We spend somewhere around 35 percent of our lives sleeping. That’s a lot of quality time spent with your pillow and mattress. I, for one, have never lost my college-aged ability to sleep into the double-digit hours when given the opportunity. I’ve also had a lifelong struggle to find a pillow that could accommodate my preference for sleeping on my stomach without completely wrenching my neck. Suffice it to say that when I have the chance to try out a new pillow, I jump at it.

Plushbeds, makers of natural latex mattresses, recently offered me the chances to test out a few of their Talalay latex pillows in the comfort of my own bedroom. After a few weeks of slumber on these new pillows, I’m happy to report that they deliver on comfort as well as eco-friendliness.

Image copyright Beth Buczynski

It’s important to note that these aren’t the first latex pillows we’ve tried in our household. A few years ago, I obtained another brand of latex pillow which we’ve been using ever since. Although I loved that pillow in comparison to the cheap, fluff-filled ones that you can get at the department store, over time I realized it wasn’t right for me. The latex center was almost too firm, creating a pile that was just too high for my neck/shoulder structure. It made sleeping on my stomach impossible and sleeping on my side slightly uncomfortable. I was worried the same thing might happen with the Plushbeds pillows, but was pleasantly surprised.

Talalay is a newer process for manufacturing latex; After the latex is poured, the mold is sealed and the process is continued in a vacuum chamber. The mold is then flash-frozen before it’s baked. Talalay latex has a more consistent cell structure from top to bottom and edge to edge. This gives it a softer feel than Dunlop latex (a more traditional process) which tends to be dense and heavy. I think this difference explains why the pillow feels supportive without being rigid, and responds well to my body shape. I found them to be quite comfortable, yet “squishy” enough to accommodate my stomach sleeping.

The even better news is that latex is inherently hypo-allergenic, anti-microbial and dust-mite resistant. Latex is not a plastic foam, like polyurethane or furniture foam, and is thus free from the chemicals and petroleum products of traditional pillows and memory foam products.