FAQ's - Questions About Buckwheat and Pillows
Here are a few of the questions we usually get asked about our pillows, if we don’t answer your question please get in touch and we will try and find an answer for you. Questions like: What is Buckwheat?, How do you use a new buckwheat pillow?,  What size are the pillows?, How do they help neck and headaches?, How do I care for my pillow?
Are they different from other pillows? How do they work? What does ‘Shui Mien’ actually mean? Will I be allergic to them? Can I use my pillow for other things? How can I get a buckwheat pillow?
What size are the pillows? Bed Sized Pillows - Just fit your favourite pillow case over your pillow! Our pillows are approximately 60cm x 48cm so they are about the same size as a standard pillow. Your Pillows will have about 2.7kg of buckwheat hulls inside the strong cotton case. This is an ideal weight for most people (if you need more just let us know). Your pillow will support your head as soon as you put your head on it giving you a relaxed and comfortable night’s sleep for many years to come. What is Buckwheat? Buckwheat is popular American flour used to make a wide range of foods including buckwheat pancakes, the same staple food today as it was in the time of Thomas Jefferson and George Washington who it is reported grew buckwheat on their Virginia farms. Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) is a natural, versatile and easy-to-grow grain crop that has been grown for hundreds of years and used mainly as food item (buckwheat pancakes etc.). In nature, the buckwheat hulls (the filling for our pillows) protect the buckwheat kernel as it develops until it is shed in the cutting and production process. The usually discarded hulls (shells) have for hundreds of years been used as a bedding material, particularly in Japan. How do I use my buckwheat pillow? Your buckwheat pillow will mould to the right shape of your head and allow it to move freely during sleep. Just place your hand onto to the pillow and exert slight pressure to create a hollow in the pillow, now lay your head in the hollow and the surrounding hulls will move together to correctly support your head. This removes the stress on the neck and allows the head and neck to relax more fully. It can even help reduce snoring! Get your Pillow Now - Vist the Buckwheat Pillow shop>>> How do they help and headaches? Neck and headaches can sometimes be caused by laying in the wrong position when we sleep. As you lay down your head may be putting strain on the muscles around the neck and head resulting in the familiar ‘stiff neck’ in the morning. The Hulls in side your buckwheat pillow move and adjust to support your head in a more natural position during sleep or resting and therefore help to remove or reduce the strain on your neck. Laying in a better position during the eight hours (if you are lucky!) or so of sleeping can have a dramatic effect on reducing neck, head and shoulder tension. This naturally can help users of the pillow achieve deeper and better sleep and help prevent repeated waking during the night. How are they different from other pillows? Because a traditional pillow is perhaps first thought of as being big and fluffy - great for pillow fights but not necessarily the best for your posture! In the same way that a soft bed is thought of as being bad for the back, current thinking suggests the same may be true for pillows. After all, we need the best support we can get for the eight hours or so that we spend sleeping. In the same way orthopaedic beds are slightly harder that a traditional mattress, it’s the same with a buckwheat pillow. They tend to feel ‘different’ from other pillows and because they are so good at supporting the head they feel slightly harder than a feather pillow for example. What are Sobakawa Hulls Another name for Buckwheat hulls probably from Japan who have used the hulls for mattress filling for hundreds of years., also known as sobakawa hulls or sobagara husks Do they take getting used to? The pillows are very easy to use and don’t take long to get used to whilst the benefits of better sleep can be immediately noticeable. They do tend to feel ‘different’ from other pillows and because they are so good at supporting the head they feel slightly harder than a feather pillow for example. How do they work? The buckwheat hulls naturally settle to accommodate the weight of your head thus reducing tension in the neck as you sleep. As the hulls are ‘free-flowing’ they move independently and adjust and move to create a supporting structure that cushions the head and neck. You will find that you will naturally settle into a comfortable position whilst at the same time being able to adjust your position as you wish. Users of the pillow report a reduction in neck pain and headaches after continued use.
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Can I use my pillow for other things? You will find that as the pillow is more supportive than a typical pillow you might find you use it not just for sleeping! Mothers for example find our pillows invaluable in helping to support a child when feeding and one of our gentleman customers uses a buckwheat pillow when he goes fishing, other types he has used get uncomfortable after a long day at the river bank. Get your Pillow Now - Vist the Buckwheat Pillow shop>>> Will I be allergic to them? Because our pillows are packed with buckwheat, a natural, versatile and easy-to-grow grain crop that has been grown for hundreds of years you can most probably use it even if you have difficulty with other pillows. Because buckwheat is not part of the ‘wheat family’ a known cause of allergies and doesn’t contain any feathers, people who are allergic to wheat or feathers for example should have no problems. How do I care for my pillow? Your pillow should give you years and years of use, you may need to top it up with buckwheat occasionally we will be surprised if see you buying it’s replacement for at least 10 years… we will of course welcome you sooner if you want to pass on the secret of better sleep and buy one for a friend though! What does ‘Shui Mien’ actually mean? Well there is no direct translation for ‘Shui Mien’ but as the goal of ‘Feng Shui’ is all about harmony, comfort, and balance we like to think of it as meaning ‘face harmony’ which we think sounds rather nice! Made in the UK Our pillows are manufactured in our factory in Suffolk and sourced from a leading UK importer. The buckwheat hulls are grown using no fertilizers or pesticides and cleaned using a number of different processes to screen and sift out damaged hulls or any flour that may remain in them. The Shui Mien Buckwheat pillow is filled with Buckwheat hulls enclosed in a strong cotton cover. A strong zip allows you to remove the hulls to allow you to wash the pillow case (don’t wash the hulls!) or to adjust your pillow to your perfect size. Are the pillow cases cotton? Our pillow cases are made of 100% white, strong cotton and come complete with a zipper to make refilling your pillow really easy. Because our pillows are not bleached occasional small marks on the case are perfectly normal. Prices We try to bring you the best quality pillow filled with the highest grade buckwheat that we can. We think that for the quality of our high grade buckwheat and cotton pillow cases you will see that we have done just that... in the US (where a lot of hulls come from) they sell for around $49.75 How can I get a buckwheat pillow? You can get you new buckwheat pillow right now! Just visit the buckwheat pillow shop and order you new pillow and we will  deliver your brand new Shui Mien pillow direct to your door! Sweet dreams! Get your Pillow Now - Vist the Buckwheat Pillow shop>>>