.

There are alternatives that are natural-filled and appealing to all personal pillow preferences. When you are choosing, don’t just consider what goes in the inside; make sure it is covered in organic cotton too. Below is a list of popular option, available from many vendors via the web. We’ve personally tested all four, and can vouch for the pros and cons. If readers know where to purchase any of these in the Middle East, we ask you to share this information in the comment section.

• Natural Shredded Rubber
  A byproduct of the rubber tree, this renewable resource is sometimes called latex. Great for people with allergies and chemical sensitivities, these pillows offer firm support. They may take some getting used to and some sleepers don’t like the smell that new pillows give off. Make sure to avoid synthetic rubber.
• Wool Fiber
  Choose pure virgin wool. Its many benefits include breathability, flame resistance, moisture absorbency, and bacteria/dust mite resistance. They also maintain temperature during hot or cold climates. Drawbacks: these pillows may be too firm for some, and they can flatten out over time.
• Feathers/Down
  Pillows made from duck or goose feathers and/or down, and very comfortable, and come in a variety of qualities and price points. The higher the down content, the softer the pillow but higher the cost. May not be firm enough for all sleepers, or appropriate for people with allergies. They also need to be regularly ‘fluffed.’
• Buckwheat Hull
  Buckweat hull pillows conform to the contours of your head and neck. They offer excellent insulation during summer and winter climates, and generally are reasonably priced. It may take some getting used to as they are ‘noisy’ when you turn in your sleep. They also need to be replaced, and don’t control for odor as well as some other options.

Greening your bedroom is a personal choice that must take budget and comfort into consideration. It may not be feasible for everyone to replace their entire bedroom and bedding with organic, health-conscious products, which is why we recommend starting with your pillow.

As for the next step, we suggest sleeping naked. It’s as natural as the day you were born, and makes breakfast in bed all the more fun. Stay tuned for more ways to make your sex life green, and your green life sexy. Or read our past post on Greening Your Bedroom.

Author: Tinamarie Bernard

Tinamarie combines her interests in two of her favorite topics – relationships and the environment – for Greenprophet.com. As our eco-sexpert, she explores ways to make our personal lives more sustainable, whether it’s between a couple, the sheets or our ears. While eco-sexuality is a new term and still unfamiliar to many, being conscious about what we use in moments of intimacy is connected to better stewardship of the planet. The idea that green is sexy and sex can be green is one she is thoroughly enjoying discovering. This married mom of two also believes we owe it to our children to teach them to love themselves, each other, and the environment for futures to come. Intimacy isn’t something we are born knowing. Neither is good stewardship of the earth. In her spare time, she muses about sacred sexuality, conscious love, intimacy, feminism and parenting as the top-rated Modern Love column for Examiner.com and several other media outlets. She composes poetry (mostly in her heart), mediates (when time allows), rides horses in the Galilee, and searches for delicious parve dessert recipes. She considers chocolate a righteous sin, and won’t give up a single pair of red shoes. You can find...

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