Travel Pillow Review - Science Says... Embrace Sleep Collar!

A scientific study on behavior research confirms what we've been saying about the Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow.  Posture = Comfort

BUYING A TRAVEL PILLOW: DO OUR EXPERIENCES MAKE OUR EXPECTATIONS COME TRUE?

"Regarding the three different axes, the Embrace Sleep Collar exhibited the least movements as well as the most neutral position. 

The fewer times the head moved to another position, the higher the participant rated the comfort of the pillow."

The Great Travel Pillow Debate Settled

A Travel Writer Settles the Travel Pillow  Debate with a Photo Essay

Other than tips on hotels, the most common questions I get asked can be more accurately described as traveling tip than travel tips. Key among those requests are tips on travel comfort. For me, there is no more significant factor in travel comfort than your humble travel pillow. But which one?  I've decided to answer this question via the process of elimination.

If you remember nothing else, just remember my Four C's of Travel Pillows: 

Cleanliness, Compactness, Convenience, and Comfort

Before I start, let me make an important point. I am not a germophobe. Nonetheless, my top 3 concerns all deal with personal hygiene. For starters, you never want to get sick, but you especially don't want to get sick while traveling, be it for business or pleasure. Second, it's just gross. It is shocking how many travel pillows do not take simple hygiene into consideration. There are certain aspects of traveling that simply cannot be avoided, like crowds. However, there are some common sense precautions you can take. Not surprisingly, choices regarding something as intimate as your travel pillow is chief among them. 

With that said, here we go!

1.  Inflatable or not inflatable? Like I said, I am not a germophobe, but you have to be crazy to place your mouth on anything that has been on an airplane, that is not disposable. There are more reasons, but do I really have to elaborate?  Do not buy an inflatable. There. I've just eliminated roughly 50% of your choices.

TOTAL CHOICES ELIMINATED: 50% 

2. Washable cover. Same reason. Is there any other garment you would consider wearing that cannot be washed? No. There's another 25% gone

TOTAL CHOICES ELIMINATED: 75% 

3. Carrying case. This is the last of the common sense hygiene choices, but the most frequently overlooked. Remember, you are traveling; planes, trains, terminals, lounges, taxis, and hotels. Admit it, you probably throw it in your luggage with your dirty clothes. You want a carrying case. There's another 20% you can cross off.

TOTAL CHOICES ELIMINATED: 95% 

4. Compact and convenient. When you are traveling, space is limited both in your luggage and in your surroundings. If you have to make room for your travel pillow, the more likely you are to forgo this essential travel companion. Hand in hand with being compact, your travel pillow must be convenient. This is  not quite the same thing as compact, but related. What good is your travel pillow if it is stuffed inside your luggage above you? Compact and convenience also means dealing with your travel pillow when you are not wearing it. There goes another 4.9% of your choices.

CHOICES ELIMINATED: 99.9%

5. Comfort. "Wait! You waited until #5 to mention comfort?" Yes. What good is a travel pillow that you don't take with you because it is a bulky, a burden, or smelly? With regards to comfort, there is nothing that compares to a travel pillow that offers full support. Personally, I find the U-shaped pillows more uncomfortable than wearing nothing. Good thing they've already been eliminated (see #1-4). Remember, Posture = Comfort.

6. Memory Foam? Memory Foam is a must. Developed by NASA, Memory Foam (vicso-elastic foam) reacts to the heat from your body to form to the contours of your head, neck, and shoulders.  When combined with another type of firm foam for support, it can't be beat.

We've pretty much eliminated 99.99% of our choices. Without further ado, here is my recommendation and a recap.

The Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow

Let's talk about the 4 C's: Cleanliness, Compactness, Convenience, and Comfort.

#1. Cleanliness and convenience: It comes in a carrying case that attaches to your carry-on luggage. Trust me. This is a feature you will come to love. Yes, the cover is washable.

It is no secret that this is the travel pillow that I travel with. Here is a photo that I took to show how I stow the Sleep Collar when I'm not wearing it. Note that it is out of the way and in a carrying case to keep clean (I swear I'm not a germophobe!). Brilliant!  (:

#2. Compact. How compact? This compact. It also weight around 2 ounces. Less than a baseball cap.

#3 Now let's get to comfort. The Embrace Sleep Collar is manufactured with a two-ply process combing Memory Foam on the inside, for comfort and High-Resiliency Foam on the outside, for support. The washable cover is made from a wicking fabric, like in high-end athletic sportswear, to wear cool.  Remember Posture = Comfort.

With the price of some travel pillows, these days, I could also add Cheap to to my Four C's, but that doesn't do it justice. At around 25 bucks, the product is very reasonably priced and is extremely well-made to go with the innovative design.  You can find them on their website ( sleepcollar.com ) or Amazon. 

So there you have it. Thanks to everyone for all of your support, and as always...

Happy Travels!

Lisa, The Travel Doc 

16 Travel Tips from Buzzfeed!

16 Tips To Make Your Next Long-Ass Flight So Much Easier

Nice shout-out to the Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow!

#15. Invest in one of these sleep collars if you want to sleep like a baby.

Embrace Travel Products

Embrace Sleep Collar has expanded to Embrace Travel Products.

Here are a couple nice reviews by the media:

You Never Knew You Needed
"Ends the irritating head bobs that come with sleeping while sitting up. It gently supports your travel-weary head and neck from the sides and front as opposed to some blow-up pillows that shove your head forward".
-Daily Mail UK 6/15/14

Best Travel Pillows
"When you doze off while on the move, does your head slowly droop forward or to the side, before you are uncomfortably jolted awake? The Embrace Sleep Collar keeps heads and necks in proper alignment, supporting the neck all the way around". -Group Travel World Magazine 9/13

Announcing EMRACE TRAVEL PRODUCTS

Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow has expanded to Embrace Travel Products. Please check out the new website www.embracetravelproducts.com with FREE SHIPPING!

Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow Now on Amazon in France & Germany!

Last month the Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow launched on Amazon UK.  Today the Sleep Collar went live on Amazon France & Amazon Germany!

Of course, you can still find it at our website.

Thank You to Embrace Sleep Collar fan from Vancouver

Thank you to a fan from Vancouver, who posted a nice review in Travel Adviser.co.uk.   As a reminder, the Embrace Sleep Collar is now available on Amazon UK and Sleepcollar.com

Re: Long Haul Traveler seeks Travel Pillow

28 July 2011, 18:00

Just got back from a trip with two 14-hour legs...I slept for a good 6 hours both ways thanks to the Embrace Sleep Collar. After trying nearly everything on the market (inflatable, non-inflatable, beans, buckwheat, you name it) this product is the one for me, and here's why I love it:

--it has a very well-padded rigid plastic brace along the length of the collar that provides excellent support...keeps my neck absolutely straight during sleep.

--it has a removable cover that is washable AND the fabric does not make my neck sweat!

--it does up by way of Velro at the back of the neck...this results in a small gap that allows the back of my head to rest flat against the seat headrest comfortably...no more having my head thrust forward during sleep.

--the Velcro attachment is such that all of the Velcro is covered when fastened...no more collecting fuzz, hair, etc. in the loops.

--it rolls up into a small circle...I easily attached it to my purse strap or daypack...it weighs next to nothing and does not interfere with movement.

A Breakthrough in Travel Pillow Neck Support!

A Breakthrough in Travel Comfort - The Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow

A Breakthrough in Travel Comfort - The Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow

Brace Yourself for Comfort. Combining innovative design with modern fabrics and materials, the Embrace Sleep Collar is the perfect travel pillow, providing superior comfort, styling, and ease of use.

Posture Equals Comfort

“Maintaining proper alignment while traveling or sleeping upright is not only important with regards to personal comfort, but vital in reducing stress, soreness and preventing injury”

San Francisco, CA (PRWEB) February 10, 2010

The new Embrace Sleep Collar Travel Pillow, from Designs in Progress, is a breakthrough in travel comfort. The unique combination of Memory Foam and High Resiliency Foam makes for a comfortable, lightweight, and compact travel pillow. New wicking fabrics used in the washable cover keep the pillow cool. The patented design provides full support, keeping the head and neck in proper alignment, allowing travelers to fully relax.
Many people find that the travel pillows currently available are more uncomfortable than wearing nothing at all. All too often, travelers arrive fatigued and with a stiff neck that can last for hours or even days. Standard travel pillows, including Memory Foam travel pillows, are bulky and poorly designed for their purpose. The inflatables don't breathe, smell funny, and can leak.
Designs in Progress knew there had to be a better way.
Consulting with doctors, flight attendants, and fashion designers, Designs in Progress set out to find the solution to the travel pillow problem.
Posture equals Comfort.
Standard travel pillows push your head forward and most have no support under the chin. The Embrace Sleep Collar gives full support to the front and the sides of the head and neck.
In two separate focus groups, individuals were seated in actual high back airline chairs and tested the Embrace Sleep Collar against other models. Every participant preferred the Sleep Collar. A flight attendant wrote that it solved the "head-bob" effect.
Dr. Kirsti Neely, a San Francisco chiropractor says "Maintaining proper alignment while traveling or sleeping upright is not only important with regards to personal comfort, but vital in reducing stress, soreness and preventing injury".
"Having tested countless prototypes with different shapes, foams, and fabrics, the Embrace Sleep Collar embodies comfort by design", says Tim Duncan, Vice President Product Development. "The new wicking fabric used in the cover is the same technology used in the latest generation running shirts and keeps the pillow cool", he added. "It all weighs less than a baseball cap".
The Embrace Sleep Collar includes the following features:

• Memory Foam for comfort
• High Resiliency Foam for support
• Washable cover made of high-tech wicking fabric to keep cool
• Lightweight and compact - less than 3 ounces
• Available in 5 colors

Ubervu?

Something called Ubervu linked to my article "A Chiropractor Guides You to the Best Travel Pillow"

Australian Blogger Lucky Holly!

The Embrace Sleep Collar travel pillow got a nice mention from Lucky Holly in Australia!

The Power of Posture - Choosing Best Travel Pillow

While traveling cross-country a few times last year, I experienced something I suspect that a lot of travelers out there can relate to. All of the travel pillows I tried were more uncomfortable than not wearing one at all.

I tried numerous travel pillows, and more often than not, I would arrive tired and with a sore neck that would last for hours or even days. My head and neck just weren't being supported properly.

A little research helped me identify the problem.

All day long, your postural muscles in your neck are in contraction, to support your head. When you try to relax, your postural muscles want to relax with you. This is fine when you are lying down, because your bed supports you. However, when you are sitting up, like in an airline chair, your head is left unsupported.

The travel pillows that I tried were poorly designed for this purpose. There was no support under my chin. To make matters worse, the excess padding in the back, pushed my head forward even further.

Remember this equation:

Posture = Comfort.

When you are lying in bed, gravity helps keep your body in alignment. The trick is to keep that same posture sitting up as you have when you are lying down.
When you are sitting up and trying to relax, gravity is the enemy. Without full support gravity will take over and as your neck muscles try to relax, your head will drop forward or you will cock it to one side. You have lost your posture.
Now you are out of alignment and the weight of your head is placing stress on your neck. In addition to being uncomfortable and unable to relax, you will likely be sore and get very little rest. Remember, the average adult human head weighs 15-20 pounds. Pick up a 20 pound weight the next time you're in a gym and think about that tugging on your spine as the plane bumps and jars.

The best travel pillow is one that is comfortable, lightweight, and gives you full support, including under the chin.

Recently, several major airlines announced they will no longer provide pillows on their flights. Good riddance. In addition to the question about sanitation and hygiene, those little white pillows were basically worthless.

Use this opportunity to get yourself a top quality memory foam travel pillow with full support. You will arrive healthier and happier. Isn't that what travel and life are all about?

Read more: http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/the-power-of-posture-choosing-the-best-travel-pillow-2241676.html#ixzz0xFfGQ7vz
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