When you’re looking for the most comfortable pillow, you need to consider your sleeping position as well. Side sleepers, back sleepers, and stomach sleepers need different types of pillows. In this article, we discuss the qualities of the most comfortable pillows for different sleeping positions and we review the best pillow for your needs.
Best Pillow for Side Sleepers
Almost 70% of all people are side sleepers, i.e., they sleep on their side, either with their legs straight or in the fetal position with their legs pulled close to their chest. When you sleep on your side, you need a pillow with a high loft that can cover the distance between the mattress and your head. If you suffer from neck pain, it also helps to get a cervical pillow or a contour pillow that offers neck support.
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest — Best Cervical Bed Pillows
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest is a memory foam contour pillow. The higher contour of this pillow measures 4 inches and the lower contour of the pillow measures 2.75 inches. This pillow has a total width of 12 inches, which makes it large enough for those who toss and turn a lot. The contours are ergonomically rounded to follow the natural curvature of your neck, thereby offering optimal support and relieving neck pain. This pillow comes with a breathable machine-washable 100% cotton cover that facilitates air circulation and keeps you school at night.
ViscoSoft Cooling Arctic Gel Pillow — Best Pillow for Hot Sleepers
ViscoSoft Cooling Arctic Gel Pillow is yet another contour memory foam pillow — but this one has one special feature. While memory foam is the most comfortable material for bedding on the market, it has one prominent drawback — it traps body heat and leads to night sweat. However, this pillow has gel-infused memory foam and the cooling gel used is made of special wave-flow technology that’s better at absorbing and dissipating heat than most other cooling gel pillows. As such, this memory foam pillow supports your neck in the ergonomically rounded sides while also keeping you extremely cool. This pillow is perfect for hot sleepers and those in hot climates.
Best Pillow for Back Sleepers
Back sleepers should generally lie straight and make sure that their neck is at the correct height to ensure spinal alignment. Your neck should be in line with your spine and hips. That’s why you need to use a medium or high loft pillow that keeps your neck in the right elevation. If the loft is too low, your neck will crane downwards and you’ll suffer from neck pain.
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper — Best Firm Pillows
Elite Rest Slim Sleeper is one of the best firm pillows on the market and it’s perfect for back sleepers and stomach sleepers. This natural latex foam pillow has a loft height of only 2.75 inches so it keeps your head at a neutral position, i.e., at a position wherein it’s in line with your spine and hips. Furthermore, as a natural latex pillow, it contours to your neck and shoulders while also being firm enough not to compress or sink under pressure.
Coop Home Goods Premium — Best Pillow with Adjustable Loft
Coop Home Goods Premium is the best pillow for all sleeping positions, including back sleepers because it has an adjustable loft. This is a shredded memory foam pillow, which means you can add or remove the filling at will to change the loft height. If you keep changing your sleeping positions, then this is the perfect pillow for you. It’s suitable for back sleepers because you can keep as much filling as is necessary to maintain your neck in a neutral position. Furthermore, the memory foam filling is kept in place thanks to the cross-stitched pattern, thus ensuring stability.
Best Pillow for Stomach Sleepers
Stomach sleepers should use a low-loft pillow or no pillow at all — this is because sleeping on your stomach puts your neck in an incredibly vulnerable position. To ensure spine alignment, your neck should have minimal alignment. The pillow should also be relatively firm so your head doesn’t sink in.
Elite Rest Ultra Slim Sleeper — Best Pillow for Sleeping on your Stomach
Elite Rest Ultra Slim Sleeper is one of the thinnest pillows on the market with a loft height of only 2.5 inches. Being such a thin low-loft pillow, it’s perfect for stomach sleepers. Furthermore, the edges of the pillows are rounded according to the contours of your neck and it’s made of memory foam so it conforms to your shape perfectly. This pillow also comes with a hypoallergenic machine-washable 100% cotton cover that facilitates air circulation to prevent night sweats.
Perform Pillow — Best Neck Pain Pillow for Stomach Sleepers
Perform Pillow is one of the few contoured thin pillows on the market. This is a memory foam pillow with the lower contour measuring 2.25 inches and the upper contour measuring 3.5 inches. As such, when you’re sleeping on your stomach, you can lay on the lower contour. And when you’re sleeping on your back or sides, you can use the higher contour. This pillow comes with a breathable bamboo cover that’s hypoallergenic and resistant to dust mites and bacteria. This is one of the best low-profile pillows for stomach sleepers in standard sizes.
