Best Cooling Pillow For Side Sleepers
Leesa Hybrid Pillow
Price: $$$
The Leesa Hybrid Pillow is made with a cooling, ventilated gel layer and polyester microfiber to keep you cool all night. Its both adjustable and reversible for double-sided comfort. A removable insert between the quilted outer layer and cooling gel layer lets you customize support, so you sleep comfortably on your side and back.
Leesa offers a 30-day trial and a 3-year limited warranty.
Best Side Sleeper Pillow For Neck Pain
There are many different types of pillows that can be helpful for neck pain, but side sleepers may find that a specific type of pillow known as a side sleeper pillow can be especially beneficial. These pillows are designed to provide support for the neck and head while you are lying on your side, and they can help to keep your spine in alignment to reduce pain. If you are a side sleeper who suffers from neck pain, it may be worth trying out a side sleeper pillow to see if it can help you find relief.
Neck pain is common in adults as they age, affecting up to 70% of them. Depending on their sleeping position, each sleeper requires a different level of assistance. Coop Home Goods Eden Pillow is a soft and springy pillow made of polyester microfiber and cross-cut polyurethane infused with gel for extra cooling. The Tempur-Pedic mattress is famous for its mattress, but it also makes pillows out of the same material. Coop Home Goods Original Pillow is similar to Eden Pillow, but there are some differences. Because it is a soft pillow, the pillow does not provide firm support for the neck. The Saatva Latex Pillow has a pillow-in-pillow design, which means the inside latex core is surrounded by a layer of filling.
How To Position Your Pillows As A Side Sleeper
Before you drift off to sleep, consider positioning your pillows like this to improve your sleep posture and prevent pain.
- When you lie down on your pillow, make sure your ears are in line with your shoulders and your chin is neutrally positioned. Tucking your chin against your chest or curving your neck down can lead to pain over time.
- Place a second pillow between your knees and lift them up towards your chest. This helps keep pressure off your knees and hips, which means your back will stay straighter at night.
- Make sure your arms and hands are below your shoulders. Some people find hugging another pillow near their waists can make this more comfortable. You can also try using a body pillow as a between the legs and under the arm solution.
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The Best Pillow For Your Sleep Position
Many consumers look for one that feels just right in a store, but a squeeze tells you only so much
The purpose of a pillow is pretty simple: to keep your head and neck aligned while you sleep. If only shopping for pillows were as straightforward.
Store shelves and catalogs are stuffed with options: down, memory foam, latex, polyester, buckwheat hulls. Adding to the confusion is the fact that terms used to describe pillowssuch as soft, medium, and firmdiffer from brand to brand. And price isnt necessarily an indicator of performance.
Some shoppers try to assess whether a pillow is comfortable by squeezing it in a store. Others take a trial-and-error approach, where they sleep on a pillow a few nights to see how it feels and if they dont like it, they return it.
Consumer Reports suggests a more methodical method to choosing a pillow. Our approach will lead you to the right pillow so that you can get a great nights rest without putting strain on your neck or spine.
Why You Can Trust Us
Our expert team includes product testers and researchers who bring years of experience to our guides and reviews. We also cover a wide range of body types and sleep positions to ensure every type of sleeper is represented. To select the best pillows for side sleepers, we heavily relied on feedback from testers who exclusively or primarily use the side position. However, we also sought input from back, stomach, and combination sleepers to make our recommendations as comprehensive as possible.
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How Can Side Sleepers Rest More Comfortably
Side sleeping is comfortable for most people, so its no wonder this is among the most popular sleeping positions. However, sleeping on one side for too long can result in pressure build-up and soreness. Heres what you can do to prevent these issues from happening.
Find a Good Mattress
Side sleepers typically need a mattress with a medium-range firmness. A bed thats too soft would let the body sink in too deeply, whereas a bed thats too firm would cause pressure build-up on the shoulders, hips, and knees. A good mattress makes all the difference in your sleep quality, especially if you rarely switch sides. The right mattress includes quality materials that will help deliver critical pressure relief and support. Weight is also an important consideration when mattress shopping. While most average-size sleepers would do best with medium-firm beds, lightweight side sleepers can utilize softer beds.
Use a Topper
If you already have a mattress youre unwilling to replace, you can add a topper to modify how it feels. If your bed is too firm or no longer as supportive, adding a foam topper could make a significant difference. Mattress toppers are available in many sizes and firmness levels to fit all sleeping positions, including side sleeping.
Place a Pillow Between the Knees
What Were Looking For:
Loft: The loft, or height, of your pillow is a crucial factor for side sleepers to consider. Dr. Toussaint-Keshinro explains that keeping your head, neck, and shoulders in a neutral and even position is most important. If a pillow is too flat or too high, it can create an uneven muscle tone in the neck and shoulders, leading to spasms over time. While there isnt a formula to figure out the ideal loft of your pillow, Dr. Dennis Colonello, celebrity and professional-athlete chiropractor at Peak Wellness and all33 co-founder, suggests that your pillow be around four inches off of your mattress. But dont go breaking out your ruler just yet, as there is wiggle room with this number. For taller people with broader shoulders, a higher loft may be more comfortable, and conversely, a petite person with more narrow shoulders will likely rest comfortably with a lower loft.
Firmness: All of our experts agreed that medium-firm pillows tend to be the best option for people sleeping on their side. While there is room for personal preference here, a medium-firm pillow helps your head stay in the right position without sinking while you sleep. For people who like to dream on a bed that feels like fresh brioche buns instead of a firmer surface, gusseted-down and down-alternative pillows can be a plush compromise. Additionally, Cushner and Foley suggest memory foam pillows, as they sort of mimic the softness of down by contouring to your body, while still providing support.
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Pillow Height And How Firm Your Pillow Should Be
Pillow loft refers to how high your pillow sits above your sleep surface. Pillow firmness describes how hard or soft your pillow feels.
Both pillow loft and firmness play a role in creating the right level of support for your head and neck. However, the optimal levels of loft and firmness depends on your individual needs and comfort preferences.
Pregnant sleepers tend to sleep on their sides, especially as they reach the second and third trimesters. Most side sleepers need a pillow with medium or high loft to support the head and keep the neck aligned with the rest of the spine. A medium level of firmness offers a balance between cushioning and support for the head.
However, pregnant sleepers need support for other areas than just the head and neck. Pregnancy pillows offer additional support and cushioning to key areas including the stomach, back, and knees.
Our Top Tips For Back And Side Sleepers
It isn’t just the type of pillows you choose that can influence a good night’s sleep other factors can affect your sleeping quality.
Choosing the right mattress will go a long way in helping you sleep soundly. Many mattresses on the market have been specially developed for both those sleeping on their backs and side sleepers as well as combination sleepers.
If, however, a new mattress is not something you are currently looking for, a simple and affordable mattress topper can help improve your sleep quality.
One great tip for maintaining the spine’s natural position is placing a pillow under your knees when you lie on your back or between your knees if you lie on your side. Not only will your back thank you for it, but it’s also a surprisingly comfortable sleep position for many.
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How To Buy The Best Pillow For You
What type of pillow is best for side-sleepers?
We’d normally recommend a higher pillow or even two pillows for side sleepers rather than one, for more support, explains Gary Jones, physiotherapist at Physio 206. Don’t just dig out an extra old pillow from the loft and chuck it on top, though. A healthy pillow is a new pillow. Think about how many hours you sleep each week, said Jones. Your car has an annual MOT, but how often do you do an MOT of your pillow? It’s literally: let’s wait until it’s gone threadbare!
Sleeping on your side is popular for good reason: its comfortable. It naturally maintains healthy spinal alignment and reduces pressure points all over your body. However, if you don’t choose a pillow with enough depth to fill the space beneath your head and neck, that comfy foetal position could still leave you waking up with a crick in your neck. Here are a few pointers to remember
Moulded support pillows are ideal for side sleepers because their high raised section provides support for your neck and room for your shoulder without pushing your head up high too. A moulded pillow with a high bit for your neck lets your body rest in a more natural and healthy position, said Jones. This is especially important if you’re on the phone a lot during the day because you’ll need to counteract that compression to your neck and open up your spine.
How often should you replace your pillow?
Why You Should Trust Us
As someone who owns and operates a small B’n’B, Ethan Newman knows quality bedding. He is also an extremely light sleeper and sensitive to small changes in a sleeping environment, so he took particular care in conducting this review. He has picked through dozens and dozens of pillows, sheets, and mattresses to find the highest quality and value in his bedding for both himself and his guests.
We tested these pillows for side sleepers like we do other products on our site, with thorough personal use and carefully designed tests. After researching dozens of the top models on the market, we selected and purchased the most promising eight to evaluate. Our lead tester and his partner slept on each of these pillows for weeks, rotating them out to see how they performed. Our testing team also washed each model according to their instructions to see how it held up to washing and put every pillow through multiple dryer cycles to accelerate the wear process to see how each product fared.
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Best Overall Pillow For Side Sleepers
Dr. Thomas Schuler, chairman of the National Spine Health Foundations Medical and Scientific Board and founder of the Virginia Spine Institute Dr. Janet Kennedy, clinical psychologist and founder of NYC Sleep Doctor
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Get New Pillows Regularly
No matter what you spend on a pillow , the materials break down over time and offer less support. Replace pillows about every 1 to 2 years.
Show Sources
Harvard Health Publishing: âSay âgood nightâ to neck pain,â âIs your pillow hurting your health?â
University of Rochester Medical Center Health Encyclopedia: âGood Sleeping Posture Helps Your Back.â
Mayo Clinic: âSnoring.â
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The Best Pillow For Side Sleepers
Because the side sleeper pillow fills space between your head and neck, it is distinguished from other pillows. When the pillow is too heavy, it can create a very uncomfortable and painful space within the spine, resulting in pressure and neck pain. Similarly, side sleeping pillow users benefit from having a firm pillow that maintains loft in the pillow and keeps your head aligned with your neck and spine.
Use The Right Mattress
It’s important to remember that even the best pillow can’t get rid of aches and pains if your mattress is shoddy.
You need a mattress that provides enough cushioning for the hips and shoulders.
This will enhance spinal alignment, reduce pressure points, and allow you to snooze pain-free.
Many side sleepers prefer soft or medium-firm mattresses.
Choosing the right mattress is so important that we’ll look at it in more detail further down.
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Our Favourite Pillows For Side Sleepers:
- Side sleeping minimises snoring as it keeps the airways open.
- Side sleeping reduces acid reflux and sleep apnoea.
- Sleeping on your left side can improve digestion.
- Side sleeping is the most comfortable for pregnant women.
- With the right mattress, side sleeping allows for optimal spinal alignment.
The only sleep position wed advise against is sleeping on your stomach.
Even if its comfortable, stomach sleepers frequently struggle with severe neck and back pain.
Unfortunately, no pillow or mattress exists that can help relieve that pain.
How To Choose A Pillow For Stomach Sleepers
There are multiple factors for stomach sleepers to consider to ensure spinal alignment and full-body support. Understanding the following key factors is an essential part of shopping for a pillow. These include pillow loft, size, shape, and moldability, all of which affect the angle of the head and neck.
Every sleeper has unique needs and preferences, but there are common issues that stomach sleepers face. Some pillow materials are better than others, and additional measures may need to be considered.
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Choosing The Right Pillow Materials For Side
The pillow fill material you choose has a big impact on how your pillow feels. While the right loft and firmness level for side sleepers are fairly universal, fill materials can impact more specific preferences. For example, do you want a pillow that feels warm or cool? Bouncy or moldable? Lets go over a few different pillow materials:
Best Pillow For Side And Back Sleepers
There’s no doubt that your pillow can affect your sleep quality. When you don’t get the support you require, those troublesome aches and pains can quickly begin to cause problems, leading to a disrupted night’s sleep and feeling groggy and miserable the next day.
And that’s not good for your overall wellbeing.
The type of pillow you require will very much depend on your preferred sleeping position. Those who sleep on their side will have different requirements than those who sleep on their back, but how do you choose which type of pillow is best for you?
We have compiled this guide to help you choose the perfect pillow for your sleeping position, so you know exactly what to look for in a brand new pillow, allowing you to get the best night’s sleep possible.
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The Best Pillows For 2022 Are:
- Best overall Soak& Sleep 100% Canadian goose down standard chamber pillow: £195, Soakandsleep.com
- Best memory foam support Nectar a whole nights sleep adjustable memory foam pillow: £56.43, Nectarsleep.co.uk
- Best soft feel eve the fluffable feather pillow: £79, Evesleep.co.uk
- Best supportiveness Brook + Wilde perla hybrid pillow: £249, Brookandwilde.com
- Best adjustability Simba hybrid pillow: £81.75, Simbasleep.com
- Best wool-stuffed pillow Woolroom chatsworth collection washable wool pillow standard: £74.99, Thewoolroom.com
- Best for front-sleepers Scooms Hungarian goose down pillow standard: £80, Scooms.com
- Best wedge-shaped pillow eve the wedge microfibre pillow: £39, Evesleep.co.uk
- Best hypoallergenic pillow Woolroom classic wool pillow: £52.99, Thewoolroom.com
- Best temperature regulating pillow Otty deluxe gel pillow: £44.99, Otty.com
The Best Material For A Side Sleeper Pillow
When picking a pillow based on its construction materials, there are several factors to consider. Every material has its benefits some overlap and some dont. By now, you know you need a medium/firm, tall pillow, preferably wide and flat or contoured for extra support.
But there are questions of hygiene, heat management, airflow and even sustainability that might be important for you to ask. When you know what matters to you, youll know which pillow to pick.
This is a great time to consider the value of a good pillow protector. If you fall in love with a particular pillow, pairing it with the high-quality pillow protector can add to its benefits and overcome any shortcomings it might have. Having a machine washable cover will also help you maintain hygiene and keep your pillow clean after any spills and accidents.
So, what qualities should you look for in pillow materials?
Is the material breathable?
Breathability is a matter of airflow and determines whether pillows sleep hot or cool. It also affects the hygiene of the pillow, as a stagnant pillow is a breeding ground for bacteria.
A latex pillow is an excellent choice for side sleepers seeking breathability. Theyre also quite firm and mould to the contours of the head and neck naturally. Latex for pillows can be produced naturally or synthetically. For those with health issues, an organic latex pillow is hypoallergenic and antibacterial, making it great for asthmatics and those with eczema.
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