Final Winner: 1 out of 10 (See Below for In Depth Review and Process)
In Depth Review And Process
For decades, I had been sleeping on whatever pillow I found at the department store because they were trusted brands or simply convenient. 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. Not having a good night’s sleep is one of the things that affects my mood and energy level. Finally, I started a quest to find the perfect pillow that helps me sleep well and wake up feeling energized. I have found my perfect pillow after spending 6 months sleeping on 18 different pillows. Hope this article can help you as well. I went through the following process and ranked the pillows I found via the following method:
- Effectiveness at reducing neck pain: A good pillow should promote proper spine alignment therefore reducing neck pain and stiffness.
- Comfort: The memory foam should be comfortable to sleep on and should not add pressure points to your face, ear, neck, or shoulder
- Support: The pillow should provide even support throughout the night and don’t flatten out in a few months.
- Cover: The pillow’s cover should promote an allergen-free and cooling sleep environment
- Return policy / warranty: The ease of returning an unwanted pillow and length of sleep trial
- Value: Is the pillow worth the dollar we paid for.
Overall, the best pillow I slept on by far was the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow. My wife and I enjoyed sleeping on the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic pillow in all three sleep positions thanks to the innovative shape and design. The contour aligns your neck and back, which reduces pain, snoring, and gives you the best night of sleep ever. We also found it significantly cooler than the other pillows that we tested. I highly recommend this pillow as my top pick.
Is It Worth It To Consider Pillows Under $50?
I personally do not think it is best to consider the options under $50. You will likely save money in the long run because the manufacturers of cheaper pillows tend to cut corners – these pillows also generally do not last as long. If you get the right pillow (even if it is more expensive), you’ll likely save money in the long run.
As an example, some memory foam pillows (especially those that are not CertiPUR certified) tend to use lower-quality foam foam, which results in worse pillows. Down-and-down alternative pillows under $50 tend to use more quills than down clusters, which results in a pillow that will poke you. A lot of cheaper pillows also skimp out on the filling, which causes the pillows to provide less support and feel flat.
It is worth it to invest in a higher quality pillow – especially when you consider how much impact a better pillow can have on your sleep quality. The right pillow can help you sleep as much, if not more, than a new mattress (which is way more expensive).
This was the only pillow that I tried where I noticed a clear difference in my sleep quality.
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.
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 requires 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”).
There are four key things that make this pillow so great:
- 100% pure, fresh gel memory foam fill – unlike most other ‘memory foam’ pillows that are blends of micofiber (which isn’t supportive and falls flat), this pillow is 100% gel memory foam – and you can definitely tell the difference. This memory foam also isn’t “recycled” from other foam – it is made fresh for these pillows and infused with a cooling gel that is noticeably cooler to sleep on
- Unique cutout shape that relieves pressure on your shoulder – not only does this unique shape relieve pressure on your shoulder by allowing you to rest your head away from your shoulder, it’s also great if you are a combination sleeper (or if you sleep on both sides) because you can roll around from side to side. This is really the best feature of the pillow!
- Cooling cover – this cover feels luxe and cool to the touch. It’s honestly so soft that you don’t need to put a pillowcase on it (although most people do)
- Adjustable to your height and sleep preferences – a key for many combination side and back sleepers is finding a pillow that fills the gap between their shoulder and head – and everyone is different. This is why it’s great to have a pillow you can adjust to fill your unique gap. This pillow does just that.
Pros:
- 3-year warranty
- 100% adjustable height
- 100% fresh gel memory foam fill (no microfiber, no recycled foam)
- Allergy-friendly
- Inhibits bacteria growth
- Cooling gel infusions prevent overheating
- Cool and luxe cover
Cons:
- only available online
You can see that this pillow is great for back and side sleepers. For back sleepers, it is perfect to sleep with your head in the center of the pillow. For side sleepers, it is great to sleep on the edges of the pillow – it fills your shoulder gap and relieves pressure from your shoulders. The shape of the crevice makes it great and super fun for “hugging” the pillow. If you are a combination sleeper, you can roll from one side to the middle and to the other side.
UPDATE (4 months later!): I’ve been sleeping on this pillow for another 4 months now, and it is still the best one. I’m super satisfied with the overall quality and durability of this pillow. This has been the best investment for me in terms of improving my overall sleep quality!
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, 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
Organic pillows only use materials that have been organically produced and contain no chemicals that could seriously harm your health. As the best organic pillow for side sleepers on this list, the Naturepedic Organic 2-in-1 pillow contains an organic shredded latex core, which you can adjust to suit your tastes and support your side sleeping position. Some people did find that it was difficult to get the right feel with the pillow, and would have preferred a non-adjustable option that was designed to be just right with no alterations needed.
Not only can you adjust the fill of this pillow, but you can also alter the outer encasement for optimum comfort. You can choose to sleep on the pillow’s smooth stretch-knit side or the quilted side, or swap between the two for the best of both worlds. The smooth stretch-knit side has a stretchier feel that will better conform to your head and neck position, while the quilted side has a fluffier feel. You can machine wash this case to keep it in peak condition throughout its lifespan.
Pros:
- Adjustable fill
- Contains no harsh chemicals
- Two encasement options
Cons:
- Doesn’t relieve pressure from your shoulder
- Only has one height, so it isn’t ideal for combination sleepers
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).
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
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.
Latex-foam is an increasingly popular pillow option, and the Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow is one of the best of its kind. This pillow has been designed for back sleepers, side sleepers, or anyone who simply wishes for a firmer pillow offering more support.
Not only does the Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow hold its shape, but it also offers temperature regulation thanks to its charcoal-infused latex core. Some pillows can hold onto odors and moisture, but the Avocado pillow incorporated design features that prevent this. However, an issue brought up by numerous customers was that this pillow was too high for comfortable sleep.
The pillow comes with one removable, GOTS organic certified cotton cover, which is soft and light, as well as being super simple to clean.
Pros:
- Temperature regulating
- Helps to prevent moisture and odors
- Easy-wash cotton cover
Cons:
- Some customers found the pillow was too high
Hot sleepers, don’t panic – there are pillows out there that offer a high level of support and promote a cooling sleep, and the Purple Harmony Pillow is one of the best out there. This pillow features grid material, an innovative invention that you’ll only find in a Purple pillow, which helps to support your head, neck and shoulders while being cool enough to keep you comfortable on even the hottest nights.
How is cooling promoted with the Purple Harmony? There are several features that promote a cooler sleep, including open-air channels in the latex core, which prevents heat build-up. If you hate it when pillows collapse under your neck, you’ll be happy with the performance of the Purple Harmony, which bounces back after a weight has been applied. The only small customer complaint here was that the Purple Harmony isn’t quite high enough for some sleepers’ tastes. It’s also pretty expensive.
Pros:
- Offers a high level of support
- Promotes a cooling sleep
- Soft cover
Cons:
- Not high enough for some sleepers
- Expensive
The Pillow Cube is touted as a pillow designed specifically for side sleepers – while it is a good pillow for side sleepers, it isn’t the best.
The cube shape is marketed as ideal for filling your shoulder gap and promoting neutral alignment between your neck and back. While this is true and it works, I had a couple of big issues with this pillow.
The first is that I like to roll from side to side (and sometimes even sleep on my back). This pillow isn’t great for sleeping on your back — it’s simply too high.
The second is that, even when I sleep completely on one side, I found that the memory foam was a bit too firm and warm vs. other pillows I tried. Now, a firmer pillow might be nice for some people, but this one wasn’t adjustable and was just too firm for me. That being said, you might like it if you gave it a try.
This pillow was on the expensive side as well, especially for what it is. The cooling version comes in at $134.
As you can see, this pillow is a decent solution for exclusively side sleepers, but it does not work as well for combination sleepers. I think this pillow could be worth a test, but I definitely do not think that it is the best pillow available on the market today for side sleepers. You can probably do better.
Conclusions
For most sleepers (side, back, and combination) with neck pain, 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!).
