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A great pillow is key for a good night's sleep, but it's not just about comfort - it supports your head and neck, and relieves pressure placed on the shoulders.
But there's no one pillow that fits all. You have to consider the variety of fills, shapes, sizes that best fits the body position you're in when sleeping.
For most people, the Coop Home Goods Premium Adjustable Pillow is comfortable and supportive no matter what sleep position you prefer.
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A great night of sleep delivered to your door in just a day or two: That's what you get when you order one of our favorite pillows from Amazon. After all, your pillow has an important job. Ideally, it cradles your head, keeps your neck aligned, and prevents excessive pressure on your shoulders.
Choosing the perfect pillow can be tough, however. There are so many choices: different fills, different shapes, different sizes. It's also important to consider your favorite sleep position. While just about everyone flips over at least occasionally during the night, most of us favor either our side, back, or stomach for the majority of snooze time.
If you tend to sleep mostly on your back, your ideal pillow isn't too thin, which allows your head to drop down below your shoulders, but it's also not too lofty, which cranes your head forward and strains your neck. Look for a medium-firm pillow that has just enough loft to hold your head a couple of inches off the mattress.
If side sleeping is your favorite, you're in luck, as this is the easiest sleeping position to match, and the majority of pillows are geared toward side sleepers. Ideally, your pillow is just a bit firm, which keeps your head from sagging, and has enough loft to fill the "gap" between your neck and the mattress while gently holding your head in alignment with your neck and spine.
For those who prefer to sleep on their stomach, the best pillow is quite flat, barely raising your head above the mattress. As a stomach-sleeping position already strains your neck by forcing you to turn your head sharply to one side, you don't want to push things even further out of alignment by choosing a lofty pillow that lifts your head up high enough to kink your neck.
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Because choosing the right pillow can seem complicated enough to turn your sweet dreams into a nightmare, we decided to make things easier by rounding up the best choices in several different categories, and best of all, each ships free with Amazon Prime.
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Insider Picks team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners. We frequently receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising sales team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at insiderpicks@businessinsider.com.
For some people, memory foam is just too firm. For others, microfiber isn't firm enough. But when you take the two and combine them in one great pillow, the result is Coop Home Goods' Premium Adjustable Pillow. The shredded memory foam provides excellent support and just enough firmness, while the microfiber adds cushioning comfort and softness.
What's even better is that you can customize this pillow. Unzip the pillow's inner lining, and you can add or subtract fill to achieve the perfect loft for your sleeping needs. The pillow comes with extra fill, so if you're a side sleeper, you can add some to achieve the ideal loft. You can just as easily remove a lot to create a fairly flat pillow for stomach sleeping or just a little bit if you're a back sleeper. When you're done, just scrunch the pillow a bit to get the support right where you want it, and then drift off peacefully to the land of nod.
We like the Coop Home Goods Premium Adjustable Pillow so much, we devoted an entire review to it, and we haven't changed our minds — or our pillows — since. The shredded memory foam isn't leftover scraps, as found in many other pillows. Instead, you get fill that's tested and certified by CertiPUR-US and GREENGUARD Gold to ensure there are no toxic chemicals or potentially harmful off-gassing. Surrounding that fill is a bamboo-rayon outer case that's hypoallergenic, dust-mite resistant, and breathable enough even for "hot" sleepers.
But don't just take our word for it: This pillow has 17,000 reviews on Amazon, with an average rating of 4.3 stars. Reviewer Jujubees sums up the sentiments of many, writing, "Because this pillow has shredded memory foam, instead of a solid piece, it does not condense and it stays airy and cool. In addition, it includes a bag of extra fill: add more, take some out. You decide. Personally, I filled mine up, making it very big and firm. Now I sleep through the night, cool and comfortable. Finally."
Be aware that the pillow arrives rolled and compressed in vacuum-sealed plastic, so you'll need to let it sit and air out while it slowly fluffs back up to its full loft. If you're in a hurry to hit the sack, pop the pillow into your dryer for 10 minutes or so to quickly fluff it up.
Pros: Comes with extra fill so you can increase or decrease loft, good for every sleep position, 100-night guarantee, hypoallergenic, machine washable in cold water
Cons: Some buyers complained that the pillow was too lumpy; others called it too hard. Not available in standard size
The best budget pillow on Amazon
There's no need to spend $50 and up for high-quality pillows when you can drift off to dreamland on the supremely comfortable Le'Vista Hotel Collection Pillow.
We get it — good pillows can be expensive. But that doesn't necessarily mean that all inexpensive pillows are bad. Case in point: The Le'Vista Hotel Collection Pillow comes in a set of two for a remarkably low price, but this is no subpar pillow that will leave you miserably tossing and turning. Instead, you'll enjoy the hypoallergenic and fully washable microfiber filling that has a similar feel and level of support to down.
The Le'Vista pillows are fairly lofty, so not the best choice for stomach sleepers, but they are an excellent choice for stomach or back sleepers who like their pillows somewhat soft. Still, that doesn't mean there's no support at all. Because the pillows are densely filled, they do keep your head, neck, and spine in alignment. And while many sleepers find polyester-fill pillows to be hot, that doesn't seem to be a problem here. In fact, many reviewers commented that the pillow was quite cool throughout the night.
We've recommended the Le'Vista Hotel Collection Pillow before, and it's still our top choice for a budget pillow you can order off Amazon, where it's a top seller. In fact, the pillow has more than 2,500 reviews and an average of 4 stars. Reviewer Tami M. says, "I'm a side sleeper, and I've found most pillows recommended for side sleepers are more like slabs of concrete. These pillows hit the sweet spot: firm enough to be supportive, squishy enough to be comfortable! I've had them about a month and a half, and love them. No break-in period: they were comfortable right off the bat, once they fluffed up from their compressed packaging."
Note that as with many pillows sold online, you'll receive tightly compressed, rolled pillows vacuum-packed in plastic. But once you unwrap them, the pillows will quickly fluff up to their full size. You can speed things along by putting them in the dryer for 10 minutes if you don't want to wait.
When the pillows need washing, or you want to restore the loft, go ahead and machine wash on cold, then dry on low. The outer cover is a 50/50 cotton-polyester blend.
Pros: Great price for a pair of pillows, hypoallergenic and machine washable, good level of support, soft and comfortable
Cons: A few buyers complained the pillows were too soft, while others said they were too hard
Many people love down pillows for their supreme softness and the way they gently cradle your head while you sleep. Down is not the most supportive pillow fill — that honor goes to memory foam— but if light support is all you need, down is a great choice, especially for stomach sleepers.
Unfortunately, most inexpensive "down" pillows are really filled mostly with feathers, which aren't as cushy and light as down. Feathers also tend to poke through the pillow cover and can make a rustling sound when you change position. That won't be a problem, however, with the East Coast Bedding Down Pillow; it's filled with 100% down. No feathers here. Plus, the down is certified as Responsible Down Standard, meaning the birds were not inhumanely plucked or harmed while alive.
These pillows have a 550-fill power, meaning they are fluffy and soft, but not excessively so. The down is sterilized to remove potential allergens, so these pillows are safe even for those allergic to feathers. The cover is 100% cotton. What's really remarkable is that you get a set of two pillows for around the same price usually charged for just one down pillow, yet these are excellent quality.
The pillows arrive tightly packed in vacuum-sealed packaging, so unwrap them right away and let them sit for several hours while they slowly fluff up to their full loft. You might notice a slight smell of feathers at first, but this will quickly dissipate.
This is one of the most popular all-down pillows on Amazon, with more than 300 reviews and an average of 4.3 stars. Buyers praise them for their fluffiness, loft, comfort, and lack of aggravating feathers poking or leaking out of the pillow. Says reviewer bhr, "These pillows are 100% down filled: soft, quiet, just as pillows should be. Down is all poof, not firm like crunchy down/feather blends. Could not be happier with them, and priced for value. These pillows are the real thing."
Cons: Dry clean only, some buyers felt the pillows are too flat
The best contoured pillow on Amazon
The UTTU Sandwich Pillow is gently contoured to provide the perfect amount of loft and support for back or side sleepers.
If neck pain is an issue for you, or you just want a pillow that provides superior support and cradling comfort for your head, neck, and upper spine, then you'll love the UTTU Sandwich Pillow. Made of UTTU's own dynamic memory foam, the pillow maintains a constant firmness. It won't get too soft after several hours use or stiffen up in a cold bedroom. Instead, it consistently keeps your head and neck aligned without putting excess pressure on your spine.
But the high-quality memory foam isn't all this pillow has going for it. It's a contoured pillow, meaning that there's a slight "hill" along each edge that fits perfectly into the gap between your neck and your mattress. Plus, as the "Sandwich" in the product name suggests, the pillow's two outer layers surround a removable center layer. Leave the center layer in for more loft, or remove it to lower the pillow a bit, whichever is most comfortable for you. With the middle layer, the higher "hill" is 4.7 inches high and the lower "hill" is 3.9 inches. Taking the middle layer out to give the pillow a higher loft of 3.5 inches and 2.8 inches.
The pillow wins rave reviews from HacktoSleep, which says, "By skipping out on this pillow, you may very well be depriving yourself of an awesome night's sleep." They praise the pillow's adjustability, breathable bamboo-polyester cover, and high-quality foam that's certified free of formaldehyde, mercury, lead, or other potentially harmful heavy metals.
Amazon shoppers agree, giving the UTTU Sandwich Pillow an average of 4.3 stars. Reviewer EKG sums up the words of many, saying, "Before ordering this pillow, I was waking up with a stiff, sore neck every morning. I've now slept on it for 8 nights and my neck has been feeling so much better!"
Pros: Adjustable loft, gently contoured to support the head and neck, foam doesn't get too soft or too hard
Cons: Some people simply can't adjust to a contoured pillow, some odor at first
Body pillows are perfect for anyone suffering from achy, stiff joints. They are also a must-have for pregnant women, especially in those tough last few months when it's so hard to get comfortable. But you don't have to be sore or expecting to appreciate a body pillow like the Snuggle-Pedic. Anyone looking for full-body support can benefit.
Filled with shredded memory foam, and a generous 20 inches wide by 54 inches long, you can cradle your head, support your back, and keep your knees slightly apart to reduce strain on your hips all with this one pillow. The shredded memory foam molds and gives just enough to allow you to twist or bend the pillow right where you want it, but it's not too soft to give fantastic support. And it's suited to any sleep position.
In fact, we like this pillow so much, we devoted an entire review to it. Our intrepid reporter wrote, "Overall, if you sleep on your side or stomach, I would recommend using a body pillow to keep your spine properly aligned. And, you will have a hard time finding a better solution than the Snuggle-Pedic full body pillow. It's comfortable, breathable, malleable, and it comes with a 120-night trial so you can try it risk-free." On the downside, however, and this is true of most body pillows, the Snuggle-Pedic is fairly heavy, and it obviously takes up a lot of room in the bed, which might be an issue if you have a partner.
But we aren't the only ones who are impressed with this pillow. It's the bestselling body pillow on Amazon, where it has more than 4,300 reviews and an impressive 4.5-star average rating. That's a lot of satisfied sleepers.
Pros: Shape, size, and shredded memory foam fill let you support your entire body while you sleep, bamboo-polyester cover is vented to prevent body-heat buildup, machine washable
Cons: Like all body pillows, this takes up a lot of room in the bed; requires a body-pillow pillowcase, which is not always easy to find