I tried sleeping on 2023’s “Best Pillows” for a week, and was stunned by the results. They are all going on sale this holiday season, so if there were ever a time to buy, it’s now.
Here’s the list of pillows my husband and I tried (in alphabetical order):
- Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow – BOGO (Buy one get one free!)
- Layla – TBD
- Marlow – up to 30% off
- MyPillow – up to 50% off
- PillowCube – up to 40% off
- Purple – 20% off pillows
- Original Pillow by Coop Home Goods – TBD
- Sutera – 25% off
- Saatva – TBD
- TempurPedic – 20% off
I was excited to try these pillows because you hear and read so much about them online. Here’s a summary of my findings before I dive into the details below:
- Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow – for the first time in years, I woke up with no neck pain or headache or anything. I don’t think I have slept that deeply in a long time. This was one of the last pillows I tried and was the only one where I clearly noticed a difference in sleep quality.
- Layla – this felt like a luxury version of a normal pillow. It was definitely nice!
- Marlow – my sleep quality did not change with this pillow, it was comfortable but overall pretty average. this is a good, put it in the guest room to impress your guests, pillow
- MyPillow – was really looking forward to trying this one. It’s comfy, but nothing special. My sleep quality didn’t really change.
- PillowCube – this was another one I was excited to try. It’s good for side sleeping, but if you ever roll onto your back, it probably isn’t the best option.
- Purple – the springy feeling definitely took some getting used to, but it’s worth a try for some people. This one was also pretty cool.
- Original Pillow by Coop Home Goods – This pillow was probably my 2nd favorite. It’s a solid option and the adjustability was nice! I still had some crinks in my neck when I woke up.
- Sutera – this pillow is fine if you only sleep in one position. The nook is only one height” — and that heigh is usually only good for side or back sleeping. The “wings” get in the way if you try to sleep on the edges of the pillow
- Saatva – very expensive for what it is — a nice overall pillow, but nothing special.
- TempurPedic – I like the contour of this, but the Dosaze contour was better. I got some relief, but not enough!
Here is my detailed thought process below:
Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow
(The best holiday deal… 2 for the price of 1!)
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 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”).
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.
MyPillow
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.
PillowCube
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.
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 we 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, 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.
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, 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.
NOTE: Home Hacks has relationships with some of the brands listed above and may get compensated if you purchase any of those items.
