For me it was “buy high quality pillow” because you sleep for one thrid of a day etc. I needed a new pillow anyway so I came to the store and bought the best they had. And it was … ok. Like it’s a fine pillow but my sleeping haven’t improved really, it’s basically the same. So I was disapointed :(

So, which life pro tip disappointed you?

  • rekabis
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    8 months ago

    I am a larger man with broad shoulders. I have trained myself to only sleep on my side due to breathing issues arising from my oversized uvula and the tendency for my tongue to join it at the back of my throat when on my back. Even when I’m awake, breathing on my back - much less speaking - is difficult due to my uvula in particular, as I can’t consciously control how it drapes back against my throat.

    So I built my own pillow, so that my head doesn’t hang from my shoulders like an afterthought – no normal pillow is tall enough to support my head while I am on my side. It looks kinda like a particularly narrow and deep parking curb, vaguely saddle shaped, only it’s not made out of concrete. It’s literally a tiny showroom-demo mattress on top of a very stable wooden base, with an actual pillow secured on top of it and everything wrapped up in a custom pillow case.

    Looks strange AF, but it keeps my spine straight and the crinks out of my neck.

    • Fedop@slrpnk.net
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      8 months ago

      I’m inordinately interested in your solution here. For all of our sakes, make a post about it.

    • pingveno@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      I have sleep apnea and I have found a bumper belt works wonders. It’s a belt you attach to your back with several air bladders that keep you on your side, even if your body is included towards back sleeping. It travels very nicely. Just deflate the bladders and roll up the belt.

      • rekabis
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        8 months ago

        Luckily I don’t need anything like a bumper belt. I have trained myself to never end up on my back; to always turn a full 180° from one side to another no matter how deeply I am sleeping.

        I’m able to do a number of nifty things like this in my sleep. Such as being able to wake up within 2-3 minutes of a set time, without an alarm or even a clock, so long as I get more than 4-5hrs of sleep. I’ve even been able to do it with less sleep, only with less than perfect reliability.

        It’s a form of mental feedback that I do before falling asleep, and across enough days it ends up being trained in such that I don’t have to reinforce it every night.

    • Xyre@lemmus.org
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      8 months ago

      Not quite the same, but I switched to buckwheat pillows. This way you can shape it to fit however you like no matter the position. Takes some getting used to but solved my issues with most pillows. Sadly it also means no more pillow fights…

    • OceanSoap@lemmy.ml
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      8 months ago

      Would you mind sharing pictures? I’ve been getting massages because of my back and neck issues from side sleeping

    • PolarisFx@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      8 months ago

      Ok… I’m in the same boat, severe sleep apnea because of it. I sleep with 2 pillows, a dense down filled for the base and then a soft pillow on top for comfort. Keeps my head at the right height but also allows me to roll over.

      Never thought about building a pillow