How did I live without this?

I ADORE the Chillow. I'm pregnant and constantly hot at night... I got this in my 8th month but I wish I'd gotten it sooner! To the reviewer who put it in the freezer the directions very clearly say NOT to do this as it damages the integrity of the product. Now there are a few drawbacks to the Chillow that are worth mentioning:



1) The exact spot you're sleeping on "loses its cool" after about an hour but that gives you plenty of time to fall asleep. If you wake up in the middle of the night just move your head over a few inches into a cool spot no problem. By morning the whole thing is room temperature but that doesn't really matter -- it's cold again at night when you need it to be.



2) I use mine inside the pillowcase and the thing weighs a TON! Normally I flip my pillow around a lot at night and this would be almost impossible with the Chillow inside but since the Chillow makes the pillow so nice and comfy and cool I don't need to flip my pillow any more. Moot point.



3) I found the "set up" of the Chillow a bit of a drag. I thought I would open the box put it in my pillowcase and be ready to go but the process of filling it and getting the air out to create a vacuum is a bit laborious. The directions also say you may have to do it every few weeks. It's still a small price to pay in my opinion.



Having said all that I would still buy this product again in an instant. (And it may become my new gift to all pregnant women!) In fact even if it broke tomorrow I'd still buy another one. My nights have become SO much more restful and that's priceless!More detail ...

Great Pillow - TERRIBLE ODOR! NOT appropriate for those sensitive to odors!

Just ordered two of these...a firm and a plush. Arrival was very quick and they both come packaged in a convenient zipper stow-away with a removable cover for washing. Spouse prefers the firm while I preferred the plush...both are very comfortable and provide excellent support for both types of sleeping habits (side sleeper and stomach sleeper).



The only issue keeping this from receiving a five star review is the odor. The smell is simply too strong even after having washed the pillow cover and covering it with new pillow cases and another cover. It literally awoke me several times throughout the night until I had to set the pillow aside and grab my old pillows.



I'm not an especially sensitive individual and found it obnoxious so those with sensitivity to odors smells etc may find this intolerable.



I'm going to allow it to air out for a few weeks to see if that improves the odor...if not they go in the close as spares despite the comfort.



As a side note these are made in China according to the label. The quality is nice but not as nice as some of the higher end pillows you may be familiar with...however they are a bargain for the price IF you can stand the odor.



UPDATE - have now owned the original two pillows for a couple months and have purchased two more since. We remove the case and air each pillow...and in fact have put it into a gentle cycle to wash although that is probably not recommended...due to the unpleasant odor. However I'm pleased to say that the odor dissipates after a few days in the open air so that is not a problem for long term use.



I have arthritis in my neck and this has been a tremendous improvement in sleep quality...not a small feat since I routinely purchase expensive custom pillow from manufacturers like Cuddledown etc...without a doubt these provide the best support and pain-free sleep I've had in years. Spouse loves them too! Great price exceptionally pleased pain-free sleep.More detail ...

Awesome

This pillow is aaaaamazing. My husband was snoring so much that I had to use ear plugs; those didn't always work. I was ready to sleep in another room just to get a good night sleep. My husband ordered this. It took ahwile to get the pillow. (He was actually ready to go to a retail store to purchase a pillow.) We decided to wait for this one; I am so glad we did. I don't know how it works so well but it does. I can sleep through the night and not wake up from his snoring. He says that it is comfortable and has no problem sleeping on this pillow. I would recommend to anyone!More detail ...

Lumbar Cushions

I brought two Ortho Therapy Lumbar cushions for my car. My Father is 84 years old and I drive him and my mother around a lot and we sometimes take long trips. My father has a bad back and usually after just a hour or so in my car his back is really soar. I brought the cushions which both my parents use on our trips even the ones just to the store. My father can now ride in the car with ease. He told me there is a real difference and he really liked the cushion that it did help a lot. He use to be so sore that when he got out of the car he had a hard time standing now he seem to get out with ease. We have found the cushions to work very well. We like that the cover can come off to be washed when needed. We will be using them for a long time. I think they are better then the smaller roll lumbar cushions they support your whole lower back and are very comfy. I would recommend them for anyone who has lower back discomfort.More detail ...

You need this pillow

I got this when I was just beginning to show and I loved it so much. I heard all the other pregnant women who couldn't sleep because they couldn't get comfortable; obviously they didn't have this touch of heaven. It is big but i slept in a different bed while i was pregnant(why torture my husband with my bizarre sleep patterns and continuous trips to the bathroom while i was pregnant?). So if you have a queen you and your hubby will have a tight fit in bed with this pillow but it would be fine with a king. I cut the end out of pillow case so I could have an extra cover over the pillow for my face area(so I didn't have to wash off my eye makeup if i wanted to catch a quick nap). The case that comes over the pillow is great but you don't want to be taking it off every week to wash just cut the end out of a pillowcase you don't like anymore and wash the big case less frequently.More detail ...

Well Worth Buying but has a few flaws

My wife and I bought two of these for plane travel based on the glowing reviews. The concept was pretty compelling and I have to say that the pillow works almost as well as advertised.



***UPDATE***

This product deserves a minimum of 4 stars. My original review failed to take into account some additional ways to use the pillow effectively.



First off the excellent:



1. The pillow is very easy to inflate and only takes 3-4 puffs of air depending on your lungs. It is also very easy to deflate rolls up and takes up a minimum of space in your carry on bag.



2. The pillow is comfortable enough for an inflatable. It is covered in a soft faux velvet that doesn't irritate the skin or cause discomfort due to pressure points. You can make it even more comfortable with a small cotton pillow or even by putting a cotton pillow case over it if you prefer that.



3. When it used properly it will support your head and neck very well and will allow you to sleep on an airplane car or even sitting in the airport lobby.



4. The 'arm' of the pillow resting along your chest and mid section is very comfortable. I found it soothing since I tend to sleep holding a pillow anyway. Your mileage may vary on that one though.



A Few Problems:



The pillow can be hard to keep in one place if you use the rope to fasten it to the seat back. There are two bands that connect the pillow to your chair: the first is a loop that you can put around your belt your seat belt or even a belt loop. This connection works well and is fastened in place by a quality metal snap. However the top is held in place by a nylon piece of rope that you can adjust with a plastic thump clasp. It is intended to go around the backside of your seat and then tighten down to hold the pillow in place. This can work pretty poorly on certain airplanes because A. the seat backs in are sometimes slick B. the nylon rope doesn't have any traction to it (although this is intentional because it allows the thumb clasp to move easily) and C. The top of some airplane seats are angled and as time passes the rope works itself free. My experience was that it was very hard to make the cushion stay in place for more than an hour at a time and it required readjustment frequently. This may frustrate the person sitting next to you or the person behind you who you keep turning around and looking at while you make adjustments!



***UPDATE***



After receiving some additional information from the makers of the TravelRest pillow I've learned that there is an alternative (and far superior in my opinion) way to use the pillow that involves wearing it like a messenger bag by connecting the pillow strap to the bottom strap. This forms a loop you can put around your body and which keeps the pillow much more stationary. Using the pillow in this fashion is easier and more secure. I'd recommend using the pillow this way virtually all of the time.



2. The pillow only gives you support on one side at a time unlike traditional neck pillows. If you shift while sleeping you will find yourself with a massive neck cramp.



***UPDATE***

However you can easily shift the pillow from one side to the other if you're 'wearing it' messenger style. This alleviates that problem pretty satisfactorily.



Advice and Observations:



1. Don't over-inflate the pillow. It is actually more comfortable at about 80-90% capacity.



2. It is easy to let air out once the pillow is in place but it is much harder to add air because the access point is on the bottom of the pillow. Go for a little over full and then let air out as necessary.



Conclusions:



This is pretty solid invention for sleeping on a plane. In my estimation it is superior to a traditional neck pillow but has its share of advantages and disadvantages. I'd recommend it if you prefer strong directional support to softer universal neck support provided by a traditional neck pillow and if you like the comfort of having a pillow 'hugging' you as you sleep. This pillow also works really well in the car and if you've got kids who have a hard time sleeping on road trips these are probably a must buy.



***UPDATE***

I'd like to thank TravelRest for their customer service. This company went out of their way to assist with my pillow by providing additional information on how to use the pillow effectively. They have produced a short video on using the pillow that I have put a link to in the comments section. It is pretty PR-ish but does show the various ways to use the pillow. I'd also like to say that TravelRest in no way bartered for any changes to this review. They were straight shooters who wanted to make sure I understood their product and was using it properly. I've got no problem recommending them to anyone. It's actually pretty amazing when a company goes above and beyond to provide solid customer service as they did for me.More detail ...

Alleviates back pain Expensive for material

My mother sent me this product as a gift when I was 4 months pregnant at a time when my hips and lower back were consistently stiff and achey after a night's sleep. Here are my thoughts in conjunction with the other reviews:

1. Yes it is big and takes up space however I now use two pillows instead of seven to get comfortable so it's a lot less hassle to adjust when I roll over. I like to sleep with my belly propped on the long supportive side but do find a need to keep a standard pillow on the side that has the opening so if I turn over I have something to support my belly... otherwise my lower back is very achey by morning.
2. I like the curves at the top and bottom. When lying on my side it supports head neck and knees. I also have awakened several times lying on my back feeling VERY comfortably cradled (which is different for me as I NEVER slept on my back pre-pregnancy).
3. I am a fuller figure mom and the added pregnancy weight in my chest and stomach area by four months was causing significant problems with aches and acid reflux/heartburn pain. I find that this pillow can be manuevered to prop me up without shifting through the night as my standard pillows did which is imperative to lessen these discomforts.
4. After using it nightly for a few months the filling has not lost any supportive qualities.

Over all I do find sleeping with it to be more pleasurable than standard pillows and my aches and pains upon waking are quite minimal. Reading other reviews I cannot help but wonder if my being fuller-figured makes it a better product for me. I have a fuller-figured friend whose experience with it has been the same as mine. I could understand if it seems more imposing and cumbersome to a smaller framed woman though.

I do regard it as a sleeping necessity at this time and am thankful to have received it as a present however I took a "star off the rating" as I do not feel the materials are worthy of the price. It is no different from standard pillows in filling material or firmness. $$$ is quite an inflated price for a product whose only difference from other materials on the market is shape. If money is not an object or nights are miserable and one is desperate I could see investing the money. I personally will get the money's worth because I received it early in my pregnancy. (I would feel bad that my mom spent so much on it if I used it only for month or two but that's just my opinion of value.) After pregnancy I don't think that I will keep it in the bed as I would prefer to lie next to my husband rather than a pillow. Right now I am so large that I can't get near my husband anyway without my belly getting in the way so it's not a major problem that we have a barrier between us.

The other "star rating deduction" is about the "cover" that comes on it... It is made of a coarse fabric that causes mild discomfort when directly touching my skin. I rectified this problem by sewing my own cover (out of two yards of soft cotton fabric that added additional cost to the use of the product) that I traced from the cover that came with the pillow. This is not a pillow that one can just throw a regular pillow case on so a custom one must be made or bought (if they even sell them). If you don't have the time or ability to do this then the "scratchy" fabric could definitely pose a discomfort to sensitive skin. With my homemade cover there is little STRUCTURALLY that I can complain about.

I DO use it daily and it offers me relief from a certain level of discomfort however the bottom line is what price you put on comfort. For some the comfort attained will not justify the price for others it may be priceless to get even a small amount of relief.

My personal rating is 3/5 stars as it comes. If it were less costly and came with a soft pillow cover I would change my rating to a 5/5 star.More detail ...