Pillow Talk It's A Pillow Revolution

Pillow Talk

By Dr. Raymond Hall, Pro-athlete/celebrity chiropractor and sleep science expert – Pillo1

Did you know the earliest pillows made 9,000 years ago were made of STONE? Talk about a pain in the neck!

Let’s talk a bit about the evolution of the pillow, after all, we do spend about a third of our life curling up with these cozy (well cozy now vs. way back when) sleep companions.

PACK YOUR PILLOW FOR THE AFTERLIFE: Neck-rests accompanied Egyptians into the afterlife too! Tutankhamen’s tomb contained eight fanciful neck-rests of turquoise glass, ivory and faience. The delicate material indicates that these weren’t for actual use, likely put in the tomb for ritual purposes.

PILLOW FENG SHUI: Ancient Asian cultures also used hard block pillows, believing that soft pillows stole your chi/energy while you slept. They elaborately decorated their precious stone, ceramic and porcelain pillows. Why porcelain? A 1591 Chinese style guide explained that, “Porcelain may be used to make pillows It has power to brighten the eyes and benefit the pupils”.

DON’T MESS WITH THE HAIR: Japanese geisha balanced their necks on hard pillows to protect their fancy hairstyles. Geisha hairstyling was time-consuming and expensive. In boot-camp like training, geisha-trainees learned not to let their locks touch the floor while sleeping. Geisha house mothers spread sticky wet rice on the floor around the trainee’s pillow. The rice adhered like glue if the head touched the floor.

PILLOW TALK WITH THE DEAD: Similarly, in Africa, individuals used wooden supports at night to preserve their ornate beaded hairstyles for weeks or even months at a time. In African cultures, headrests played a spiritual role as well, connecting you to your ancestors and inviting spirits into your dreams.

PILLOW REVOLUTION: In Europe during the Middle Ages, pillows were viewed as a status symbol and sign of weakness, thus men rarely used them. King Henry VIII banned pillow use for everyone except pregnant women. Soft pillows weren’t popular in Europe until the Industrial Revolution, when textile companies began mass-producing them. In 1897, Sears, Roebuck & Co offered 63 pillow styles and fillings priced between $0.45 and $6.10 (equivalent to $12 – $165 in today’s dollars).

Throughout time, pillows have varied in style and function – from inviting spirits into dreams to preventing bed-head and also from hard, cold stone to light feathery down.