The Sona Pillow was bulky, uncomfortable, impractical, noisy, made my neck sore, and didn't stop my snoring at all according to my wife. Brookstone has no-refund policy for the Sona pillow, even if you are TOTALLY dissatisfied.
The pillow itself a funky shape that seemed king-sized (it was really pushing the limits for a queen-sized bed). The pillowcase is custom fitted to the pillow. You can't use regular pillowcases. It comes with a pillowcase on it, but additional pillowcases cost $20 a piece. There are two sewn "sleeves" (small square of fabric sewn on both sides of the square) under the pillowcase so you can put whichever arm you want under the pillow while you "train" yourself to sleep on your side. If you have a really big arm, it probably won't fit. When you put your arm through it, it has to go somewhere and mine was uncomfortably pushed up against the headboard and hanging off in such a way that I was a little worried I might knock something off of my nightstand. I also noticed that the pillow sqeaked when it rubbed against my headboard (my old pillow never squeaked). When I woke up in the morning, my neck ached and I learned that I had been snoring as loudly as usual all night.
I boxed up the pillow in its original packaging and less than a week later I decided I'd call up Brookstone to request a refund (you need an RMA number from them to send it back). The first rep I spoke with just gave me the company line over and over that it was a "personal product" and Brookstone doesn't take returns or make refunds if they have been used at all. I said I was extremely dissatisfied with the pillow and I wanted to speak to his supervisor. He said he would have to leave her a voicemail because she was on another call. I said I'd hold, but then he said I couldn't do that and she didn't have the ability to have me on "hold", which was a lie. I told him I had a friend that was a lawyer, so he put me on hold so I could speak with her. When I spoke with his supervisor, she eventually said a lot of people that have called into Brookstone were similarly displeased with the Sona pillow. She also said that some people called in with praise. But she said though that no matter how displeased a customer is with the pillow (or any other personal product), you cannot get a refund. I asked for her supervisor, got his voice mail, and left a message.
I would suggest staying far away from this pillow unless you have money to burn. It's great if it helps some people, but it didn't help me, and I'm thoroughly displeased with both the product and with Brookstone's refusal to refund the $100 I spent on it.
I tried this for one night. It hurt my neck and I decided to return it. To return it I was instructed on Amazon's return page to call Brookstone. I called them and they refused. They said that they have a new policy that pillows are considered personal items and can't be returned. I informed them that this information was nowhere to be found on the web page. They still refused. I called amazon and explained the situation. They immediately refunded my money under their A-Z guarantee. They told me they would reprimand Brookstone. Hurray Amazon. Boo Brookstone.
Buy Sona Pillow for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea Now
I got this pillow on a whim as my wife had been talking about my snoring as being really disruptive. I've been feeling really bad about it since I really value being with my wife and it being a good thing. Sleepless nights aren't good for marital bliss.
So walking through the mall, I saw the pillow and took the leap.
The first good thing that happened, which I know the others didn't get, was that the sales girl told me how to use it. When you open the bag with the pillow there aren't any obvious instructions on how to use it so if she didn't tell me I would probably have been really dissatified like the others. You really can sleep on this thing wrong and it's at such an angle that it would definitely hurt your neck.
The pillow simply forces you to sleep on your side and provides the functional set up so that it's comfortable. I've tried side sleeping and it was never good as my neck or shoulders would get all messed up.
This pillow is very firm. You put your lower hand in the little sleeve (not your whole arm or even part of it) and put your head on the side (not middle) closest to your hand.
If you try to put your head in the center, you will certainly get jacked up. The pillow is big so that you can functionally sleep in the correct position on either side. The big lump in the middle forces you to, it's not meant for you to perch your head on it. That would hurt as I can't even watch TV like that on it.
This thing works exactly as it should. I certainly stopped snoring and I could easily feel why. My breathing is very open. Last night, I slept without it and my wife got irked, thinking the pillow must not be working. She wandered to the bathroom and noticed the pillow was on the floor. She handed it to me, not really nicely, and the snoring stopped.
I have to say that while the sleeping position is comfortable, it takes some getting used to for me at least. I've never slept on my side, so doing it is strange. Two things that I'm doing that make it better is 1) put your regular pillow between your thighs (stops the crushing of the jewels) and 2) I have a memory pillow that I put between my torso and upper arm. It stops my top arm from lying limp and at an angle that is too sharp and would mess up my shoulder. We elite athletes are very sensitive you know......
Lower hand in sleeve, head on pillow arm same side as my hand and facing away from center of pillow, pillow between legs and thin pillow between my upper arm and torso. Seems like a lot when I write it, but it's really nothing but just making sure everything is perfect for me.
My wife loves the results. I feel like sleeping on my side won't be painfully in lots of ways and I'm sure there are lots of other uses for all these pillows :) Enjoy.
8/10/07 Wanted to provide an update since I've been able to use the pillow for a while. Firstly, my wife (who was the sole reason for me trying this pillow) loves it. She says it's amazing and that she gets a good nights sleep. That alone is worth it.
I've gotten used to the position somewhat. I say that because some nights, maybe when I'm really tired, I just fall into it. Get set up and wham I'm gone. Last night, I was restless and so was my wife by the way. Mabye because it was pretty warm or whatever, but I just couldn't get comfortable, so I threw the pillow on the ground and used my regular for that night. Was out cold quick and slept more on my side. Apparently it went well, because my wife didn't say or throw anything.
All in all, it was worth it. Worst case, it taught me how to sleep in a better position. Best case, it's a pillow that I'll use 80-95% of the time with certain great results and great sleep. Bon soir
Read Best Reviews of Sona Pillow for Snoring and Mild Sleep Apnea Here
Beware! Brookstone does not stand behind this product! I tried to return it after my 1st night of really bad sleep and they refused to return the product. Too bad was their responce. Thankfuly Amex took care of me and I got my money back. If you still want this there is 1 thing you should know. You will need a ton of head room in your bed as your arm needs to be extended above your head. For me this meant that I hit the headboard with my hand. Terriable design.
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I've been using this pillow for two years, and have been happy with it. It has flattened out to the point where it is no longer very helpful, so I came here looking for another one and was surprised at all the bad reviews.
Although I snore, the reason I bought this pillow was for my sleep apnea. It made a big difference starting from the first night. Where I used to be extremely sleepy for a few hours every afternoon, now I can go through the whole day without feeling more than a little drowsy.
The key is not being awakened so frequently that you never get enough REM sleep. With sleep apnea, the flap of flesh that otherwise causes snoring completely blocks air passage, and after being unable to breath for a while, you wake up (a sleep center can tell you if it's happening to you, although an insomniac spouse can give you a pretty good idea too). And you usually don't remember waking up, even if it happens hundreds of times a night. You never sleep long enough between awakenings to go into REM sleep, or you just don't get enough of it, and later in the day your body becomes desparate to get REM sleep. No one really knows why.
I can even tell the difference now between sleep apnea sleepiness and normal sleepiness due to staying up too late etc. The former is very powerful and it's a real battle to stay awake; it's like having a sleeping disorder that almost takes control of your body. The latter is much more gentle and much easier to stay awake.
In two years, this pillow has never made my neck sore. However, it's not as comfortable as a normal pillow:
-The sleeping position puts the side of your nose down into the pillow (at the edge); which isn't where I'd prefer; I have bad allergies and putting my nose on a pillow makes me feel a bit sneezy.
-It's designed to discourage sleeping on your back, which is my favorite sleeping position. Sometimes I just feel like I absolutely must sleep on my back at least for a while during the night; this pillow is specifically designed to make that difficult.
-During hot summer nights (we don't have air conditioning), sleeping on your side with your head and nose crammed down into the pillow gets unbearably hot, and I have to sleep on my back.
Regarding the arm issue, I decided on the first night that it wasn't working for me, because my fingers got cold with my arm stretched way out there. So I kept my arms where I liked, and the pillow still worked. I wasn't aware until now of another reviewer's suggestion to just put your hand in the arm sleeve, but that's pretty close to what I've been doing.
The mistake I've made with this pillow is that when I feel I must sleep on my back for part of the night, I put my head in the middle of the pillow, which has gradually flattened it. They say it gradually flattens anyway and should be replaced every year, but my practice has probably made it flatten more and faster than otherwise. When the new one arrives, I'll try to set the pillow completely aside when sleeping on my back.
Oh -my wife says it makes a big difference in my snoring, too. She says she always used to be able to tell when I was asleep, but now she can't tell anymore.
I don't know what to say about all the bad reviews. It's worked fine for me for two years, though there are issues as I've described. For now, I'd rather use this pillow than pay a bunch of money for the standard sleep apnea device that sticks tubes in your nose and mouth and blows air into them to keep the airways from closing, though eventually I may give that a try.
By the way, my older son, who is now 4, calls it the "fish pillow" because of it's shape! The ends look a bit like fish tails.
I am a nurse that works night shift and travels frequently. Between the two, I have a funky sleep schedule and sometimes go through periods of extreme insomnia.
