So today, we’re going to talk about something that has a sizeable cult following in Japan: dakimakura, also known as huggy pillows. Otaku have been fond of body pillows for quite some time, as printed pillowcases allow them to literally sleep with their favorite character. Aside from giving you comfort, dakimakura undeniably can give you happiness, too!

Sleeping on your stomach or back can put excess pressure on your lower back, leading to pain and discomfort during your waking hours. In order to alleviate this, you might need to adapt to sleeping on your side. Holding a dakimakura as you do so can help distribute your body weight throughout your joints, also making the position easier on your shoulders and knees.

If you just can’t get comfortable unless you’re facing the ceiling, a dakimakura can still come in handy, even if you’re not actually holding it. Instead, place it under your knees, which will again relieve some of the pressure on your lower back.

While there’re many different things that can cause insomnia, emotional unease such as stress and loneliness are often contributing factors. When lying down in bed, having some sort of physical connection, even if it’s to an inanimate object like a dakimakura, can have a soothing effect that translates into a longer period of high-quality sleep.

If it doesn’t make you feel self-conscious (and really, if anyone else is in your bedroom, he or she should really be the one to help with your sleep-impeding loneliness), it might even be worthwhile to say a few words to your inanimate bedmate. Researchers found that test participants who spoke to a dakimakura showed a reduction in their secretion of cortisol, a hormone triggered as a response to stress.

So we’ve seen how dakimakura can be good, both physically and mentally, for you, but what about the people you live with? Well, there’s reason to think everyone in earshot will be thankful for you to share your bed with a dakimakura, since it can help with snoring. Want to know more what you can do with your  custom made dakimakura? Let's watch Cathy Cat カティー, an influencer from Japan with over 79.6K subscribers as she date with her own custom made dakimakura!