




You snooze, you win.
No feeling is more satisfying than laying your head on your pillow for a good night's rest. The problem with rounding up a bunch of the "best pillows" is that not everyone will love the same kind of pillow. Your pillow preference will depend on more factors than we can count. Whether you're a side sleeper, back sleeper or stomach sleeper or something in between will dictate the best pillow for you so you don't wake up with a sore neck. Softness and firmness levels also play an important part in choosing the right pillow for you. Some would prefer their heads sink in like quicksand, while others would prefer to sleep on something more brick-like.
From crowd-pleasing adjustable pillows to ones that are just really comfortable to sleep on no matter your sleep habits, these are our picks for the best pillows.
Like a mattress, a pillow can be crafted of any combination of materials. And depending on how you sleep will dictate which pillow material is best for you. Here are some common pillow materials to know:
Polyfoam: A cheaper and often lower quality material compared to memory foam. The material almost always comes shredded, which means you might find yourself having to constantly fluff and reposition your pillow.
Memory foam: Offered either whole or shredded, memory foam is soft, conforming to the head and neck of the person sleeping on it. Memory foam is notorious for trapping heat, so manufacturers may add a cooling agent to it to help hot sleepers.
Down: Down is constructed of the feathers from the undercoat of geese and ducks. They're soft but don't provide as much support as other pillow materials, and it can be bad for those who suffer from allergies or asthma.
Down alternative: Down alternative offers the same pros and cons of down, but it's hypoallergenic and vegan. Down alternatives are also cheaper than down, but they're not as fluffy or durable.
Latex: Latex is a conforming fabric that offers excellent head and neck support while being naturally breathable. On the downside, latex pillows trend on the pricier side, and some people may have a latex allergy.
Everyone has a preference for pillow firmness, whether they want something super firm, like sleeping on a brick, or extra soft, like lying on a cloud. The firmer the pillow, the better the support, which makes firm pillows good for side sleepers. Softer pillows offer less support and sink in under pressure, making these pillows good for stomach sleepers. Back sleepers might like something between firm and soft.
Arguably the most important factor in choosing a pillow is figuring out what your sleep position is: whether it's the position you just need to get into to actually drift to sleep, to the position you end up waking in most nights. Those personal choices will help you pick a pillow's firmness and also loft, or how low or tall the pillow is.