Sona Pillow for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea
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Our Price: $49.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Sona Pillow for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea
Customer Review: Positional Sleep Apnea - This or a C-Pap ...
Summary: 5 Stars
This pillow was recommended for me following a medical sleep study. I stop breathing (20 times per hour) when I sleep on my back. That's every 3 minutes. Add to that the fact that my oxygen dropped 12%, and you KNOW I have a problem.
Given the choice between learning to sleep on my side or wearing a cpap machine for the rest of my sleeping life, I came out and found this turtle-like pillow to help me learn how to safely sleep at night, and bought one. That was two weeks ago. When it arrived, I tried different names for it, "the turtle" "the dove," and finally came up with "the Bump." And so the Bump and I had to become friends.
At first, even knowing I had no choice, I "fought" sleeping with the Bump. I mentally pictured it safely holding me in place, but I still kept trying to turn over in my sleep, and waking up when I couldn't. I must have awakened 20 times or more that first night. The second night was a bit better. And, over the course of two weeks, I finally had my first full night's sleep, waking up once or twice and turning over to my other side, then falling quickly back to sleep.
BUT, even before that first full night, I could tell a difference. I began waking up more alert and aware. I no longer have to take a nap during the day to survive (waking up from the nap even more sleepy and tired). Since the sleep study was able to identify my problem, I know that I am breathing better, sleeping deeper, especially since I am waking up more rested. Even my morning blood sugar has significantly improved.
For those buying this to reduce snoring ... it does that too, by forcing you to lay in the correct position where your throat remains open.
But the primary FDA approval is for Sleep Apnea - particularly the kind that I have, positional sleep apnea.
It is designed to train you to sleep on your side, and to help you be comfortable in the correct sleeping position. It takes time to learn to sleep in this position. In my case, it was two weeks to become comfortable all night long, but for some people, it can take up to a full month. So do not purchase this pillow unless you are willing to make that kind of commitment.
Customer Review: Great For Side Sleepers
Summary: 5 Stars
I think a lot of people are not using this pillow right. I don't have a snoring problem, but I do sleep on my side and usually put an arm to support my neck. When I saw this pillow I was so excited because I knew it would help with my achy back when I wake up in the morning from regular pillows. My boyfriend bought it for me as a surprise and I have had the best night sleep I have ever had! I am a small person and the pillow wasn't too big or bulky. It didn't squeak and was like sleeping on clouds. I highly recommend it, even when I flipped on my back in the night it supported my head perfectly. I am definetly satisfied.Customer Review: I left mine at a hotel and had to buy a new one!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't say this is the most comfortable pillow ever, but I sleep more soundly and don't snore when I use it. In fact, if I'm not using this pillow my daughter wakes me up to find it (usually somewhere on my bed, but not under my head!) so I'll stop snoring and keeping her up. It works.Customer Review: I love this pillow...
Summary: 5 Stars
What amazes me is how something so simple can work so well.
I highly recommend it to anyone who snores.
Customer Review: After two years, ready for another one
Summary: 4 Stars
I've been using this pillow for two years, and have been happy with it. It has flattened out to the point where it is no longer very helpful, so I came here looking for another one and was surprised at all the bad reviews.
Although I snore, the reason I bought this pillow was for my sleep apnea. It made a big difference starting from the first night. Where I used to be extremely sleepy for a few hours every afternoon, now I can go through the whole day without feeling more than a little drowsy.
The key is not being awakened so frequently that you never get enough REM sleep. With sleep apnea, the flap of flesh that otherwise causes snoring completely blocks air passage, and after being unable to breath for a while, you wake up (a sleep center can tell you if it's happening to you, although an insomniac spouse can give you a pretty good idea too). And you usually don't remember waking up, even if it happens hundreds of times a night. You never sleep long enough between awakenings to go into REM sleep, or you just don't get enough of it, and later in the day your body becomes desparate to get REM sleep. No one really knows why.
I can even tell the difference now between sleep apnea sleepiness and normal sleepiness due to staying up too late etc. The former is very powerful and it's a real battle to stay awake; it's like having a sleeping disorder that almost takes control of your body. The latter is much more gentle and much easier to stay awake.
In two years, this pillow has never made my neck sore. However, it's not as comfortable as a normal pillow:
-- The sleeping position puts the side of your nose down into the pillow (at the edge); which isn't where I'd prefer; I have bad allergies and putting my nose on a pillow makes me feel a bit sneezy.
-- It's designed to discourage sleeping on your back, which is my favorite sleeping position. Sometimes I just feel like I absolutely must sleep on my back at least for a while during the night; this pillow is specifically designed to make that difficult.
-- During hot summer nights (we don't have air conditioning), sleeping on your side with your head and nose crammed down into the pillow gets unbearably hot, and I have to sleep on my back.
Regarding the arm issue, I decided on the first night that it wasn't working for me, because my fingers got cold with my arm stretched way out there. So I kept my arms where I liked, and the pillow still worked. I wasn't aware until now of another reviewer's suggestion to just put your hand in the arm sleeve, but that's pretty close to what I've been doing.
The mistake I've made with this pillow is that when I feel I must sleep on my back for part of the night, I put my head in the middle of the pillow, which has gradually flattened it. They say it gradually flattens anyway and should be replaced every year, but my practice has probably made it flatten more and faster than otherwise. When the new one arrives, I'll try to set the pillow completely aside when sleeping on my back.
Oh -- my wife says it makes a big difference in my snoring, too. She says she always used to be able to tell when I was asleep, but now she can't tell anymore.
I don't know what to say about all the bad reviews. It's worked fine for me for two years, though there are issues as I've described. For now, I'd rather use this pillow than pay a bunch of money for the standard sleep apnea device that sticks tubes in your nose and mouth and blows air into them to keep the airways from closing, though eventually I may give that a try.
By the way, my older son, who is now 4, calls it the "fish pillow" because of it's shape! The ends look a bit like fish tails.