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Microbead Pillow Review and Analysis


Pros
Contoured support, good air flow, softer than buckwheat pillow

 


Cons
Some off gassing, durability questionable
 
What is a Microbead Pillow?
A microbead pillow is filled with round polystyrene beads called "microbeads," a small version of what is usually found in bean bags. The outer fabric of the pillow is usually made of nylon lycra/spandex, a soft and elastic material.


Below, the pillow is evaluated for each characteristic on a scale of one to ten. One means the pillow does not have the characteristic, and 10 means it fully has the characteristic.  
 
Firm
Microbead pillows have medium to high firmness, resulting in good supportiveness. This firmness may result in some people finding the pillow uncomfortable for their head or ears. The microbead pillow has a small amount of fluffiness, but this fluffiness tends to decrease as the pillow ages.

Score: 8 out of 10

 
Contouring Support
A microbead pillow instantly conforms to the head and neck area resulting in even distribution and proper support. And, typically, a microbead pillow maintains this support and won’t sink significantly during the night. However, some manual adjustment using one's hand may be needed to achieve the desired conforming shape.


The ability to maintain their conforming support throughout the night is the reason many people claim that microbead pillows provide relief from neck and back pain, headaches, snoring, muscle tension, TMJ syndrome, and sleeplessness.

Score: 7 out of 10

 
Adjustable Height and Firmness
The pillow is not designed to be adjusted for loft and firmness. In other words, you cannot add or remove the microbeads inside. However, you can remove the spandex casing and use a traditional pillow case to lower the loft and firmness.

Score: 3 out of 10

 
Good for Back Sleeping
They are good for back sleepers because of its conformability. However, they may be too high for some.

Score: 7 out of 10

 
Good for Side Sleeping
They are excellent for side sleepers because of their loft and contouring support.

Score: 10 out of 10

 
Good for Stomach Sleeping
The pillows tend to have too much loft and firmness to be good for stomach sleepers.  

Score: 2 out of 10
 
Quiet

The pillow is fairly quiet.

Score: 7 out of 10

 
Air Flow
Because the microbeads are spherical, they allow air to circulate around them, which makes the pillow a poor insulator. This can be good or bad depending on your preferences. If you like your pillow to be close to room temperature, then you’re in luck. However, if you like your pillow to act like a down or foam pillow and get toasty warm by absorbing heat from your body, then you’re out of luck.
 
Also, because air circulates through the pillow, moisture or sweat will evaporate quickly, leaving the pillow dry and not clammy.
 
It should be noted that regular use of the pillow will result in increasingly compacted microbeads which will decrease air circulation throughout the pillow.

Score: 8 out of 10

 
Light Weight
The pillow weights typically no more than one or two pounds.

Score: 7 out of 10

 
No Smell
The pillow can give off a chemical or plastic-like odor (off gassing) due to the manufacturing and / or packaging process. The odor often wears off after a few days or weeks. Consequently, a microbead pillow may not be the best choice if you need a pillow to sleep on immediately and do not have time to let it off gas before use.

Score: 4 out of 10


Hypoallergenic
The pillows are naturally hypoallergenic and resist the growth of mold, mildew and bacteria. They are likely as susceptible to dust mites as other fibrous pillows. (The droppings of dust mites, if case you don’t know, can cause allergies.)

Score: 8 out of 10

 
Durable
A significant number of owners report that microbeads can leak out of the case. As the pillow ages, leakage may become more likely.

Score: 5 out of 10

 
Easy To Care F
or
The pillows never need to be fluffed or shaken. According to some manufacturers, the pillows can be gently machine washed. However, many owners report the pillow being effectively destroyed by doing so.  

Score: 7 out of 10


Price
They tend to be mostly moderately priced.

Score: 7 out of 10

 
Value
Given their questionable durability, their value is a question.

Score: 5 out of 10







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