For decades, I had been sleeping on whatever pillow I found at the department store. When moving residences, I would pick pillows that felt good at the store, but they didn’t perform when I had to sleep on them for eight hours a night.
Finally, I had enough. I was determined to find the perfect pillow for me – the pillow that would allow me to sleep soundly each and every night. To do this, I created a thorough, systematic process of testing the best pillows available in 2023. I went through this process and ranked the pillows I found with the following criteria:
- Bowling Ball Test
- Sleep Position(s) Supported
- Body Types Supported
- Construction Quality
- Filling Comfort
- Return policy / warranty
- Value
What’s The Bowling Ball Test?
Out of all the criteria I listed above, the one that’s likely to sound strange or abnormal is the bowling ball test. So what exactly is it?
One of my main gripes with pillows is their inability to support my head over a long period of time. If I sleep 6-8 hours a night, I often find that the most uncomfortable part of my night’s sleep is towards the last few hours. This is the point in time where the pillow I’m sleeping in really starts to “sink in” and “give out.” The support I had when I first laid on the pillow to start the night is gone. The pillow is also warm and generally uncomfortable. I believe that the very best pillows are ones that provide you the perfect comfort and support throughout your entire night’s sleep, not just in the first 30 minutes to an hour.
To determine how responsive and supportive the pillows I tested over time are, I devised the bowling ball test as a way to visually show how each pillow I tested performs. The average human head weighs ~10 pounds, so I used a 10 lb bowling ball to see how much support each of these pillows would offer.
In general, I believe the best pillows are the ones where your head (or the bowling ball in this case) does not dip too far down. When your head starts to sink into the pillow too much, your neck comes out of alignment, which is a very big reason why you may wake up with neck pain or a cranked neck in the morning. Ideally, you want a pillow that does not sick with your neck as you sleep. In my testing, I found that the best balance of support and comfort comes when there is only 2 inches of dip in the pillow when assessing the bowling ball test.
The Pillows I Tested
I tested each of the following pillows (in alphabetical order):
- Beckham Hotel Collection Down Alternative Pillow
- Coop Sleep Goods Adjustable Pillow
- Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow
- MyPillow Medium Loft Queen Pillow
- TempurPedic TempurAdapt Pro+ Cooling Pillow
Of all the pillows I tested, the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow blew me away. It’s the pillow I believe that fits most people’s need, and I love sleeping on mine every night!
I spent at least 1 week sleeping on each pillow to give myself time to adjust to it. After it was all said and done, here’s what I found.
- Reduces neck pain and tension headaches
- Comes in two thickness levels
- Free exchanges for firmer or softer versions if the first one you get doesn’t work for you
- Goldilocks level firmness that provides support but is also soft enough to be comfortable
- Cooling bamboo cover,Perfect for side-sleepers and back sleepers (and combination sleepers)
- Hypoallergenic
- No dust mites
- 3 year warranty
- Only sold online (but has free returns and exchanges)
My pick for the best pillow is the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow. There are a few main things that elevate this pick for me: the fill, the contour, and the benefits.
Regarding fill, the Dosaze is solidly within the “Goldilocks zone” that most people prefer. It isn’t too lofty, which means that it provides support where you need it without putting unneeded strain on your neck and back. I found that while lofty pillows may feel good for a bit, they can actually cause some real neck issues if your head isn’t heavy enough to compress the foam and keep your neck parallel with your shoulders. The Dosaze pillow offers levels of firmness variability and even offers to exchange it if the one you tried wasn’t perfect!
Another element that I really love about the Dosaze is that it’s contoured. A whopping 74% of people are side sleepers, and another 7% are stomach sleepers. The indented shape of the Dosaze lets me “roll” between all of the positions during the night, but kept me in the pocket the entire time. Ultimately, this reduced tension because my head, neck, and back were aligned.
For the price, it’s hard to beat the quality of the pillow and the value it comes with. Plus, the generous returns and customizations ensure you get what you want every time.
My Favorite Benefits:
- Comes in multiple thickness levels (Standard and King)
- Free returns and a 3-year warranty
- Free firmness exchanges (something no other brand we’ve tested offers!)
PASSED THE BOWLING BALL TEST
You can see that this pillow dipped ~2 inches when we added the 10 lb bowling ball. The best part of this brand, however, is that if the original firmness is too firm or soft for you, can exchange it for a different firmness level (they carry both softer and firmer versions).
- Quality materials (CertiPUR-US)
- Bamboo/Polyester cover
- Adjustable height (but not firmness)
- 30 day returns
- Doesn’t reduce neck pain
- Sleeps somewhat hot
- Shredded memory foam can clump together
I really liked the Coop Sleep Goods Adjustable Pillow as a down alternative that contains shredded memory foam. Our experience was overall good, although there is some room for improvement.
When I first opened the vacuum package, there was some concern with the level of support it had. Deflated, maybe, is a good word to describe it? Thankfully, after around 12 hours, it really filled out and expanded.
This pillow gets a lot of love online, and it’s definitely fantastic for its category. Unlike some of the other pillows we looked at, the Coop is filled with a combination of shredded memory foam and microfiber. As a result, the pillow was quite soft, but I felt that it was overall lacking in the support department, especially when compared to some of the firmer non-shredded options like the Tempur-Adapt and Dosaze.
One thing I really loved about the Coop is that it came with a bag of extra fill material. If you needed a little extra loft, you could simply add some of the material to the pillow and fluff it up a bit. The directions were really clear and precise, and the experience felt very premium. If “plushness” and customization are a priority, the Coop is great. If you need something that will really support you and let you sleep any which way you want, however, there are better options.
FAILED THE BOWLING BALL TEST
The Coop pillow sunk 4+ inches over time, showing how it may not provide the same comfort and support throughout the night.
- Cooling
- High and Firm Loft (could be good or bad)
- No returns!
- No Warranty
- Not suited for combination sleepers
- Warm polyester cover
Let’s be clear – with the Tempur-Adapt Pro, you are getting what you pay for, and you most definitely pay for a lot! This is the most expensive pillow I reviewed for this list, and it’s also the most luxurious.
One of the first things I noticed about the Tempur-Adapt Pro was that it was the only pillow that didn’t come vacuum-sealed. Sure, the packaging takes up more room, but since it wasn’t shriveled up upon arrival, it meant that the pillow was ready for use immediately. Those sorts of “little touches” are all over the pillow, and it definitely adds to the feeling of luxury.
Regarding fill, the Tempur-Adapt Pro was probably the loftiest of them all. It is really firm (in a good way), but the sheer loft it had could be a problem for some. If your head is heavy, this could be a benefit. I would go as far as saying this pillow could be tough for most women to sleep on since it’s so high and so firm, potentially causing alignment issues for your neck. On top of that, the lack of contour means you could slip off the pillow at night if you alternate sleep styles at all.
Additionally, this is the only pillow we tested that has some type of cooling technology, something that some people love and some people hate. Strangely, it wasn’t in the usual form of a cooling gel on one side, and instead was incorporated into the cover itself. This wasn’t an issue for me, but it meant that you couldn’t flip it over to get a “non-cooling side” if the sensation was too much or you sleep cold already.
FAILED THE BOWLING BALL TEST
The Tempur-Adapt Pro sunk ~3 inches over time. While this pillow still may work for some, I found other pillows in this list to perform much better for the price.
- Relatively inexpensive
- Available in different sizes
- Poor return policy (requires you to pay for return shipping and processing)
- Interlocking foam feels irregular
The MyPillow didn’t rank as one of my favorite pillows for a few reasons. If you plan to use it as an orthopedic pillow or for something that provides support, it will likely come up short. It’s comfortable but lacks support in the way that most people expect from a memory foam pillow. On top of that, I found the return experience subpar, especially when compared to the other brands.
The technology behind the MyPillow is novel, but it can feel a little gimmicky. It uses interlocking foam pieces that “catch” on each other as you pressure it. You can feel the irregularity of the foam pieces, but the interlocking claim definitely feels a little market-y. Additionally, the pillow also needs around 15 minutes in the dryer before expanding. If you live in an apartment, it can be a hassle if you don’t have in-unit laundry.
The pillow itself does come with some different fill levels, so if your heart is set on a MyPillow, there are some options. Unfortunately, their refund policy is a bit lacking. They will give you your initial purchase cost back, but they charge for shipping and require that the return happens within 60 days of purchase. If you end up not liking the MyPillow, you are out at least $10, depending on where you live.
- Inexpensive
- Fast Shipping
- Doesn’t provide much support at all
The Beckham Hotel Collection is one of the most popular (and well-reviewed) pillows on Amazon. In my experience, it just didn’t measure up to the other options on our list.
These pillows are marketed as a down-alternative pillow with cooling gel. Since they use some type of shredded foam, they were included on our list, but it’s clear that they aren’t of the same caliber as the others. The pillow itself felt thin and flimsy, the cooling was barely noticeable (especially after the Tempur-Adapt), and it didn’t feel like the reviews matched what we had received.
In fact, the pillow had so little support that it required me to sleep with my arms above my head, tucking the sides of the pillow up for support. The lack of support also makes it tough for any other type of sleeping. Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this for anything besides a guest bedroom pillow set, not for your everyday pillow driver.
FAILED THE BOWLING BALL TEST
While a great budget pick, the Beckham Hotel Collection pillow sunk ~4 inches over the course of the bowling ball test. It just provides no support over time, unfortunately.
Conclusions
For most sleepers (side, back, and combination), I highly recommend the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow. The quality of the foam, the innovative shape, and the cover are all best in class. And if you don’t like it, you have 60 full days to return. That being said, you can try any of the pillows on this list and see for yourself, hopefully risk free (well except for a few!).
Disclosure: HomeHacks has relationships with some of the products listed in this article. We may earn a varying commission if you purchase any of the products on this list.
