Because down is extremely lightweight and supportive, chiropractors often recommend down feather pillows to people who suffer from neck or back pain. This is done for a variety of reasons. For one, down feathers will mould to your body's contours without losing any firmness. This helps to eliminate any pressure points in your neck while simultaneously providing ample support for your head. Another advantage of using down feathers is the fact that they lack the hollow quill shafts that are present in wing and back feathers. Quill shafts are hard and uncomfortable, and add unnecessary weight and bulk to your pillow. Worst of all, they are prone to breaking down. When that happens, your pillow will no longer retain its shape and the splintered quill shafts may actually poke through the pillow and scratch you.
There are a few things you need to keep in mind when shopping for goose down pillows. The first is your predominant sleeping position, be it on your side, back, or stomach. This will help you determine what level of pillow firmness to look for. Side sleepers will benefit from firm pillows, back sleepers will benefit from soft or medium pillows, and stomach sleepers will benefit most from soft pillows. Thread count is also important. Ideally, the higher the thread count the better. Make sure any down bed pillows you purchase are at least 250 thread count; anything lower and the down may leak out of the pillow. The last thing to be aware of is the fill power. Fill power measures the loft, or fullness, of the down. As with thread count, the higher the fill power the better. 400 fill power is medium quality, 500 is good, 600 is very good, and 750 is excellent. When shopping for goose down pillows, aim for a fill power of 600 or greater.
Choosing the right goose down feather pillow can mean the difference between waking up feeling refreshed and relaxed, and waking up with a stiff, sore neck and back. Although they cost more than their synthetic counterparts, down pillows offer superior support, comfort, and quality of sleep. Definitely worth the extra cost, considering the fact that we spend about 1/3 of our life sleeping!
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