It's Not All Fluff: Sleep On a Sound Decision

Who knows what dreams may come during a night's sleep on off-gassing conventional pillows?

If not filled with petroleum-based polyester or polyurethane foams, which deplete non-renewable resources, "natural" pillows can be made with conventional cotton, which is responsible for billions of pounds of pesticides and synthetic nitrate fertilizers. Synthetic fillings also absorb moisture, providing an optimal breeding ground for dust mites: Ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be composed of dead mites and their droppings. As for moisture- and stain-resistant finishes, they employ everything from perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA (also used in Teflon; see "Greener Workout Wear," right) to formaldehyde, both likely human carcinogens according to the EPA.

Luckily, greener alternatives abound. We've priced all pillows below in standard size (20" x 26"), but most are available in other sizes too.

Buckwheat

Asian cultures have used buckwheat-hull pillows for centuries, and many doctors recommend the body-conforming filling to patients with neck pain and insomnia. Buckwheat is a pesticide-free crop and requires very little fertilizer. "It's a really sensitive plant—any type of pesticide will kill it," says Tom Bilek of the Buckwheat Growers Association of Minnesota. It's also naturally pest-resistant, good news for sufferers of dust-mite allergies, but be sure to ask merchants whether the hulls have been thoroughly cleaned, as lingering dust can trigger asthma attacks.

Northern Naturals sells organic buckwheat pillows covered with organic cotton ($54; www.northernnaturals.com, 888-293-3985). "Traditional-sized" (16" x 19") organic buckwheat pillows from White Lotus are covered in either "green cotton"—conventionally grown, but not bleached or dyed($30)— or organic cotton ($35). The company runs its plant entirely on wind energy, too (www.whitelotus.net, 877-HANDMADE). Carolina Morning's traditional-sized, conventional buckwheats are covered in undyed, organic cotton ($40; www.zafu.net, 888-267-5366).