What Are The Best Pillows For Hot Sleepers
If you tend to sleep hot, you may find pillows with down or down alternative filling such as the Casper Original Pillow, Parachute Down Alternative Pillow, Saatva Pillow, or Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillows have better airflow than memory foam pillows.
Some memory foam pillows have started advertising “gel foam” that purportedly keeps your cooler. However, we haven’t found that this type of foam produces a marked difference in comfort for hot sleepers. If you absolutely must have a foam pillow, the Leesa Hybrid Pillow is the coolest foam pillow we’ve found.
Best Pillow For Neck Pain
With its customizable fill, the Layla Kapok Pillow offers neck pain sufferers both support and comfort.
- Fill: CertiPUR-US certified shredded memory foam and Kapok fibers
- Firmness: Medium-firm
- Sizes available: Queen and king
- Care instructions: Remove fill, machine wash cover cold, tumble dry low. Do not iron.
- Who it’s best for: All sleeping styles, especially side sleepers
Pros: Removable fill lets you customize the height, comfortable, molds to cradle your neck, easy-to-clean cover, 120-day trial
Cons: Removable fill can get messy
The Layla Kapok Pillow was the best neck-pain pillow we tested. It’s adjustable and forms to your head and neck for a very comfortable night’s sleep.
To adjust the pillow, unzip the cover and internal case. Remove the fill until you reach your preferred loft . Have a sealable container handy so you contain the fill and save it in case you want to add it back in later.
That customization makes the Layla Kapok great for many types of sleepers. Reporter James Brains preferred to use the pillow with all the fill inside, while Sally Kaplan, executive editor for Insider Reviews, removed two-thirds of the material.
This made it easy to mold the pillow to support her head and neck. Kaplan said it took a few nights to get the fill level right, but then she slept much better than with her old memory foam pillow.
If you find the pillow doesn’t work for you, you can return it within 120 days.
The 5 Best Pillows On Amazon
You shouldnt have to fluff your pillow or stack two together every night to get quality sleep. In this review, the This Old House Reviews Team researched the five best pillows on Amazon to help you find the one thats right for you. The products included in this article are available at various retail stores, local home centers, and online retailers like Amazon.
Good sleep starts with a quality pillow. When youre searching for a new pillow, the saturated market makes the process feel overwhelming and tedious. Thats why the This Old House Reviews Team conducted the research for you, evaluating the important features and qualities of pillows to provide you with a comprehensive guide to the best pillows on Amazon. Keep reading to learn about our top recommendations.
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What Types Of Pillows Are There
Pillows are constructed with a variety of materials. Understanding what these materials are and how they generally perform will help you determine which pillows best fit your needs.
Pillow covers also come in a variety of materials. Most pillow covers are made of cotton, polyester, or a cotton-poly blend. Some are made of other materials, such as bamboo-derived fabric or satin.
Cotton covers tend to be more breathable than polyester. Different cover materials feel different to the touch, but the feel is less important since most customers use pillow cases over their pillows.
Customizable Comfort For All Types Of Sleepers
Coop
Fill Material: Memory foam | Firmness: Medium soft| Adjustable: Yes | Certifications: Greenguard Gold Certified, CertiPUR-US
This adjustable pillow is filled with gel-infused memory foam that can be added or removed as needed to accommodate all types of sleepers . With a removable cover thats made from the brands Lulltra fabric and a blend of bamboo-derived viscose rayon and polyester, the pillow provides a cool, soft surface for sleeping and plenty of breathability. Not satisfied with it during the first 100 nights? You can return the pillow for a full refund.
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Malek Side Sleeper Pillow
Packed with 70-percent duck feathers and 30-percent duck down, Maleks pillow is a great choice for side sleepers. Its available in soft, medium and firm support for you to decide what works best for you. The outside is also coated with a down-proof sateen to keep the feathers from popping out and poking you in the middle of the night, which is an insanely amazing upgrade from a traditional down pillow. Its also super breathable, so if you run hot, this pillow may be for you.
Different Types Of Pillows:
- Down Fill: This classic pillow option is filled with either goose or duck down and feathers. This is a great choice for those who like adjust their pillow based on the way theyre sleeping. If you like a thicker pillow, make sure you opt for a firm support option. Side and stomach sleepers should look into a lower amount of fill.
- Down Alternative: These pillows are similar to their down counterparts, except they dont have actual animal feathers. Instead, theyre usually filled with some sort of cotton fiber and in most cases, you can still choose your firmness.
- Gel Fill: Gel-filled pillows are best for hot sleepers, and they can come in a block or grid-like form. There are also some options with multiple gel strips inside the pillow to keep you cool. The gel strips can usually be taken out so that you can adjust the thickness of the pillow. The gel is also typically supportive, so its an ideal choice for those concerned about spinal alignment.
- Memory Foam: Memory foam pillows can come in either block or in shredded strip form. Much like the gel pillows, the strips are just cut up pieces of memory foam that can typically be taken out to adjust to your liking. In general, memory foam pillows are ideal for people who want the maximum amount of support.
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Tuft & Needle Down Alternative Pillow Set
- Easy to clean and keeps its shape
- Good value for the pair
- Too high for those who switch positions to their stomachs
- Fill material: Polyester down alternative
- Firmness level: Medium-firm
Designed specifically for side and back sleepers, the poly stuffing is lightweight yet still significantly firmer than other down alternatives. It aced all of our Lab’s evaluations, including pillowcase fit, shrinkage after laundering and how well it kept its shape after we applied weight. This is especially important because side sleepers need their pillow to keep its shape all night for proper alignment.
On top of that, it uses a synthetic down alternative, which is ideal for easy care and a lower cost. In fact, this set of two pillows cost less than other individual ones. The fill also prevents it from feeling too dense, which can sometimes be a downside to pillows made for side sleepers.
Tester notes: Our entire panel was impressed with how it stood up to pressure, and a user told us it “kept its shape better than any other pillow I’ve ever used.” More importantly, they all rated it supportive and comfortable to sleep on. One even called out its luxurious attention to detail, saying it had “excellent quality with good materials and stitching.”
Best Pillow for Back Sleepers
Royal Therapy Queen Memory Foam Pillow
When it comes to memory foam, there are two types: shredded and whole. This pillow, for example, features lots of shredded pieces of memory foam that easily fit the shape of your specific anatomy. Shredded-foam pillows are typically less thick than than a whole block of memory foam, and you can take out as many pieces are you need to feel comfortable.
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What Type Of Pillow Is Most Comfortable
While there are many types of pillows to choose from, the fill is the most important aspect when it comes to comfort. Here are the key differences between the most common options:
- Down pillowstend to be the fluffiest, but a combination of down with feather may be firmer and less expensive.
- Down alternative pillowscan still feel soft and offer good support, but they’re usually made with synthetic fill so they’re more affordable than down.
- Memory foam pillowsare thicker and often firmer. You can choose from solid memory foam or memory foam clusters, which feel plusher to lie on while still offering the support of foam.
- Latex pillowsfeel similar to memory foam, but they have more of a bouncy feel with less contouring. Another difference: latex foam is typically made from rubber trees.
- Hybrid pillows mix foam and fiberfill so you get the best of both categories i.e. supportive yet plush.
How do I pick the right pillow?
After picking your favorite fill, before you get shopping for a new pillow, here’s what to keep in mind as you pick out your best pillow:
Make sure it’s the right height. There’s no one-size-fits-all pillow. According to Dr. Baxi, “Your ears should be aligned with your shoulders and your chin faced forward.” To achieve this alignment, you’ll need to factor in your body size and how you sleep. Here’s how to pick your height:
How To Choose A Pillow
The best pillow for sleeping varies from person to person, and there is no single perfect pillow for everyone. To find your ideal pillow, you must consider your sleep position preferences, as well as many aspects of pillows youre considering.
This section guides you through the various pillow qualities to evaluate while pillow shopping. Once you know what to look for, you can feel confident that youre truly buying the pillow that best fits your needs.
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Best Pillows On Amazon
Snoozing with a supportive pillow is a great way to keep healthy posture, and guard against neck and back pain. That said, every sleeping position requires something different, which can make the whole pillow-shopping experience a little confusing! But dont worry, folks, Im here to help you find the right one.
In this guide, Im presenting my top four favorite pillows, along with expert tips and tricks for finding the one thats tailored to your unique needs. I picked something for all positions so everyone can find their perfect fit. Lets get started!
Zoey Sleep Side Sleeper Pillow
If you are a side sleeper, Zoeys Sleep Side Sleeper Pillow will be your new favorite thing. The idea behind its unique shape is that it makes room for your shoulders, so that you can achieve optimal spinal alignment. Its filled with a memory foam blend that contours to your head and its easy to take extra filling out of the pillow, so that you can further adjust it for your comfort.
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Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow
If youre shopping for a super soft pillow with a feathery feel, this ones going to be right up your alley. Its covered in cotton and filled with a fluffy down-alternative thats extra resistant to mold and mildew.
Pros
- This pillow can compress into a low loft of less than 2-inches, making it ideal for stomach sleepers.
- If you love the feel of real down , this is probably the right pillow for you!
- This pillow is machine washable and dryable, which makes maintenance nice and easy.
Cons
- Side sleepers or those who prefer a firmer pillow should look elsewhere, as this one has an extra soft feel.
- This pillow is only offered in a Queen size, which might not be ideal for folks who sleep on a King-sized mattress.
The Beckham Hotel Collection Gel Pillow is covered in cotton and filled with a fluffy down-alternative, making it a super soft pillow with a feathery feel!
Noble Lower Body Pillow
- Fill materials: Wool, latex or a mix of both
- Firmness level: Varies
Most pillows are for your head, but if you suffer from back pain then it’s a good idea to consider a body pillow as well. This unique style is triangular shaped and keeps your hips and spine aligned: It goes between your legs if you’re a side sleeper or underneath them if you’re a back sleeper.
It’s pricey, but it uses quality materials including your choice of a wool, latex or hybrid fill. It’s also adjustable and comes with extra fill so you can personalize the height to your body, and it held up to wash testing in the Lab so you can expect it to last over time.
Tester notes: From pregnant users to those with injuries, all testers said they had relief from pain or discomfort while sleeping with it and woke up without feeling sore. As an added bonus, they enjoyed its versatility, with one saying, “I liked using this pillow to sit up and read in bed as a backrest.”
Best Cooling Pillow
- Less supportive than other pillows
- Fill material: Polyester down alternative
- Firmness levels: Soft/medium or medium/firm
This down alternative pillow stands out for its temperature-regulating cover that’s made with Outlast viscose, which stores and releases body heat to prevent you from overheating while you sleep. Unlike other cooling pillows that feel instantly cool to the touch, this one works all night long to help keep you at a comfortable temperature.
Best Gel Pillow
- High scores for comfort from testers
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Best Bed Pillows On Amazon
Arguably the most popular bed pillows on Amazon, these Beckham Hotel Collection Bed Pillows for Sleeping have legions of fans who swear by them. On Amazon alone, they have 189,000 ratings and 4.4 out of 5 stars. They’re available in queen and king sizes, and shoppers say they really do help them sleep soundly through the night.
If you’re looking for a memory foam pillow, don’t think twice about the Coop Home Goods Premium Adjustable Loft Pillow. Yes, it’s a splurge at more than $60, but Amazon customers say it’s absolutely worth the money. This pillow has more than 50,000 ratings. In the reviews, one shopper wrote, “Ever had a pillow so good you want to stay in bed? Yeah. Its like that.”
For those on a budget, the viewstar Queen Pillows for Sleeping are an affordable pick. Theyre top quality and highly rated, with 4.4 out of 5 stars on Amazon. Shoppers say these pillows hold their shape, are great for side sleepers and have helped to ease neck pain.
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Why Trust The This Old House Reviews Team
This Old House has empowered homeowners for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement content in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content on its website and social media platforms. The This Old House Reviews Team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content to help inform your purchasing decision for just about any item or resource that you might need for your home. The This Old House Reviews Team has written over 1,000 reviews on products in the home space, from cordless drills to kitchen trash cans, lawn mowers, and dining room decorations.
We recommend products in each review using an intensive research process, spending hours combing through the best available models on Amazon. For a product to make our list of top picks, it must hold a solid sales record on Amazon, have consistently positive customer reviews, and offer unique features, among other factors. After narrowing down our list of recommendations, we conduct additional research and sometimes in-person testing to ensure that the products meet our standards. Once we conclude the research phase, we craft a well-rounded, user-friendly article that includes our recommended products and additional information to help homeowners like you make the right purchase.
To share feedback or ask a question about this article, send a note to our Reviews Team at .
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What Were Looking For:
Fill type: From shredded latex and memory foam to down and down-alternative, the type of fill inside your pillow directly translates to how supportive it is and can impact the longevity of the pillow and your overall comfort. While there are several handfuls of pillow fill types out there, polyester fiberfill, memory foam, latex, and feather fill are among the most common. Less common pillow fillings can include buckwheat hull, plant-based materials, and kapok .
You can narrow down your pillow-fill options based on factors like your sleeping position, health concerns, and personal choice. For example, if you want a pillow that is eco-friendly or vegan, a memory foam or feather-filled pillow might be a pass, but a plant-based or organic-fiber pillow could be right up your alley. For snoozers who are navigating pain management, responsive memory foam or latex that can provide consistent support will be a better choice over softer down or down-alternative pillows.
Loft: The loft of your pillow, basically a fancy way to say height, should parallel your preferred sleeping position. The loft of a pillow refers to its height when laying flat a pillow with a low loft is a thinner pillow, while a pillow with a high loft will be thicker, explains Colonello. Depending on your normal sleeping position, youll want a specific loft in order to be most comfortable.
Casper Sleep Pillow For Sleeping
Caspers Sleep Pillow has long, soft fibers on the outer layer, for an incredibly gentle and soft feeling. The core of the pillow is filled with short fibers that mold to the shape of your head and provide ample support. All of the filling is separated under a grid-like system that holds it in place and keeps it from clumping. The outside of the pillow is cotton, making it breathable and airy.
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