9 Reasons You Should Slip into Sublime Solace with the Panda Body Pillow
Body pillows are built for cuddling. They run down the length of your body, providing support and comfort.
Conventional body pillows, however, are often disappointing. They aren’t soft enough, they’re lumpy, or they don’t provide enough support.
Combining an outer layer of solid memory foam and a shredded foam core, the Panda Body Pillow provides moldable, ultra-soft support and comfort. I’ve been sleeping with this CertiPUR-US® certified pillow for the last few nights, and here are my top 9 reasons you should start cuddling with the Panda Body Pillow.
1. It’s the perfect size for hugging
Some of the body pillows I’ve used before were disappointingly short. Running a full 54 inches (4.5 feet), however, the Panda Body Pillow is perfect for a 6’1 man like me.
Running your hands down its length, you can seek and disperse clumps of shredded memory foam in your Panda Body Pillow or squish them together at desired locations. The cover on this pillow is huggably soft.
2. It’s remarkably poofy
Gripped around its width by my arms, knees, or feet, the Panda Body Pillow is surprisingly thick and solid. With some serious squeezing, I might be able to flatten this thing close to its thickness straight out of the box, but my body pillow’s foam starts re-inflating the moment I move my arm or leg away.
With a little bit of foam distribution, the end of the Panda Body Pillow is comfortable enough for my head. I’ve woken up a couple of times during the night with my Panda Hybrid or Panda Copper Pillow off on the side of the bed and my head on the tip of my Panda Body Pillow.
3. It features an OEKO-TEX® certified cover
I recently bought an extra-long pillow case for my Panda Body Pillow. Before it arrived, however, I spent a couple of nights sleeping with the Panda Body Pillow without a case.
Around 24 hours after I started decompressing my Panda Body Pillow, it was fully inflated and ready to be squeezed. Not wanting to wait for my pillowcase to arrive, I decided to sleep with the Panda Body Pillow the following night.
I found the cover on my body pillow to be plenty comfortable even without a pillowcase. In my experience, pillow covers aren’t supposed to be particularly luxurious, but Panda breaks the mold in this regard.
The cover on every Panda pillow I’ve tried has been so soft and felt so high-quality that it’s really no surprise this brand has achieved OEKO-TEX® certification for its pillow covers. I can be a stickler when it comes to textiles, and knowing that my body pillow is properly certified is a relief.
4. Its foam is CertiPUR-US® certified
The Panda Body Pillow features two distinct types of foam: a solid memory foam shell and a shredded memory foam coare. Both types of foam are certified by CertiPUR-US®, a certifier that ensures products intended for the American market exceed sustainability and safety standards.
I find the foam that Panda uses in its body pillow to be remarkably soft, supportive, and pleasant to be around. I slept with the Panda Body Pillow right next to my face less than 48 hours after unpacking it, and I didn’t notice any off-gassing or unpleasant aromas.
It’s become considerably easier to make eco-friendly, non-toxic memory foam in the last few years. This is currently one of the major advantages of memory foam over latex, which still off-gasses considerably.
5. It features an adjustable, moldable foam core
What I like most about the Panda Body Pillow is how easy it is to move around the shredded foam in its core. The only other body pillows I’ve used before featured the same sort of synthetic fiber fluff that has been popular in all types of pillows until recently.
With these outdated types of body pillows, fluff tends to accumulate in corners or stick to the fabric. This isn’t possible with the Panda Body Pillow since its outer layer of solid foam provides structural support and forms a shell around the shredded foam inside.
All it takes is a little bit of squeezing and shaking to move the inner memory foam chunks where you want them to go. I personally prefer a reasonably even distribution of shredded foam along the length of my body pillow, and that’s the sort of arrangement my Panda Body Pillow appears to default back to anyway.
6. The benefits of body pillows are impressive
Surprisingly little scientific research has been conducted into the benefits of body pillows. We know enough, however, to make a few basic conclusions regarding the benefits of sleeping with a body pillow.
For instance, body pillows appear to:
- Improve circulation
- Help with weight distribution
- Reduce joint pressure
- Help with back pain
- Reduce stress and lower blood pressure
When you sleep on your side while hugging a body pillow, the weight of your body becomes evenly distributed, reducing pressure on painful or inflamed joints, taking stress off your heart, and helping blood flow throughout your body.
Sleeping on your side helps with snoring, which both you and your sleeping companions will appreciate. Perhaps most interestingly, the act of hugging releases oxytocin, and your brain doesn’t appear to differentiate between hugging a pillow and hugging a person in this regard.
Oxytocin reduces stress and anxiety and lowers your blood pressure. In short, sleeping with a body pillow feels good, helps you sleep better, and will probably make your body healthier.
7. It’s ideal for any sleeping position
Don’t think that you can only sleep with a body pillow if you’re already a side sleeper. Body pillows are appropriate for any sleeping position, and they’ll help you sleep on your side over time.
As I got used to my Panda Body Pillow, I would sometimes find myself on top of it, underneath it, or some combination of the two. It felt good to sleep with my body pillow regardless of my position.
Most nights, however, I mainly stay on my side while sleeping. The Panda Body Pillow makes sleeping on my side dramatically more comfortable.
The sensation took some getting used to. The Panda Body Pillow is, after all, quite big and different from a normal pillow.
Since sleeping with the Panda Body Pillow, however, I’ve found myself sleeping on my side even more than before. And, sleeping in any position is quite a bit more comfortable.
8. It’s especially good for relieving pressure while side-sleeping
The most stress my body usually goes through is recovery after a workout. Still, I’ve been able to note the impressive pressure-relieving properties of sleeping on my side with the Panda Body Pillow.
The Panda Classic Mattress makes me feel like I’m floating on a cloud. My various Panda pillows make my head and neck feel similarly. Now, my Panda Body Pillow makes my legs and arms feel the same as well.
9. It leads to 5-star sleep
While it might take a few nights to get used to your long, fluffy cuddle buddly, your sleep will change dramatically once you adjust. For me, the Panda Body Pillow changed the way it feels to sleep altogether.
When I cuddle it, I invariably fall into deep, blissful sleep. That’s why I give the Panda Body Pillow an overall score of 5 out of 5.
Versatility: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Usefulness: 5/5
Quality: 5/5
Washability: 5/5
Overall score: 5/5
Remarkably comfortable and useful in any position, the Panda Body Pillow is obviously high-quality and easy to wash. I’d recommend it to anyone in search of calmer days and blissfully regenerative nights.