Shit I Bought and Liked: The Tortured Sleepers Department
I Love You, It's Ruining My Bed
Shitters! First things first—there’s a new Taylor Swift album. Yes, there are too many songs. Yes, many of the other criticisms are valid (unless you are unearthing this in a future where she and I are friends—in that case, perfect album, no notes!). But I definitely have some early favorites. Should we take this to the newly minted subscriber chat?! Feels like a safer space to discuss how we really feel about the line “touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto.”
But today isn’t all about Taylor (she can get a whole newsletter when she drops Rep TV). As we get closer to SIBAL’s five year anniversary (next month!!!! eek!!!), we are going back to our roots with something that has definitively changed my life for the better, AND it clocks in at under $40!
They say the body keeps score. Now would probably be a good time to reveal that I didn’t actually read the book, but repeating the title to people seems to have gotten me far enough… For as long as I can remember, my scorekeepers have lived in my traps. They’re tight and painful, inflamed and spasm-y—I think of them as home to an army of angry, red creatures a la Inside Out who blow up in flames the minute extra cortisol hits my bloodstream.
I’ve done a lot of things in hopes of banishing these little monsters—I go to acupuncture, I’ve tried physical therapy, I have heat packs and CBD balms and a massage therapist who knows my whole life story. And at the advice of pretty much everyone, I’ve spent years looking for a more supportive pillow. I tried Purple and Casper and Snowe and Helix—brands everyone seemed to rave about. All were varying degrees of fine (Purple was the best of the bunch, but the price seems to have dramatically increased), but nothing really did the trick. I’d still wake up with angry muscles, cricks in my neck, and a whole lot crankier than I needed to be.
I was doing my best to avoid the ugly neck pillows—you know, the ones that don’t fit properly into standard pillowcases and bring a vaguely orthotic, entirely unsexy vibe to a bedroom. But it was time to face the music (and the two grays I found while giving myself a blowout earlier this week…)—these were desperate times.
I first saw a version of this on TikTok, of course. It was different from the Tempur-Pedic-style pillows my mom spent years trying to get me to use—arguably even uglier—but again, I was desperate. So after a thorough assessment of Amazon reviews, this contraption arrived on my doorstep two days later.
It’s a cooling, memory foam pillow for side and back sleepers with higher and lower sides depending on how much support you prefer. Your head fits right into the shallow dip at the center, while the edges position your cervical spine in the right position so it’s not crunched up or weighed down by your bowling ball head.
Is it the most aesthetically pleasing addition I’ve ever made to my bedroom? Obviously no. But it has been pretty life changing. My day to day pain has gone down dramatically, and in the month I’ve had it, I haven’t woken up with any additional aggravation or stiffness. I’m not sure how many of you have the same kind of issues I do (hopefully none), but aches from sleeping in the wrong position get the best of us (and can last for DAYS), so if you’re in that boat, this is definitely worth picking up. I ordered another one to use at my parents’ house and my mom promptly stole it for herself the minute I left. RIP Tempur-Pedic—gone but never forgotten.
Other things I’ve been loving lately: I’m giving my 11 (!) year old Lulu crops a rest after receiving the most flattering cropped leggings from the Shitters at Bandier! Shared my new towels with the group chat earlier—so glad I went with these over a more neutral option. This has so quickly become a new favorite NYC restaurant! BATHS. Mine usually contain an ungodly amount of this stuff. David Chang’s chili crisp debacle was such an unforced error, but I’m glad he chilled out so I can go back to enjoying my current favorite breakfast (scrambled eggs with chili crunch and basil on top of rosemary sourdough/avocado—truly divine).
More to come on my aggressive attempts to cultivate better sleep hygiene soon!
xx,
Priyanka