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 decided to systematically go through a process of testing the best pillows available in 2024.
In-Depth Review And Process
Here’s the list of pillows I tried (in alphabetical order):
- Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow
- Layla
- Marlow
- Purple
- Original Pillow by Coop Home Goods
- Sutera
- Saatva
- TempurPedic
Ensuring a restful night’s sleep and waking up free of pain depends on a few important factors: Support, Comfort, Temperature Control, and of course, Value for your money.
Many individuals currently use cotton or polyester pillows, often due to their affordability or lack of awareness about better alternatives. We recently did a deep-dive into the top bedding companies, exploring how they are revolutionizing the sleep industry and offering sleepers better alternatives.
Among 2024’s recent innovations, Contoured Orthopedic Memory Foam pillows have gained remarkable popularity and have a TON of benefits. Medical experts emphasize the significance of staying aligned and stable during the night, ensuring the deepest and healthiest rest possible, and these pillows are designed to do just that.
Aside from support, making sure high-quality materials are used so that you stay cool and breezy is essential. Nothing is worse than a pillow that traps heat and moisture, leaving you uncomfortably hot (cue night-sweats).
Last but not least, hypoallergenic and anti-bacterial properties are crucial for pillows. Cotton, unfortunately, falls short in providing these features, as it tends to accumulate pollen, allergens, and bacteria until washed regularly. If not cleaned daily, you may unknowingly suffer from allergens while you sleep.
Navigating the plethora of pillow options available on the market can be challenging. We did the hard work of investing months of comprehensive research to bring you valuable insights into this emerging category. We’ll guide you on what to seek and avoid when selecting your perfect pillows, enabling a transformation in your sleep quality.
We ranked the options according to:
- Effectiveness at reducing neck pain
- Comfort
- Cover
- Return policy / warranty
- Value
The Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow is one of the “contoured orthopedic pillows” that I tried – (I also tried the 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”).
It also provides the perfect combination of comfort and support – the foam isn’t too firm, nor is it too soft. 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.
Overall, we found the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow did four things really well. (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.
- 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 in a few categories. You can even check out the Dosaze pillow reviews on the site itself, if you don’t believe us.
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!
Layla
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
Marlow
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.
Purple
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).
Original Pillow by Coop Home Goods
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
Sutera
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).
Saatva
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 I had two primary issues with this pillow.
- Price / Value – this pillow is expensive, there is simply no other way to put it. While the fill is good quality, I 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. I 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.
TempurPedic
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, I 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.
NOTE: Home Hacks has relationships with some of the brands listed above and may get compensated if you purchase any of those items.
