I don’t usually do product reviews on my blog, and this isn’t a paid product review, but it is something that has changed my life for the better, so I just had to share it with you.
Why EDS Makes Sleep Complicated
I saw this series of hilarious T-shirts about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. They show two stick figure people talking—one obviously injured. One asks, “What happened?” and the other answers with something totally mundane, like “I brushed my hair,” “I sneezed,” “I reached for my drink,” or “I tried to sit up”—which is exactly how people with my condition can get injured.
The one I want to buy is the one that says “I slept,” because it’s how I’ve injured myself the most. In that picture, it’s a neck injury—but for me, it’s my pelvis that’s taken the most hits while I’m sleeping.
My pelvis is one of the things that subluxes the most in my body. Subluxes are partial dislocations—when a bone shifts out of place but doesn’t fully dislocate, or when it happens in a joint without a socket. This is a very common injury for women with EDS. And once a pelvis is out of place, it isn’t something you can fix on your own; it requires a visit to a physical therapist to put it back in place. For people with joints as unstable as mine, just being in the wrong position—or any pressure on one side of the pelvis, like sitting on something unevenly, or pressure on a single leg or slipping even a little—can be enough to sublux it.
When you sleep, you aren’t in control of what your body is doing, which makes it the perfect opportunity to get injured if you’re hypermobile like I am. I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve woken up with one thing or another hurting that didn’t hurt before I went to sleep.
Pillows Help Reduce Injury
Additionally, sometimes I’m in pain from different injuries I got throughout the day, and falling asleep is difficult because I can’t seem to get into a comfortable position when lying in bed.
One thing I’ve learned through physical therapy and getting to know my body over the years is that sleeping with my pelvis properly spaced—on my side, with a pillow between my legs to keep them the right width apart, my arms around a pillow to keep them about shoulder-width apart, and my head on a pillow so it stays level with my neck—is the best way to stop myself from getting injured while sleeping.
This meant at least 3 pillows that I had to keep on my bed and position exactly correctly each time I got into bed. And because they weren’t connected, it didn’t ensure my body stayed in a straight line, which meant my pelvis could still get twisted in my sleep.
For a while I contemplated getting myself a full body pillow, despite them being expensive, and a close friend got me one for my birthday. It was great, and I appreciated it so much. But… I am tall. Quite tall. At 54 inches long, it was able to go between my knees and also between my arms—but only if it was positioned exactly correctly, because otherwise it wasn’t long enough. And I still needed another pillow beneath my head.
I felt bad and worried it would seem ungrateful if I got myself something better, but this full body pillow wasn’t “full body” enough for me, so I decided to buy myself something bigger. (Fortunately, my friend wasn’t upset and ended up buying herself the exact same one I bought for myself.)
Finding the Perfect Pillow for My Tall EDS Body
There are so many types of full body pillows on Amazon, most sold under the term “pregnancy pillow,” but they by far aren’t just good for pregnant people.
There are ones that are straight, but I was afraid that these wouldn’t be long enough. I also wasn’t sure if they’d be able to also have my head fit on them. Then there are the candy cane shaped and L-shaped ones, which seemed like they might be more promising since they had the part to go under the head. However, I didn’t know if the length written was the height of the pillow when standing upright or the total length following the bend of the pillow. And since it was a large investment—especially once you factor in overseas shipping, not to mention the time it takes to arrive—I wanted to get it right the first time.
I ended up settling on this gorgeous turquoise velvet-covered 65-inch U-shaped full body pillow. It was $65, but almost a year ago when I got it, international shipping only cost $20 instead of the $44 it does now. While I didn’t know how long it measured for sure, I knew it definitely wasn’t 65 inches around the entire thing, so it probably was height standing. And the pictures of it show it seems as close to the length of or longer than the woman’s entire body, so even if the pictured model was short, it probably would at least reach to my knees.
Did It Help? YES!!!
One thing I was concerned about, though, was that the U shape of it would stop me from rolling over and would make it hard for me to move while sleeping. While I do need to keep my torso in a straight line while sleeping, I also can’t stay in one place because that also injures me. (I can’t use memory foam pillows because they mold to your head and then you can’t turn your head as easily—and then, wham, injury.) This was the reason that I also didn’t go with other shaped ones that encircle you in different ways, because I worried they’d trap me in one sleeping position.
I was worried that the size of my bed—only a regular single mattress (not even an American-sized twin)—wouldn’t be big enough for this pillow. Or if it was, it would pin me between the sides of the U, making it even harder for me to move in my sleep.
Fortunately, those concerns were a non-issue.
First off, I wanted to say that it was definitely long enough. If you see on the picture above, when laid out on my bed it reaches most of the length of the bed. I am able to have my head at the bend, my arms around the side, and my knees around the pillow, and then the pillow extends down to my ankles.
It doesn’t trap me between the sides because it is flexible and bendable, not a firm U. I am able to have my legs around the pillow and flip over with my legs still around it.
It is very comfortable and thick enough for me to put my arm around it without it feeling empty. The filling is movable somewhat though, and sometimes my lower back is hurting me enough that I need to lie down with my head lower down than it would be on a pillow, and I push the stuffing over so that area has much less stuffing for that time. (It is quick to fix.)
I lie down inside the U often when I am in bed not sleeping. I also move the sides of the pillow whenever I feel like it—sometimes crisscrossing the sides under my hips so I’m encircled entirely by it. In fact, I’m in exact that position now writing this post lying in bed.
And when I want to do something sitting up in bed, I just crisscross it all the way up, or otherwise just shove it into whatever shape I want, so I have a tall pillow to lean on for watching movies or working in bed.
Honestly, since getting this pillow I’ve gotten such better sleep. I have an easier time falling asleep because I’m much more comfortable, and I wake up injured much less frequently.
It is such an awesome sleep aid that when I travel (other than internationally), I take it with me. Yes, it takes up a lot of room in my trunk. Yes, sometimes it is silly walking from my car to my hostess with a giant pillow over my neck with the sides reaching down to the floor while I’m holding a suitcase or a few bags. But it is worth the hassle.
Honestly, I’d recommend this to anyone— but especially to people who have a hard time getting comfortable while sleeping or who get injured in their sleep, whether they have EDS or any other chronic health issues. And of course, the pregnant women this was originally made for. Yes, even with the increased international shipping prices, I’d still recommend this at over $100 for the pillow and shipping combined. (Though they have other colors and fabrics for cheaper.)
Just one last thing to add- I like that the cover unzips easily to wash it, because after my dog got it dirty, and after my kid did too, I was able to easily clean it and good as new.
Do you ever get injured in your sleep? Or have a hard time falling asleep because you can’t get comfortable? What do you do to help, or have you not found a good solution? Does this look like something you’d purchase?
