A few months ago when we had our condo on the market and my family was looking to buy a house, all my husband and I could think of was having a bedroom. For the past 11+ years we’ve had to sleep in the living room while our kids share the bedroom (living in a one bedroom condo is NOT an ideal living situation).
Over the years my husband and I have slept on a sofa bed, air mattresses (we went through two of them – they are not “cat friendly”), a daybed/trundle combination and then back to a sofa bed.
If you have ever slept on a sofa bed for any length of time you know that they are NOT the most comfortable things to sleep on. There is nothing worse than having to sleep with a metal bar on your back night after night. Every morning my husband and I wake up stiff and sore from sleeping on the paper thin mattress and on top of the bar. 🙁 Sadly there is not much we can do about it until we can finally put our place back on the market and hopefully sell so we can buy a house and get a REAL bed.
Aside from the bar and the mattress another big issue I have is that I can’t get my head in a comfortable position. I use THREE pillows every night, and even they don’t ensure me that I’m going to have a good night’s sleep. Most mornings I wake up with a crick in my neck.
I have gone through A LOT of pillows trying to find the right combination of firmness. Some pillows are too hard, others are so soft that I feel like I’m resting my head on a pancake at night.
When I go pillow shopping I feel like Goldilocks (Goldilocks and the Three Bears)… This pillow is too soft, this pillow it too hard… Stores also frown upon you resting your head on the pillows in the pillow aisle.
I’ve wasted a lot of $$$ on pillows that I THINK are ideal only to get them home and have my head lie flat on the bed… again.
I was sent a really nifty pillow to review (free of charge – there was no compensation either) called the Mediflow Waterbase Pillow.
The unique thing about this pillow, as you’ve probably already guessed, is that it has a waterbase. Think of it as a waterbed – but for your head!
The Mediflow Waterbase Pillow looks and feels like a regular pillow. Unlike regular pillows you can make the pillow firmer or softer simply by adding (or removing) water from a built in bladder.
There is a hole on one side of the pillow. You simply unscrew the top, screw on the funnel and add water. When you are finished carefully remove the funnel and then screw back on the top.
Initially I had a hard time unscrewing the lid. Try as I might I couldn’t get it to budge. After putting some muscle behind it my husband was able to remove the top.
I put in a lot of water at first (not too much – I didn’t want it to burst or over flow). I figured I would start off with a lot of water and than remove water little by little until I had the correct firmness. Since I wanted a firm pillow I figured it was easier to start with more water and remove what I don’t need rather than start with a little water and having to keep adding to it.
Here is a brief video that shows you exactly what you need to do to add water to the pillow. If you are reading this via e-mail you can find the instructional video here, http://bit.ly/ZLiW1H.
I have to admit I was worried about the water leaking out or the pillow bursting when I slept on it. The first few nights I don’t think I slept as well as I could have. I felt the same way the first time I slept on a water bed. It’s hard not to envision it busting open.
I was surprised that I put enough water in on the first try. Actually it could stand to be a wee bit less firm, but, it’s not uncomfortable. I’d remove a smidgen of water but for now it’s fine. My husband said that maybe the water evaporates over time. I guess we’ll see if I notice a difference in the firmness. So far that has not been the case.
The Mediflow Waterbase Pillow fits a regular size pillow case. There is no need to purchase anything special for your Mediflow Pillow.
After I got over my fear of the pillow springing a leak I was better able to enjoy it. I’ve been sleeping with it every night. In fact, I only use this pillow to sleep on because it’s firmness and thickness replaces my three other pillows. One of my three pillows was flat as a pancake to begin with. The other two pillows were very soft. Having this one firm pillow is all that I need. The only other accessory I need is my teddy bear, Mr. Bear, and my hubby. Occasionally a cat or two thrown in for good measure. Ha ha.
Seriously though, the pillow has been a huge help. While it can’t help my back and having to sleep on that horrible metal bar, it has helped my neck to feel better. I no longer have a crick in my neck when I wake up in the morning. I also find that I am less congested in the morning too. I think it’s because my head is elevated and not lying flat. I also have been using a new air purifying system. I don’t know if the decrease in morning stuffiness is due to the Mediflow Pillow, air purifier or a combination of both. In any event I wake up not having to take anything for pain, stuffiness or a sinus headache.
You don’t have to take my word that the Mediflow Waterbase Pillow is great for getting a good night’s sleep. Johns Hopkins University did a study and concluded that Mediflow Waterbase Pillow helped to reduce pain that the test subjects felt upon waking up and it helped to improve their quality of sleep. Johns Hopkins University ranks the Mediflow Waterbase Pillow as the best one out of all the similar pillows they tested.
I have been using this pillow for a few weeks now and I’m very pleased with it. In fact I want to get an additional one for my husband. He only sleeps with one pillow (about a medium firmness), however he snores a lot. I am curious to see if this pillow could help reduce his bouts with snoring (and maybe even give me a better nights sleep).
With Mother’s Day and Father’s Day coming up I think this pillow could make a great gift. After all, who would not want the gift of a good night’s sleep and waking up pain free the next day?
For more information about the Mediflow Waterbase Pillow visit www.Mediflow.com.
The Mediflow Waterbase Pillow is available at many retail locations (online and off line) including Target, Amazon, Walgreens, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and CVS. It ranges in price from $30-$40 depending on the retail location you purchase from.
Unlike other pillows the Mediflow Waterbase Pillow won’t lose firmness over time. All you need to do is add more water, therefore this pillow should las a very long time.
Kimberly
*I received a free product sample to review. There was no compensation. The opinions expressed are my own and not influenced in any way.
Sandy VanHoey says
How cool! Now, do you need to keep changing that water? I use 2 pillows to keep my head somewhat propped up but this sounds terrific. Great review as well!
Nick says
We recommend you change the water in the water bladder once a year. But we have found that water is still drinkable after 3 years of being in the water bladder!
saminder gumer says
it is like a water bed for your head. that is awesome.
June M. says
I have never seen a pillow like this before. I have trouble finding the right pillow too, and usually when I do find a pillow that works, it often changes quickly. I think this wouid be great. I would really love it if they stayed cool also. I can’t stand warm/hot pillows, lol.
ANN*H says
This is so different . Theres water bed but this I havent heard of before. It cool that you can adjust it according to how much water you put in it. Interesting idea. thanks
Tammy S says
this pillow sounds really good. My husband could use this. He sleeps with three pillows also. He is always complaining of a soar neck. Like you we have tried every pillow in the world. I will have to show this to him. Thanks for the review.
Auriette says
I guess the “waterpillow” has survived the cats so far. That would be my big concern about having one, but otherwise, it sounds very nice. Like Sandy asked, I would be curious to know if the water “sours” over time.
Nick says
We recommend changing the water at least once a year. Tap water is fine because it typically has a fluoride or other type of chemical that prevents bacteria build up. We suggest the use of a couple drops of bleach IF the water being used to fill the bladder is well water.
Feel free to ask any questions on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Mediflow) and stay up to date on all the sleep trends, tips, facts and jokes by checking us out on Twitter (@MediflowPillow)