How Much Can a Pillow Improve Your Sleep?

** This post is sponsored by Dreampad from Integrated Listening Systems, I was compensated for my time. All opinions are my own and always honest!

A little about my anxious kid-

My middle kiddo Nathan has been requesting a new pillow for a while. He recently got a new mattress and pillows were the next thing he needed upgraded.

You see, we’ve been on a quest to get him a better nights sleep…

He’s never been a great sleeper. In fact the first three years of his life found yours truly functioning on sleep that had been interrupted 5-6 times a night and lots and lots of coffee.

As he’s gotten older it’s gotten better. But even now at 13 he still struggles to fall asleep, and often stay asleep.

On average he lays in bed for over an hour before falling asleep. Sometimes getting up multiple times to get a drink, got to the bathroom… any other reason to just get out of bed instead of laying there tossing and turning. Once he is asleep he usually wakes up a couple of times through the night and then has to re-relax and get back to sleep.

Nathan is a kid who has always been anxious. Over the year we’ve taken lots of steps to help him cope with his anxiety, refocus his mind, and try to calm his thinking. Throughout the day he’s all good. But at night??? Well his brain goes into overdrive, he starts with worries, invasive thoughts, and out of control thinking that he just can’t quite down.

That mind is always going! Especially at bed time.

We’ve tried audio books, essential oils, guided meditations, herbal supplements… nothing has ever made a huge difference. The nice thing is that since we homeschool nights where getting to sleep is really challenging can just result in later wake ups the next day with no problem.

But it bothered him, and I hated hearing him get up after being tucked in, knowing he was having a hard time.

So the search for better bedding had started. He had a new memory foam mattress and we were looking for a pillow to go with it.

Enter in Dreampad-

Just a few days after we got his new mattress I learned that I was going to get to review the Dreampad by Integrated Listening Systems. What I knew was that it was a pillow designed to help people with anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, sensory issues, and more relax, fall asleep faster, and have a better quality of sleep. I expected that it would work, but honestly I didn’t expect how well it does or how much he loves it.

First of all- It’s a fantastic pillow-

Recently I took a trip with the teenager to his district swim meet and we stayed at the Hyatt. They had the best pillows. The kind of pillows you really want to stick in your bag and bring home. The fluffy cloud like pillows that make sleeping oh so lovely.

Well the Dreampad pillow is just as fantastic. When we got it out of the packaging and felt it I was in love. I looked at Nathan and said, “Well, if you don’t like it, I’ll be happy to take it off your hands!” (just an FYI here- the Dreampad also comes in smaller thinner sizes so you can use the technology with a pillow you already love if you like!)

It is totally high-end hotel quality, soft, fluffy, yet supportive and springs back beautifully after being slept on. Even the casing is nice, soft and obviously durable.

Then there is the Intrasound Technology (the key to relaxation) –

Nathan promptly downloaded the app on his phone and plugged in. It didn’t seem to do anything. We kind of just looked at the pillow, looked at each other and shrugged. I’m not sure what we were expecting the pillow to do… it’s a pillow. So I laid my head down on it.

Then I heard it.

The music was coming through the pillow. Even though we couldn’t hear it sitting next to it once your head was on the pillow you could hear the soothing sounds coming through.

Here’s a little about the technology from the Dreampad website. “Intrasound is a proprietary audio technology which delivers specific frequencies through vibration…Intrasound provides a deeper, more sensory-based level of calm and relaxation than music from speakers. In addition to being both a physical and psychological sensation, the music is heard only by the individual listener. There are no headphones or headbands needed. You can lie as you would normally on your back or side.”

Not needing earbuds or headphones is a huge plus. That was one of the biggest obstacles with other things we’d tried before.

The difference is noticeable as soon as you lie down. The gentle beats and soothing music are almost instantly relaxing. (once again I volunteered to take it if Nathan hated it)

It has lots of settings and great features-

The Dreampad app is nicely customizeable. There are several songs to choose from. You can set the duration of the music for however long works best for you. You can even set an alarm and be awakened by lovely music instead of a beeping alarm clock!

The pillow has a little pocket so that your device can tuck right into it so it’s not in danger of falling off the bed, or there is a Bluetooth receiver that is available too.

We loved the bluetooth feature so that when Nathan’s phone needed to charge we could plug it in across the room and he could still have his music playing. (and his phone almost always needs plugged in!) The bluetooth would also be great if you were using a larger device such as a tablet or ipad.

Does it really make a difference?? Why yes it does, a major one-

Like I said at the beginning, I was a little skeptical. After all at first glance it’s a really nice pillow that plays music. But after seeing the difference it made in Nathan’s sleep I am a firm believer in the Dreampad.

The child who took 60- 90 minutes each night to fall asleep is usually out in about 15-20 now! He goes to bed, turns on the app and by the time I’m done reading his little brother a couple of stories I can see that he is already relaxed and on his way to a great nights sleep.

Once he falls asleep he is rarely waking up anymore. If he does it’s because our dog who often sleeps with him has disturbed him and he just rolls over and falls right back to sleep.

Nights when his anxiety kicks in to high gear I know he is really thankful to have this because he knows it will help him relax and quite his mind faster than anything else ever has.

I’m not usually one to gush about a product and the major difference it has made for my family… unless I wholeheartedly believe in it. This, I have told so many people about.

It helps my kid sleep. It helps him quiet his mind and relax, it has improved his quality of sleep and in return other aspects of his life. He is more alert in the mornings during school work. A great night’s sleep helps his anxiety over all, even throughout the day.

It’s kind of amazing the difference a pillow can make!!

Want a Dreampad of your own (or for someone you love)?

I’m excited to tell you that you can enter to win a Dreampad of your very own right here!