The primary function of a pillow is to support your neck while you sleep. It should support your neck to facilitate spinal alignment for your entire body. If your neck is too high or too low, it can throw the rest of your spine out of alignment as well, leading to neck pain and back pain.
Furthermore, if you don’t have enough neck support in your pillow, it may not be able to alleviate the stress off your pressure points. That’s why it’s extremely important to find the right neck support pillows.
In this article, we give you an overview of the most important qualities to consider when choosing a pillow and we review the top neck support pillows in 2021.
Choosing a Pillow — Qualities to Consider
When it comes to choosing a pillow, there are a lot of qualities to consider — how the pillow is designed, the material, whether it’s machine washable, if it supports neck and shoulders support, your sleep position, etc.
Material
The most important quality to consider when choosing a pillow for neck support is the material. there are a lot of different types of materials used to stuff pillows — feathers, down, memory foam, synthetic fibers, etc.
Out of these, memory foam pillows are widely hailed as the best pillows for neck and shoulders support. Memory foam is one of the most popular materials for therapeutic and orthopedic purposes and it has revolutionized the bedding industry. Memory foam pillows conform to the shape of your body and wrap around your pressure points to help alleviate stress.
Memory foam pillows are available in two types — memory foam slabs and shredded memory foam. The slabbed memory foam pillows are extremely stable and used to design some of the best cervical pillows. However, shredded memory foam pillows have an adjustable loft, which makes them suitable for different types of sleep positions.
In addition to memory foam, water pillows also offer great neck and shoulders support. Water can’t be compressed, which is why it offers the right level of firmness. Furthermore, water pillows are also adjustable because you can remove or add water at will.
Shape
Perfect spine alignment doesn’t depend on sleeping completely straight. Your spinal column follows a slightly curved path so flat pillows aren’t always the right choice for you. In fact, some of the best neck support pillows are curved in different ways to support different parts of your body.
Cervical pillows often come with ergonomically rounded sides so you can rest your neck on an elevation. Different cervical pillows are made in different shapes depending on your needs. You can also get extra long body pillows so you can cuddle against them or shift the filing around to bend them to your will.
Convenience
This factor may not be important for neck and shoulders support, but it is still important. You should generally get pillows that are machine washable or come with removable and machine washable covers. This ensures that you can simply remove and clean the pillow’s cover, making it suitable for long term use.
Sleep Position
When choosing a pillow, you should also consider your sleep position. Different types of sleep positions call for the use of different types of pillows.
- Side sleepers should generally go for pillows with a high loft size so the pillow can cover the distance between your head and the mattress.
- Back sleepers should get medium-loft or high-loft pillows because your head needs to be slightly elevated for spine alignment.
- Stomach sleepers should use extremely low-loft pillows to prevent your head from arching up, thereby blocking your air passage.
Top Neck Support Pillows
If you’ve gone through the aforementioned buyer’s guide on choosing a pillow, you’re ready to go shopping. The following is a review of the top 3 neck support pillows on the market.
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest — Best Pillow for Side Sleepers
Contour Memory Foam Pillow By Elite Rest is the best pillow for side sleepers because it’s a cervical or contour pillow, i.e., it has ergonomically rounded corners. The higher contour has a loft height of 4 inches and the lower contour has a loft height of 2.75 inches. Side sleepers can rest their necks on the elevated contours so their head can lay nestled on the crater. This is also one of the best memory foam pillows that can conform to your shape and take the stress of your pressure points.
Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury — Best Adjustable Memory Foam Pillow
Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury is one of the best adjustable memory foam pillows. It’s filled with shredded memory foam, which means you can add or remove memory foam filling at will, thereby adjusting the loft height. This feature is important because it allows you to modify the pillow according to your preferred sleep position. This also happens to be a body pillow measuring 20 inches by 54 inches, which means you can snuggle against it and use it to support your entire body.
Neck Pillow Headrest — Best Neck and Shoulders Pillow
Neck Pillow Headrest is the best pillow for neck and shoulders support if you travel a lot or sit on uncomfortable chairs. You can lay this pillow against your headrest on your office chair or recline against it while traveling in busses and flights. This pillow is made of clinical-grade material that can alleviate stress and support your neck to ensure you don’t suffer from neck pain while sitting for long stretches of time. Furthermore, this neck roll comes with a machine washable cover so you can easily clean it whenever necessary.
