It is hard to overemphasize the importance of sleep on your overall health and quality of life. One of the most important (and often overlooked) factors in getting a good night’s sleep is choosing the right pillow for you.
In this article, we discuss how to pick the perfect pillow, based on your own sleep preferences and tendencies. We also discuss some common themes of things that you should look for in a pillow, regardless of your specific sleep tendencies. And finally, we provide our recommended list of the best pillows based on these factors.
There are a few factors that will dictate the kind of pillow that works best for you:
- Sleep position (side, back, stomach, or combination)
- Support level required
- Potential pain points (e.g., neck pain, headaches) / special requirements
Sleep Position
Side sleepers: if you are a side sleeper, you will likely require a slightly more supportive and taller pillow. You essentially need your pillow to fill the “shoulder gap” between your shoulder and head so that you can maintain proper neck and back alignment. You also need a slightly firmer pillow so that your head doesn’t “sink into” your pillow and disrupt this alignment.
Back sleepers: back sleepers generally require a slightly less thick pillow. Ideally, you want a pillow on a slight angle to follow the natural incline of your neck — again, this will maintain your neck and spine alignment and lead to a deeper sleep.
Stomach sleepers: while we don’t generally recommend stomach sleeping, if you are a stomach sleeper, you should most likely use a very soft and relatively flat pillow.
Combination sleepers (back and side): most people are combination back and side sleepers — since these positions require slightly different features, you should ideally find a pillow that offers features that cater to both (more on that later)
Support level Required
The level of support you require will dictate the kind of material you choose for your pillow. Here’s a general ranking of the most common materials from most to least supportive:
- Memory foam
- Latex
- Wool
- Cotton
- Down alternative / polyfill
The level of support you require will usually depend on your own personal sleep preferences. Generally speaking, it is better to have more support vs. less. Your pillow should both be comfortable and provide adequate support. However, if you just really like soft pillows, you can opt for a pillow that provides less support and is softer. If you get a softer pillow, you should likely get one that is “more filled” or taller so that your head sinking into your pillow doesn’t cause misalignment of your head and neck.
Potential pain points / special requirements
If you suffer from particular pain points (e.g., neck pain, acid reflux, sleep apnea, tension headaches, hot sleepers) or need a specific kind of pillow (e.g., a pregnancy pillow), that will also dictate what pillow if best for you.
Neck pain: if you have neck pain, it is especially important for you to find a pillow that maintains proper neck and spine alignment while you sleep. You want a pillow that keeps your neck in alignment “horizontally” and “vertically” — for this reason, contoured / cervical pillows are often a good choice. Make sure you get a good one though — as the wrong one can often have the opposite effect.
Headaches: if you wake up with headaches, it is likely because of improper alignment. We’d recommend either a cervical / contoured pillow OR an adjustable one.
Acid reflux: if you have acid reflux, it is a good idea to try a wedge pillow (combined with a traditional pillow). These pillows will elevate your sleep angle gradually and combat acid reflux (plus snoring and sleep apnea!)
Hot sleepers: if you sleep hot, look for a pillow that has a cooler material. Bamboo and cotton tend to be cooler materials than polyester.
Pregnancy pillows / body pillows: if you or someone close to you is pregnant, definitely try a pregnancy pillow to provide full body support. We can’t emphasize enough how important proper sleep is during pregnancy. We would recommend the Cocozy Adjustable Maternity Pillow – it is by far the best one on the market. It’s adjustable, memory foam, and has a cool and luxuriously soft bamboo cover.
Things Everyone Should Look For
1) A Cool Pillow (or at least one that doesn’t get too hot) — according to experts, sleeping cool is one of the other most important factors in getting to that “deep” level of sleep. Most tend to sleep too hot, so look for a pillow with some sort of cooling cover (bamboo is a good choice for this).
2) Quality materials – it’s important to note the quality of the materials when you buy any kind of pillow. Look for certifications (like CeritPUR for memory foam or Oeko-Tex for others) as an indication that the product is higher quality.
3) Trial Periods and Warranties – ultimately, you’ll have to test a pillow before committing to it, and oftentimes, it can take a few weeks (or even a month) to fully acclimate to a new pillow before you start reaping the benefits. You should also look for a pillow with an extended warranty — it’s a good idea to replace your pillow every 18 months or so (think about it, that’s about ~4,500 hundred hours of use!), and often times you can get a free pillow if the warranty is long enough.
Out recommended list of pillows based on the factors above:
1) Best Overall Pillow for Side, Back, and Combination Sleepers – Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow
This pillow is the top of the top, crème de la crème. I used to think it was normal to toss and turn in the middle of the night, but the innovative shape and the quality of the materials of the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow stopped that for me. The innovative shape really works wonders to keep my neck and back aligned, and I was so surprised by how much deeper my sleep was with this pillow. When testing this pillow, I woke up so much more well-rested.
The Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow is one of three “contoured orthopedic pillows” that I tried – (I also tried Epabo and Sutera) and Dosaze was by far the best one. The Dosaze Pillow distinguishes itself in three ways. First, the contour is the perfect depth (it isn’t too deep or shallow). I found that Sutera was a bit too deep (and I didn’t like the sides of the Sutera pillow, but more on that later) and that Epabo was too shallow. Second, the Dosaze Pillow is larger than the others, so there is more room to sleep on it (especially if you are a combination sleeper and roll around). Finally, the Dosaze Pillow is CertiPUR-US certified – it’s made of premium, certified memory foam (Sutera and Epabo are not).
This pillow is great if you are a back, side, combination back and side, or stomach sleeper. Because the center of the pillow is a different height (lower) than the sides, you can sleep in the center as a back or stomach sleeper (who usually require lower heights) or on the edges of the pillow (which are higher) as a side sleeper. If you are a combination back and side sleeper, you can sleep on the edges of the pillow when side sleeping or roll to the center of the pillow when sleeping on your back. You cannot do this on the Sutera pillow (due to the “wings”).
This pillow is especially great for those who suffer from neck pain and tension headaches. It also provides the perfect combination of comfort and support – the foam isn’t too firm nor is it too soft – while also keeping your neck and back in alignment. I would describe it as firm enough to support my head (so my neck stays aligned and my head doesn’t sink too much into the pillow, but also soft enough so that my ears do not hurt when I use it.
This pillow distinguishes itself from other pillows for neck pain in four ways (1) the quality of the materials (2) the innovative shape (3) the fact that it works for all sleepers and (4) the customer experience.
- quality materials – the foam in this pillow is CertiPUR-US certified (unlike many other pillows, including Sutera). The cover is also made of bamboo, unlike other pillows which tend to use 100% polyester or other scratchy materials. This memory foam has the perfect ILD (indentation load deflection). The foam is not too firm nor is it too soft. The bamboo cover also stays cool throughout the night.
- innovative shape – the innovative contour of this pillow is amazing. It does wonders to align your neck and back and keeps your neck in place throughout the night. This reduces neck pain, tension headaches, and even alleviates snoring and sleep apnea (because your airways won’t get blocked). Other pillows have tried to copy this shape, but I found this one to be the best, by far.
- Actually works for all sleepers – the shape of this pillow is ideal for two reasons: (1) it aligns your head and neck and keeps it in place and (2) if you are a combination sleeper (and sleep on your back and side), you can sleep on the edge of the pillow (which is higher) when you side sleep and you can roll into the middle of the pillow (into the contour) when you sleep on your back. Stomach sleepers (who usually stay on their stomachs) can sleep in the contour.
- customer experience – I had the best experience purchasing this pillow. The Dosaze team was incredibly responsive when my pillow got lost in the mail, and sent me one free of charge. They also offer a 60 day sleep trial and 3-year-warranty.
This pillow is seriously a case of you get what you pay for – with high quality materials, an innovative shape, and incredible customer service and experience, this pillow is the best option if you want to alleviate neck pain.
And don’t take our word for it, other review sites have come to the same conclusion on the Dosaze pillow being the best pillow for neck pain. You can even check out the Dosaze pillow reviews on the site itself, if you don’t believe us.
You can see that this pillow is great for side and back sleepers. For back sleepers, it is perfect to sleep with your head in the contour. For side sleepers, it is great to sleep on the edges of the pillow – it will fill your shoulder gap and ensure that you sleep in perfect alignment all night long. If you are a combination sleeper, you can roll from on side to the middle and to the other side.
UPDATE (3 months later!): I’ve been sleeping on this pillow for 8 months now, and it is still the best one. I’m super satisfied with the overall quality and durability of this pillow. I usually toss this pillow in the dryer on low heat to give it a bit of a fluff. This has been the best investment for me in terms of improving my overall sleep quality!
Best known for their mattresses, the Swedish company also has a great array of foam pillow products. It is ergonomically-sound and made with memory foam in order to give you solid support when you’re on your side or back. Additionally, the pillow is contoured in order to curve naturally around your head, neck, and shoulders to prevent any unnecessary stress or pressure on pivotal joints. While the polyester outer layer can be removed and machine washed, it’s important to note that this product does have an odd time fitting into pillowcases.
This is a great pillow produced by a well-known company. You can tell by feeling the memory foam that it is high quality. This is a great pillow for side sleepers, but it isn’t as good for combination back and side sleepers. The primary reason for this is that the contour is merely a single “wave” – this wave doesn’t prevent your head from moving side to side as a back or combination sleeper, and so it doesn’t align your neck as well as other contoured memory foam pillows.
When I lay my head down on this pillow, it feels a bit too firm. While I feel supported, the foam kind of hurt my ears (especially when I slept on my side).
If you’re looking for a trusted name in the industry, this is a good option. However, we feel as though there are other, better designed pillows in the market. This company specializes in mattresses, and while their pillow offering is good, it isn’t the best available, especially for the price.
As you can see, this pillow was relatively aligned when I slept on my side, but it was too high when I slept on my back. This pillow has a “contour” which can be helpful, but because it is one consistent height throughout the pillow, it actually isn’t best for combination sleepers who require different heights when sleeping in different positions.
The Coop Adjustable Pillow is a very good pillow for general use – it is adjustable and can suit the needs of many different kinds of people. Our primary issue with this pillow is that it doesn’t specifically help with neck pain.
In my experience, neck pain is mostly due to incorrect alignment between your neck and back. Your neck and back can become misaligned vertically and horizontally. This pillow helps with the vertical misalignment – i.e., you can adjust the pillow so that it is the correct height for your neck and back. However, it does not do much to align your neck horizontally – i.e., while you sleep your neck can tilt left or right and this will cause strain to build up and you to wake up with neck pain.
I again would recommend this pillow for a general audience (or maybe for your guest room, if you really like your guests!), but not for someone who is specifically dealing with neck pain.
Some other minor complaints I had with the pillow are the following:
- Over time, it becomes harder to fluff
- The pillow isn’t 100% memory foam fill and you can tell vs. other adjustable fill pillows – this fill doesn’t provide as much support as 100% memory foam pillows.
- The adjustable fill can get messy
As you can see, this pillow doesn’t really align your neck horizontally — the difference might seem slight, but it is important and can be a cause of that “crink” in your neck when you wake up.
This graphite infused memory memory foam pillow is a combination memory foam and latex foam pillow pillow – you can definitely feel the quality of the fill when you sleep on it. The pillow is a good level of firmness – it isn’t too firm and it not too soft. It definitely provides enough support for your head.
The pillow also sleeps relatively cool – the graphite infused memory foam and the latex foam are generally cooler than most memory foams. It is overall a good pillow, but we had two primary issues with this pillow. Honestly though, it is a pretty good pillow for stomach sleepers.
- Price / Value – this pillow is expensive, there is simply no other way to put it. While the fill is good quality, we would have also expected a higher quality cover (than just cotton) for a pillow of this price. It is significantly more expensive than others on the market. We think the quality of this pillow justifies some price increase, but definitely not this large of a price increase
- No specific neck pain reduction features – this is a great overall pillow, but it doesn’t do too much too help reduce neck pain. It is not adjustable and does not have an innovative shape or design to help reduce neck pain, and you can tell by sleeping on this pillow. It definitely does not help reduce neck pain as much as other pillows do, but it is a high quality pillow nonetheless.
You can see that the pillow doesn’t do much to align your neck and back – it is a high quality pillow, but I didn’t find it the most comfortable. I didn’t really enjoy the feel of the latex, which was a bit too “springy” for me.
The MyPillow is pretty famous nowadays, although its usage as an orthopedic pillow should be marginal. In my experience, the My Pillow was really quite comfortable, but it isn’t designed for neck pain or real orthopedic use.
Once I opened the package, I tried to sleep with it, only to realize that it needed at leat 15 minutes in the dryer before you could use it. After a quick spin, it had fluffed up significantly and was ready for use. MyPillows have a special fill that “interlocks”, supporting you as you press your head into it. As “markety” as that sounds, it’s actually pretty noticeable! The issue is that you can sink really far into the pillow if the fill isn’t in the right place, and since the pillow isn’t filled all the way, the fill can lump in the wrong spots.
While I did enjoy the pillow’s comfort, it doesn’t keep your head in the right place and is much more like a regular pillow than a real orthopedic pillow. If you bought one of these looking for true neck support and to keep your head in one spot, you may have some troubles. Still, it’s a viable option for some, especially if you sleep on your side or stomach and need a bit of flexibility that comes with the lack of defined support.
The Pillow Cube was a pillow of extremes. On one hand, it was truly incredible how cooling this pillow could be. On the other, it was was incredible how slippery a pillow could be! Still, if someone really prioritizes cooling and wants orthopedic structure as a bonus, the Pillow Cube is for you.
There were two things that I really liked about the Pillow Cube: It’s construction and its cooling. On the flip side, I wasn’t a fan of how slippery it was or how the shape didn’t keep my head on it. As the name suggests, the “cube” portion of it refers to its shape, as well as its “ice cube” temps. When I say this pillow gets cold, it gets frigid. In fact, this was the most cooling pillow I think I’ve ever slept on before. For many, that’s a selling point, but to others, it may not be. My wife, for example, gets too cold simply from using this pillow.
While the cooling was great, the material they covered it in was extremely slippery. It slipped on the bed, my head slipped on it, and it literally slipped out of two sheets I placed on it during the night. Additionally, the cube shape of it was novel, but I don’t think it was the best for keeping my head in the same spot through the night.
If you want a cooling pillow that provides solid support, despite being a bit slick, check out the Pillow Cube.
[/imgsrc] Layla Sleep logo (PRNewsfoto/Layla Sleep)
The Layla Kapok pillow is another solid pillow for general use – it is adjustable and can suit the needs of many different kinds of people. Our primary issue with this pillow is that it doesn’t specifically help with neck pain.
I would recommend this pillow for a general audience (or maybe for your guest room, if you really like your guests!), but not for someone who is specifically dealing with neck pain.
I found that my neck was moving back and forth on this pillow, and so I would wake up with a “crink” in my neck. This was the case both when I was sleeping on my side and when I was sleeping on my back. For someone looking to alleviate neck pain, this pillow is probably not the best option.
Some other minor complaints I had with the pillow are the following:
- The gray cover is visible through most pillowcases, and looks a bit off
- While the cover does feel cool, it isn’t the most smooth, and you can feel the textured pattern on your skin when sleeping
- The adjustable fill can get messy and there isn’t a ready place to store it
You can see that the pillow doesn’t do much to align your neck and back – if you are looking for a solid generic pillow, this is a good option, but might not be the best if you struggle with neck pain.
The Marlow pillow is a new pillow brought to market by the makers of Brooklinen, the sheets company. After sleeping on this pillow, I think it is a solid pillow for the right person.
The way this pillow works is that there is a zipper that you can either zip or unzip to adjust the height/firmness of the pillow. If you happen to enjoy one of the two levels, then this pillow could be a good fit for you. However, if you don’t then it might not work for you. That being said, it is easier and less messy to adjust this pillow than it is to adjust other adjustable pillows.
How often are you going to adjust your pillow once you get it? Once you find that ideal level of firmness, you probably don’t have to adjust it again. That also brings me to my next issue with the pillow – if you don’t happen to like one of these levels, then it will not help you at all with reducing your neck pain. These levels might be too high or too low for you.
Another issue I have with this pillow (and most pillows to be honest!) is that I am a combination side and back sleeper (as most people are!) and that most pillows only have one height throughout the pillow. One consistent height might be okay if you only sleep on your back or side, but if you sleep on both, you need a pillow that has multiple heights. In my opinion, this is a great benefit of the contoured orthopedic pillows that have a dip in the middle (for back sleeping) and are higher on the edges (for side sleeping).
Marlow does offer an extremely generous return policy / warranty. You’re able to return the pillow within 365 days (so you can definitely try it for a long time to see if it suits you, although you’ll probably know sooner than that). And the pillow has a 2 year warranty in case it gets damaged.
As you can see, this pillow (even when zipped) is clearly too high. It can work for some people, but definitely not everyone.
This pillow is a lower quality version of the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic one. It is smaller, made of lower quality materials (fill and cover), and not as comfortable. I found that the memory foam in this pillow (which was not CertiPUR US certified), was not as comfortable as the memory foam in other pillows. The cover is also a bit scratchy (as it is 100% polyester).
I found that this pillow is okay for back sleeping, but less good for side sleeping. The contour of the pillow works okay if you sleep on your back (although again it was a bit too shallow for me), but when you sleep on your side the pillow is not thick enough to fill your shoulder gap, which can cause alignment issues. I also found that the foam on this pillow is noticeably firmer than that of other pillows. This does a lot for providing support, but does not do much in terms of providing comfort.
While this pillow is a bit cheaper than other alternatives, it is not the best product in terms of quality and might need to be replaced more quickly. The foam is not CertiPUR-US certified. Add to this the fact that the pillow only has a 3o day trial period (and sometimes it can take that long to really get used to a new pillow) and does not come with a warranty, and this pillow is kind of a gamble. This cheaper version might work for y0u and it might not – and you don’t have that much time to decide.
It’s a bit hard to tell in this photo, but I essentially felt like 100% of my body weight was on my shoulder when I slept on my side on the epabo pillow. There was a lot of pressure on my shoulder as I kind of “sank” into my bed to meet the pillow. The memory foam wasn’t supportive (or high) enough for me.
This pillow is another spin on the ergonomic / contoured shaped pillow – I found in my testing that is has a couple of noticeable benefits/costs. The “supportive” neck nook as they call it, is comfortable, but it lacks some support. Unlike the EPABO pillow, this pillow is a bit too soft and lacks the necessary support to properly align your neck and back.
I also found that the “butterfly” wings were a bit unnecessary and kind of got in the way. In fact, they made it much more difficult to sleep on your side. A huge point about pillows and sleep positions is that different sleep positions require different heights – naturally, a stomach sleeper requires a lower height than a back sleeper who requires a lower height than a side sleeper. In Sutera’s own sleep diagram, they recommend sleeping in the same “nook” whether you are a back, side or stomach sleeper.
This is not the ideal position for all sleepers – in my opinion, the Dream Deep pillow is best for back sleepers. If you sleep on your side, the “nook” is not high enough. Unlike the Dosaze pillow, where as a side sleeper, you can comfortably sleep on the edges of the pillow (which are higher and will fill your shoulder gap), the butterfly wings on the Sutera pillow actually get in the way if you try to sleep on the edges of the pillow. And if you try to “side” sleep in the “nook” of the center of the pillow, it is not high enough.
The Sutera pillow is also one that is a bit of a risk – you can definitely try it out, but be aware that you don’t have that much time to test it. They only provide a 30 day trial period, and they don’t advertise this, but they do have a 15% processing fee to return the pillow – just look at the reviews online.
As you can see, this pillow is a decent solution for exclusively back sleepers, but it does not work as well for side sleepers. Add to that the fact that the return policy and warranty isn’t the best, and purchasing this pillow is a bit of a risk. That being said, it isn’t the most expensive and it could work for you if you try it out – just be sure you’re willing to keep it if it doesn’t work! (or risk not being able to return it or having to pay a substantial fee to return it).
The biggest issue here is that the center of the pillow isn’t high enough for side sleepers, and the “wings” get in the way and aren’t comfortable for side sleepers if you try to sleep on them (see above).
The Purple Harmony pillow is good for someone looking to try something new. It definitely takes some getting used to (and you may very well like it a lot), but it wasn’t for me. This pillow is probably better suited for someone who tends to sleep very hot – the grid is breathable, and I did notice that I slept cooler throughout the night.
However, the latex is pretty “springy” and honestly provides a bit too much resistance against your head – for me personally, this pressure was a bit too much to handle. The pillow is a bit “jiggly” as well, and the vibrations can make it challenging to fall asleep.
The pillow also does not promote alignment in any particular way, so your head, neck, and spine may get out of alignment. Some people also complain that the grid feels weird against their skin and can leave marks (although I didn’t have this issue).
This pillow does come in multiple sizes, so make sure you follow the guidelines based on your height and sleep style to get the pillow that suits you. I will say, however, that Purple does have a pretty good return policy – you have 100 days to make a return or exchange. So you can try this pillow and see if it suits you with little to no risk.
That being said, I would expect a generous return policy given the extremely high price point of this pillow ($159). For that much money, you could get two or more of a lot of other pillows.
Disclaimer: Home Hacks has relationships with some brands listed above and may be compensated if you purchase them.
