Few things are more sacred than getting a good night’s rest, and if you value your sleep, you know the importance of picking the right pillow. A low-quality pillow can be the difference between sleeping smoothly through the night and waking up every hour with uncomfortable neck and shoulder pain.
But finding a pillow that’s best for you isn’t just about how fluffy and cloud-like it is. The first thing you should consider is your sleeping position. A pillow that’s comfortable for a side sleeper may not be the ideal choice for a back sleeper. And if you tend to alternate sleeping positions during the night, it can be even more difficult to figure out what type of pillow is best for you.
“It’s important to use a pillow that’s appropriate for the way you sleep because a lot of tension gets translated into our neck and through the rest of our body,” said Gbolahan Okubadejo, an orthopedic surgeon and leader of the Institute for Comprehensive Spine Care in the New York City area. “Because we are stationary when we sleep for hours at a time, it’s critical that we have a pillow that matches our sleep style to optimize our spine health.”
Below are some of the best options, whether you’re a side, stomach or back sleeper.
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For back and side sleepers: the Tempur-Neck pillow
Okubadejo recommended back and side sleepers use the Tempur-Neck pillow from Tempur-Pedic. “Anything that’s Tempur-Pedic tends to contour with the way our body is curved and in general, that tends to get the body where it needs to be,” he said.
The Tempur-Neck pillow is made with material that adapts to your body shape and comes in small, medium and large sizes for better personalized sleeping comfort. And fear not if you have allergies, as this pillow has a 100% polyester knit hypoallergenic cover.
For stomach, side and back sleepers: the Coop Home Goods premium adjustable loft pillow
An adjustable pillow like this one from Coop Home Goods allows you to customize the exact position of your head relative to the rest of your body.
“With a memory foam pillow, the more you sleep on it, the more it memorizes the weight that’s being applied and it stays in a position that it’s used to. With an adjustable loft pillow, you’re actually able to adjust the loft to get it to what feels most comfortable, so you’re able to customize it,” he said.
The pillowcase is made with Coop Home Good’s Lulltra fabric, a blend of bamboo-derived viscose rayon and polyester that provides breathability and softness through the night. Okubadejo’s recommendation stems the fact that you can easily add more of or remove the pillow’s memory foam fill, depending on how high or low you want your head to rest.
“The customization is what allows you to find a position that’s ideal. Most problems occur when a pillow sits too high. When the loft is lower, then the alignment is better and you’ll feel better. You’re using the feedback from what you feel to determine the position that works best for you,” he said.
Get it from Amazon starting at $63.99 or at Walmart starting at $59.99.
For those with neck and back pain: The Misiki Memory Foam Pillow
As a bonus option, check out Misiki’s memory foam orthopedic pillow. Experts previously told HuffPost it’s a great option for those who have chronic neck and back pain.
Its ergonomic butterfly contour is designed to keep your neck and head supported and properly aligned by keeping the proper C-angle of the cervical spine. The memory foam also provides added comfort while you sleep.
Before You Go
Items Sleep Experts Can't Live Without
