A pillow’s job is to cradle your head in the same position as when you’re standing. Lying laterally puts pressure on your shoulders and neck, making loft and firmness crucial to the posture of those who sleep — or binge-watch entire seasons in one night — on their side. So, which pillows work best?
Pillows are not one-size-fits-all. Anyone who’s ever purchased a $3 pillow from the bin at Target on the basis that it was $3 probably found that out the hard way. Sorry about your neck, pal.
For side sleepers, “I think I slept on my neck wrong” is a very real thing that could be causing neck pain in the morning — but not in the awkward, twisted, contortionist way that everyone pictures. In reality, the real offender is probably a flat pillow.
SEE ALSO: This is the best way to sleep
Sleeping in the lateral position takes the pressure off the mattress and puts your body weight on a single shoulder. Because your shoulder is also holding you higher off the mattress, there’s now a gap between your neck and the mattress. While a flat pillow is ideal for preventing a stomach sleeper’s spine from curving upward, too little loft causes a side sleeper’s head to sink below the plane of the neck — causing a gnarly kink that will definitely hurt in the morning.
How high should a pillow be for side sleepers?
A loft of at least four inches is a side sleeper’s best bet in maintaining neutral spine alignment. (Some extra-lofty pillows measure as tall as eight inches.) That elevation relieves pressure on the shoulders and keeps your head at a nice upward angle to prevent neck strain and maintain a healthy posture.
Firmness matters, too. Regardless of whether the stuffing is down, down alternative, gel, polyester, memory foam, or some unique combo of a few, your pillow needs to be firm enough to keep its shape throughout the night — and buoyant enough to keep your 10-pound head afloat instead of sagging down in the middle. Sturdy fill also has a way of puffing up around the area being pressed down, keeping your head still and up on its side.
PSA: Correct binge-watching posture is a thing
Take your fixation on neck support while sleeping and apply it to your time camped out on the couch. Streaming a season of Breaking Bad could have us lying on our sides for hours — potentially the same amount of time as a decent night’s sleep — and we’ll do the whole thing resting our head on a shitty decorative pillow.
Switching a pillow out for an arm or the couch’s arm rest cranes our neck even more. Chilling like this on a regular basis could end up canceling out any pain or alignment progress you’ve made with mattress and bed pillow upgrades. Falling asleep like that is probably likely, too, and that’s just begging for a day of soreness.
SEE ALSO: From Netflix to HBO Max to Disney+: The best streaming sites for movies
It’s totally fine if lying on your side is your go-to binge-watching position. We’re just here to confirm that, yes, binge-watching posture is something to keep in mind, and no, using a legit side sleeper pillow to watch TV isn’t extra. Because pillows for side sleepers should already be firm and lofty, they make for the perfect head prop while watching a screen.
This is your sign to start lying with a pillow between your legs
The ol’ “pillow between the knees” trick is game-changing for more than pregnant people. Not only is it comfy as hell, but it mitigates some of the awkward hip twisting that occurs when lying laterally — in bed or on the couch. Slipping some firm cushioning between your knees helps to prevent the leg on top from tugging on your spine and hips to lean on the other leg. (The same thinking suggests putting the pillow under both knees while sleeping on your back, or under your pelvis while sleeping on your stomach.) Parallel legs lead to less misalignment, and keeping your hips, pelvis, and upper back aligned can prevent irritation of the sciatic nerve.
The slight elevation also facilitates blood flow through the vena cava — a major vein that carries blood back and forth from your heart. Better blood circulation through your lower body could lessen the chance of a foot falling asleep or a muscle cramping. Sign us up for whatever narrows the possibility of a Charley horse.
The leg pillow doesn’t necessarily have to be a ~leg pillow.~ The spare one in your closet could do the trick if it’s relatively lofty and not ridiculously fluffy. But those who sleep on their side a majority of the time might consider opting for a more dedicated design, like an L-shaped pillow or an ergonomic pillow with special contours for your legs.
What else should side sleepers look for in a pillow?
No one is expecting you to switch pillows every time you change sleeping positions. But if you know you’re a diehard side sleeper for a decent portion of your eight hours, or you’re a pregnant woman who must now navigate doctor’s orders to sleep on your side, shopping with these features in mind could decrease your middle-of-the-night fluff and flip sessions.
Once you find a good loft and firmness, you can start shopping based on personal preference:
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For people who hate the spongey feel of memory foam: The world of pillows has gotten strangely high-tech in the past five years, which is great for people who have hated all of the traditional foam pillows they’ve tried. Many modern ones are instead filled with shredded foam, which offers the same bouncy support while being able to spread out for a more fluffy, down feel. (Also less lumpy than cheap pillows that are stuffed with balls of cotton.) Most of these pillows are also adjustable, meaning you can literally reach inside and take foam out to adjust to any finicky preferences. Just make sure you have a vacuum handy.
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For people who can’t sleep if they’re hot: Too sweaty to relax? A pillow with cooling gel or a copper-infused cover will keep heat away from your head for that cool, breezy sleep we all covet.
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For people with broad shoulders: The wider your shoulders, the more space you’ll need to fill between the mattress and your neck. A loft of at least six inches should do the trick.
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For sleepers who have neck pain: If you can’t take any chances on your neck not being fully supported, a non-rectangle shaped pillow could be more reliable. A U-shaped pillow allows you to slide your shoulders right into the curve, and a contoured pillow offers a higher loft under your neck to ensure minimal straining as your head lays back.
The prices listed are the starting prices for each pillow, but know that most of these will increase if you buy a bigger pillow (say, a king instead of a queen). Here are the best pillows for side sleepers and side binge-watchers in 2021:
Purple Harmony
Say hello to the bouncy hexagonal material that you never knew you needed and a shape that won’t flatten.-
Trial period:
100 nights -
Loft:
6.5 or 7.5 inches -
Sizes:
One (standard) -
Adjustable fill:
No
If you’ve hated every pillow you’ve ever tried, the Purple Harmony might just satisfy your finicky (and rightfully so) sleeping preferences.
It’s not down, not down alternative, and it’s not memory foam. Meet Purple Tech: Purple’s proprietary hyper-elastic polymer that will have your head feeling weightless. (You can actually see the pattern through the pillow’s spandex cover.) The gel-ish material adds a really unique, springy squish without being too jello-y. What else can you expect when a rocket scientist and comfort tech engineer get together?
But there’s a lot more going on here: Woven into the pillow’s cover is a hexagonal grid design that provides extra support that adapts to your head and neck when you move — an obvious plus for side sleepers who flip positions frequently. Hot sleepers who need breathability will dig the Talalay latex core, which adds extra aeration and bounce.
Fluffy polyester fibers called “Smart Plush” surround the Purple Tech to give it a feathery feel without ever needing to be fluffed. The meticulously-crafted combination of materials is supposed to distribute your weight to give your shoulder a break, as well as cradle pressure points in your neck.
Eli and Elm Side Sleeper Pillow
Instead of pulling a rectangular pillow around your neck, a U-shape provides support with a nook for your shoulders.-
Trial period:
45 days -
Loft:
5 inches -
Sizes:
Standard -
Adjustable fill:
Yes
A boomerang-shaped pillow has an indent where you can put your shoulders, allowing your head and neck to be completely cradled in the middle. The notch falls in just the right place to keep your chin propped, and it’s firm enough to keep your nose from being suffocated by fluff.
The loft of this pillow is a little different than your average pillow, too. The left and right sides of the “U” shape have a higher loft while the middle loft is slightly lower. This spread aims to keep your head from rolling across the pillow, reinforcing the neutral alignment of your head and neck with your spine. Don’t worry, it’s not a lumpy transition.
However, if you find that any place is too lofty or not lofty enough for your liking, the cover fabric can be unzipped to remove or fix the fill. Even if you don’t do any rearranging, you’ll want to squeeze the noodle latex foam just for the hell of it. This material was designed by Eli and Elm just for this pillow and features a really nice, responsive bounce with some cooling gel mixed in.
Layla Kapok Pillow
Kapok is airier than cotton and bouncier than memory foam, and this pillow is stuffed with eight inches of it.-
Trial period:
120 nights -
Loft:
8 inches -
Sizes:
Queen, king -
Adjustable fill:
Yes
Onto the real pressing question: WTF is kapok? Sustainably derived from the seed pods of tropical kapok trees, think of kapok as a silkier, airier cotton with a little more buoyancy than down or down alternative. Together with the shredded foam, the Layla pillow offers a denser feel than memory foam and a balanced shape that keeps your head from sinking into the middle.
Despite resembling a cozy quilt, the copper-infused cover will be a godsend for anyone who gets sweaty during sleep. CuTEC is a performance fabric made with cotton-infused yarn that pulls heat away from your face.
Original Coop Home Goods Pillow
Your head will stay afloat all night on this sweet balance of foam and fluff, blended inside a bamboo cover.-
Trial period:
100 nights -
Loft:
8 inches -
Sizes:
Queen, king -
Adjustable fill:
Yes
Cross-cut memory foam gives this pillow its recognizable plushness. The result is a cloud-like experience that molds around your head and neck for support in any position. Like most pillows with shredded fill, it can be unzipped to take fill out or push the bigger chunks to the middle. It may not be the firmest pillow out there, but it’s a glorious balance that Coop Home Goods guarantees won’t go flat.
On laundry day, the entire pillow can be tossed in the washing machine. So technically, no pillowcase is needed — and when Coop’s bamboo-derived Lulltra fabric is this soft, hypoallergenic, and breathable, you wouldn’t want a case, anyway.
Casper Original Pillow
A dreamy down alternative pick, Casper’s pillow-in-a-pillow design is the best of both worlds for side, back, and stomach sleepers.-
Trial period:
100 nights -
Loft:
7 inches -
Sizes:
Standard, king -
Adjustable fill:
Yes
Side sleepers who dabble with back and stomach sleeping need a pillow with varying plush levels. Though that’s technically achievable with removable shredded fill, it’s too messy of a project for 3 a.m.
The original Casper Pillow provides a dual solution with a unique pillow-inside-a-pillow design. The inner core is supportive and tightly-packed. The outer layer is basically a whole pillow of its own, filled with longer, silkier fibers that are fluff-able and reminiscent of down. Instead of spongey memory foam, the Casper kind of puffs up around your head to hold that posture.
Both machine-washable layers have great airflow — you can literally feel the air moving through the fabric when you press down.
Tempur-Cloud Breeze
Chronic pillow flippers can lock in the cool side with edge-to-edge heat-wicking gel, plus a high loft.-
Trial period:
90 nights -
Loft height:
6.4 inches -
Sizes:
Queen, king -
Adjustable fill:
No
You’ll immediately notice a blue rectangle chilling inside the traditional shape of the pillow. That, my sweaty friends, is edge-to-edge Tempur Breeze gel coverage. The open-pocket design draws heat away from your body without retaining it, and also has a gooey-er, more adaptive feel than regular memory foam. Between the gel layers lies “Tempur Material,” a proprietary type of foam that was designed with NASA engineers and offers highly-personalized comfort.
Brooklinen Down Plush Pillow
Another internet favorite, Brooklinen’s 400 thread count down pillow provides a dual-core design for focused head support.-
Trial period:
60 nights -
Loft height:
3 to 5 inches -
Sizes:
Standard, king -
Adjustable fill:
No
Down pillows get a bad rap for being too impressionable for side sleepers. But when stuffed the right way — like Brooklinen’s dual-core design — side sleepers can avoid feathers spreading out under the head, and don’t have to sacrifice the fancy hotel bed feeling.
Soft fluffy feathers on the outside leave the option for flipping to your back or stomach while thicker, tightly-stacked feathers fill the center to keep your head positioned. “Mid-plush” is versatile and best for combo sleepers, while “firm” bumps loft to a sturdy five inches.
Tempur-Neck Pillow
Reinforce that spinal alignment with the ultra-firm Tempur-Neck, which uses uneven lofts to keep your head in place.-
Trial period:
90 nights -
Loft:
3, 4, or 4.5 inches -
Sizes:
Small, medium, large -
Adjustable fill:
No
The Tempur-Neck is an orthopedic pillow that uses Tempur-Pedic’s proprietary extra-firm memory foam and supports the natural curves of your shoulders and neck. The decrease in malleability will take some getting used to, but you can be confident that your head will not be sinking into this bad boy.
Sizes are measured in loft height rather than dimensions that match your mattress size. Side sleepers should consider choosing the medium (4 inches) or the large (4.5 inches).
Z L-Shaped Gel Dough Pillow
This L-shaped cooling pillow offers a new level of comfort for side sleepers who need more than neck support.-
Trial period:
N/A -
Loft height:
5 inches -
Size:
Standard -
Adjustable fill:
No
Yes, “Gel Dough” is as comfortable as it sounds. Think the cradling, moldable feel of memory foam, but infused with advanced polyurethane gel pockets that dissipate heat to regulate your body temperature. (A pillow that spans your whole torso can get hot quickly without the right materials.)
Pillow Cube
A compact memory foam cube providing optimal craned neck support and doubling as a lap desk.-
Trial period:
N/A (60 day return policy, $20 fee for returns) -
Loft height:
5 or 6 inches -
Size:
12 x 12 cube -
Adjustable fill:
No
Truthfully, the Pillow Cube will probably be too lofty for someone who sleeps on their back or belly just as often. But its 12 x 12 design is ideal for keeping on the couch without one side hanging off the edge. The memory foam slab is tall and firm enough to double as a comfy lap desk, elbow rest, or lumbar support while sitting.