Factors To Consider When Shopping For Pillows
Materials: Your sleeping preferences should dictate which pillow material speaks to you the most. If you’re a hot sleeper, memory foamwhich tends to trap body heatisnt ideal. Still, plenty of brands are surfacing pillows made of shredded latex and memory foam that conform to your head for a cradle-like feel, while being all the more breathable. Other pillows use perforated materials and cooling gel or plant-based Tencel fabrics to ensure that you dont burn up at night. Downwhich is made up of goose feathersor a down alternative pillow that mimics the same pillow feel, are lusciously soft, but might lack the support you need if youre a side or back sleeper. It’s also something to steer clear of if you know your allergies will keep you up at night.
Firmness: A pillow’s firmness can also spell out the difference between a comfortable nights sleep or a giant crick in your neck when the alarm goes off. Firm pillows are a great option for side sleepers because they won’t let your head sink into the pillow, and they offer the support your head and neck need while lying on your side. A softer pillow allows for more sinkage, so it’s good for back and stomach sleepers who don’t want to feel like they’re smushing their head into a brick.
What Makes The Dreamcloud Stand Out
- The cashmere cover is breathable and soft to the touch.
- The cover and airflow-promoting coils should make the DreamCloud a suitable option for hot sleepers.
- The mattress has a perfect balance of comfort and support, and should be a particularly good match for back sleepers and lightweight sleepers of all sleeping positions.
Read our full DreamCloud mattress review.
Best Hypoallergenic: Parachute Down Alternative Pillow
Made with a 100 percent hypoallergenic microfiber fill, the Down Alternative Pillow from Parachute caters to those with allergies without sacrificing comfort and loft. It has a cotton exterior that ensures ventilation. Sleepers have their choice of three densities: soft, medium, and firm. According to the brand, soft best suits stomach sleepers because of its sunken plushness and neutral positioning go the neck, medium pairs well with back sleepers, and firm offers the necessary loftiness for side sleepers.
“I was having some neck pain on and off and finally decided to make the investment in some quality pillows,” a shopper mentioned. “I have always loved down pillows, but due to my husband and my allergies, we opted for the down alternative in medium firmness. They are so soft but supportive, and my neck is 100 percent better. Awesome pillows!”
To buy: parachutehome.com, $59
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Brook + Wilde Marlowe Goose Down Pillow
Theres no snoozing that Brook + Wildes Marlow pillow is the most expensive on our list. But we think its worth paying the price for the best night’s sleep. Replicating the plushness of hotel boutique quality, youll experience nothing but cloud-like comfort night after night with this best overall pillow. We sure did. We tested the medium support one and found it got more plush after each sleep as the pillow adapts to the shape of your head. Whilst this is contrary to other pillows that tend to flop and flatten after every sleep, it makes it great for every type of sleeper since it is soft enough to sink into but stays firm and at the right height.
Its secret to superior comfort? A three-part blend of 100% new white European goose feathers and 90% new white Masurian goose down covered in down-proof 360 thread count 100% Egyptian cotton to prevent feathers from poking out. These high-quality materials are all responsibly sourced and comply with zero tolerance standards. Impressive! And that’s not all: this pillow can be machine washed up to 40 degrees and tumble-dried, without losing its poof.
If the price is still off-putting, you might want to keep an eye out for Brook + Wildes regular sales and offers. Better yet, think of it as a really good investment in your health and happiness, one that will outlast any one night hotel stay especially if you pair it with the Brook + Wilde Ultima mattress which we reviewed and loved, too.
What Type Of Mattresses Do Hotels Use
While it does depend on the hotel, the majority of hotels have some type of innerspring mattress with a pillow top. Most of these mattresses will be close to medium-firm so that they will work for hotel guests who sleep on their back, side, or stomach. An excellent example of this type of mattress is the Saatva, which has two sets of coils and a Euro-style pillow top.
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How We Selected The Pillows For Guest Room
Most of the products listed are not selected hand to hand. We used artificial intelligence to make the list. But we can assure you all the products listed here are of superior quality as they are already tested by real users, rated by expert reviewers, and recommended by real humans.
Key decision-making factors you should consider to select the products:
What Is The Best Cheap Mattress For A Guest Room
People who need a cheap mattress for their guest room have a few options. If they want something with coils that provides good support, the Allswell could be an excellent choice. If they are seeking something with more of that memory foam feel, they should take a look at the Dreamfoam Essential mattress.
Featured image: Africa Studio/Shutterstock
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Why Trust Good Housekeeping
Lexie Sachs is the Executive Director of the Textiles, Paper & Apparel Lab at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Fiber Science from Cornell University and more than 15 years experience in the textiles industry, including merchandising and product development for home products. Lexie joined Good Housekeeping in 2013 and has extensively tested all types of beddingincluding mattresses, sheets, pillows, comforters and more using specialized lab equipment and with hundreds of testers.
Best Organic: Birch By Helix Organic Pillow
Shoppers in search of sustainable bedding will love this pillow for its eco-friendly construction, which achieves its fan-favorite softness and loft with 100 percent organic cotton and wool, as well as natural Talalay latex. In fact, it’s this material that is responsible for the shape retention and buoyancy of the pillow, which relaxes your muscles and relieves tension for every type of sleeper. Additionally, it enhances the breathability and hypoallergenic benefits of the pillow, making it safe from molding and accumulating dust mites, mildew, and other allergy-irritating microbes.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am with this pillow,” a shopper raved. “I do believe I am getting a better sleep. I have a camera in my bedroom for my dog and prior to purchasing this pillow, I seemed to move a lot during the night. Now, I don’t move as much. I just love this pillow.”
To buy: birchliving.com, $99
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How To Choose The Best Pillow
There is no one single best pillow for every person as our bodies are different, but you can narrow down the list by pinpointing your sleep style. Do you sleep on your stomach, back or side, or a combination of all three? Knowing this will help you choose a pillow easily. With that in mind, here are three key criteria to be aware of:
- Pillow loft This refers to the height of a bed pillow. Side sleepers receive the most support from a high loft . Back and stomach sleepers are usually fine with a low loft.
- Firmness This describes a pillow’s give when weight is placed on it. Soft pillows are usually best for stomach sleepers. Side sleepers often feel better supported by a firm pillow that keeps their neck and back in alignment. Back and combo sleepers do well with a medium-firm pillow.
- Fill This dictates the loft and firmness, but there are health issues to consider here too. For instance, if you suffer from allergies, stay away from feather fills and choose a down alternative pillow instead.
Brooklyn Bedding Bowery Mattress
The Brooklyn Bedding Bowery is an affordable mattress that a lot of people will like because of its value and the pressure relief it provides.
Luxury is great and all, but some people are looking for the best deal possible on a guest room mattress. And when it comes to value, Brooklyn Bedding is hard to beat. The company owns its own factory, so all of its beds are priced competitively. Their most affordable mattress option is the Brooklyn Bedding Bowery, a streamlined, all-foam mattress. Before sales and discounts, it sits under $900, which is an incredible price for such a quality brand.
The Brooklyn Bedding Bowery consists of three foam layers a comfort layer, a transition layer, and a base layer. The comfort layer contains Energex foam, a bouncier and more breathable alternative to memory foam. Guests shouldnt feel like they are getting stuck in the mattress, and they shouldnt be sleeping particularly hot.
The Bowery is going to be an excellent fit for lightweight sleepers such as teenagers and children. Lighter side sleepers should also experience some exceptional pressure relief on the Bowery.
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Best For Neck Pain: Avocado Molded Latex Pillow
Designed with additional neck support in mind, the Avocado Molded Latex Pillow offers more firmness than its counterparts. It does so with its molded charcoal-infused latex core, which allows the pillow to hold its shape, ensure even neck support, and adapt to your favorite sleep position whether it be your back, side, or stomach. This advanced material also gives the pillow its cooling properties, as well as its moisture wicking and odor-resistant capabilities.
“At first use, I thought this pillow would be far too soft compared to my past Tempurpedic pillow,” one shopper explained. “After a few solid months of use, I am happy with how I feel after a night sleeping on this pillow. I have yet to wake up with a sore neck .”
To buy: avocadogreenmattress.com, $79
What Makes The Bear Mattress Stand Out
- The foam on top blends perfectly with the coils at the bottom to provide a great balance of comfort and support.
- If youre interested in the all-foam version, its a little less expensive.
- Because they may promote recovery, Bear mattresses are popular among athletes.
Read our full Bear mattress review.
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Why Trust The Spruce
This article was written by , a lifestyle writer for The Spruce covering all things surrounding toys, gifts, home essentials, and the holidays. In addition to her extensive research of the best brands and top-rated pillows, she utilized the notes and insights from testers who spent hours using the pillows on the list. They examined everything from quality of the material to temperature control to support.
We also reached out to Robert Hayden, DC, chiropractor and spokesperson for the American Chiropractic Association for his medical professional insight.
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.
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An Adaptive Foam Pillow That Keeps You Cool At Night
Tuft & Needle
Fill Material: T& N Adaptive Foam, graphite, cooling gel beads | Size Options: Standard, king | Density: Medium-firm
The Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow is soft and squishy yet supportivethe dream pillow trifecta. Its made of T& N Adaptive Foam thats been custom cut so it properly aligns your head and neck, while keeping its shape all night. It also contains graphite, which pulls heat away from your head while you sleep, and cooling gel beads that trap heat, so youre always sleeping on the cool side of the pillow.
What We Don’t Recommend And Why:
- Vaya Pillow: I tried this pillow but was perplexed that the pillow I received looks significantly different from the website. I contacted the brand, which claimed that the pillow I received is a newer version, but after many months of waiting for a website update, I still only see the old pillows available. I thought this pillow was far too overfilled, even for side sleepers, and the inaccuracies of what we received versus what’s on the website are concerning.
- Tulo Pillow: A few of our side-sleeping editors recommended this moderate-height memory foam pillow. We didn’t test it for this guide because it lacks many of the qualities of our top picks. It’s not adjustable or washable, and the company doesn’t offer a trial period or returns of open pillows.
- Saatva Down Alternative Pillow: Saatva makes two of our top pillow picks, so I was surprised this one was such a miss. It was far too lofty, even for side sleeping, and left my neck in an uncomfortable position. It ended up straining my neck so much that I couldn’t make it through the night before switching back to my regular pillow.
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How We Test For The Best Pillow
To find the best pillow, we tested a wide range with a variety of fillings to find the best for at-home luxury.
As well as asking a panel of readers to try them out at home, we slept on them ourselves, noting how comfortable they felt to sink into, how much support they offered, how cool they kept us, and whether they were worth their A-list price tag. We even put any washing claims to the test, to ensure theyd keep their high-end feel night after night.
Here are the best pillows that have stolen our hearts, and our money:
Firstly, note that the price shown here is for a pair of pillows, as Loaf doesnt sell them separately. If youre looking for a more affordable or hypoallergenic alternative to down, microfibre makes a strong substitute.
We found this pillow fluffy and supportive, with a luxurious feel to it, but it was too dense to mould to the head and neck effectively. Its cover is made mostly from breathable organic bamboo, which successfully kept us cool, and it surprised us by appearing thicker after washing.
Furniture: Keep It Simple
Your guest room furniture should be simple and relatively sparse so that guests have enough room to move about and to stash their stuff without tripping over it. Remember, they wont be unpacking and moving in, so if you can provide open shelves, a bench, or a luggage stand, that will help keep their stuff off the floor.
Desk Area / Laptop Work Space Having a place to work is becoming more and more important in our increasingly plugged-in world. Many people travel for work or just like to bring their laptop with them, so providing a space to work in the guest room is a big plus.
Side Tables / Reading Lamp People really appreciate having a side table next to the bed to put their phone on for the night, or a glass of water, etc. Definitely provide a table next to the bed, and ideally put side tables on both sides of the bed. Make sure to include table lamps bright enough to read by as well.
Chairs & Benches Its a good idea to provide a desk chair as well as another chair in the room for sitting or even dropping belongings. Placing a bench at the end of the bed or under a window is another great dual-purpose piece of furniture to include in your guest room.
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Our Pillow Testing Methodology
To learn more about what to look for in a pillow, we spoke with Rebecca Robbins, sleep researcher, author, and instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate scientist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. However, there is no one-size-fits-all, best pillow for everyone.
Individual anatomy, sleep habits, and preferences profoundly impact how comfortable a pillow will be from person to person. For that reason, our rating criteria for this guide relied heavily on the following considerations:
Return policy and trial period: It’s impossible to know how comfortable a pillow is going to be for you until you sleep on it, despite how comprehensive our guide aims to be. “The most important thing is trying the pillows out to see what works for you,” said Robbins, which includes being able to touch, lay on, and sleep with a pillow before deciding if it’s right for you. For this guide, we only considered pillows that accept returns of used merchandise for a full refund with at least a 30-day trial window, which gives you ample time to decide if a pillow is right for you.
Adjustability: We prioritized adjustable pillows with removable inserts or shredded fill for dialing in your perfect loft. This creates a more custom pillow that would better suit your needs.
How We Chose These Cheap Pillows
Just like we did when choosing a cheap mattress, we researched, read reviews, and compared products that were below $30 against more expensive options. For those we have tested, we’ve made sure to balance sleep quality and price, so you can find the best value pillow for your budget. The Casper pillow on this list has been tested, for example, and is the cheapest, but number one in our best pillow guide. If you want to know more about what this involves , then you can get the low down in our how we test guide.
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