In today’s episode, we will be bringing the best memory foam pillow picks, straight to you.
Is there the “Perfect” pillow?
Unfortunately, there is no one size fits all. Physiologically, everyone sleeps differently and has different bodily needs. Therefore, there is not, nor ever will be, a pillow on the market that’s perfect for everybody.
In addition, people are either side sleepers, back sleepers, or stomach sleepers. Some of you just roll around all over the place. Who knows? There are too many sleeping positions that could contribute positively or negatively to if a pillow is right for you. According to WebMD, 63 percent of Americans sleep on their side, 16 percent on their stomach, and 14 percent on their back.
The healthiest sleep position for a person with no injuries or abnormalities is whatever is the most comfortable. Humans have been sleeping all kinds of ways throughout history. So there is no one particular “perfect”way. However, choosing the best way for you can easily become an expensive “trial-and-error” game. That is why we have created this review page.
Side Sleepers
Requires the tallest (memory foam) pillow. It must be high enough to keep the neck from being bent in relation to your shoulders. The key is keeping your neck aligned on the appropriate axis. Generally, memory foam, such as this, works the best for side sleepers.
Stomach Sleepers
Requires something pliable that will allow you to breathe, because their neck will generally remain rotated all throughout the night. Generally, down and buckwheat pillows work best for stomach sleepers.
The below video details the many benefits of buckwheat pillows, if you so choose to get one:
Back Sleepers
Generally require something with support for the neck curvature. Some back sleepers do not even use any pillow, just a soft roll will be enough to keep the alignment. If you are a back sleeper and need to use a pillow, your ideal pillow would be very thin in the middle, otherwise the head will be “jammed” towards the neck.
Now:
Without further adieu, let us get into the rankings!
Top Recommendations
#1. Coop Home Goods: Eden Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
This is our top pick. It is suitable for all sleepers: side, back, and stomach sleepers.
Positives
- Highly customizable and adjustable:
- You can add or subtract memory foam fill as needed. Even if you remove most of the filling, it still remains fluffy after letting it cycle in the dryer for a while.
- Comes with inner and outer pillows.
- Option to add or remove the memory gel as well.
- If you hate flipping your pillow in the middle of the night over and over, you don’t have to do that anymore because this pillow stays cool.
- Unlike expensive and hard-like-a-rock contour tempurpedic pillows, this pillow is soft, yet firm at the same time.
- Inner stuffing is weighted: this may be a pro or a con depending on if you prefer owning a heavier or lighter pillow, but this heavier feature boasts more support
- Aims to relieve neck and shoulder pain, as well other medical conditions such as kyphosis
- Comes with a free, soft pillow cover. If you are using your own pillowcase, make sure to get a slightly larger size. This way, the pillow will remain soft, since a tighter pillowcase would make the pillow much more firm and uncomfortable.
Negatives
- Depending on your perception, this pillow may have an “new pillow” odor. Most people have not reported a smell, but some have. If it is unbearable, its okay to just return the pillow.
- Some would have preferred additional cooling features (“not cool enough”)
#2. Belly Sleep: Gel Infused Memory Foam Pillow
We really couldn’t find anything wrong with this pillow. It has virtually non-existent negative feedback – which makes it an awesome solution if you are a stomach or side sleeper.
The only reason this pillow sits at #2 is because it is designed for stomach and side sleepers (even though the title on Amazon explicitly says that this is “for stomach sleepers”, this pillow can also be a solution for side sleepers).
The one above (Coop Home Goods) is more of a catch-all winner that doesn’t depend on your sleeping position.
If you don’t like the pillow cover that it comes with, the alternative pillow cover can be found here.
Positives
- Light – is not heavy at all
- Thin, in the sense that it is not overly thick to the point that it causes neck pain
- Retains the shape well
- Remains cool, your head should not become sweaty
- Reduces neck and shoulder pain
- Comes with a bamboo and polyester cover
Negatives
- Predominantly made for stomach and side sleepers (back sleepers please give it a try and let us know!)
- The king sized version is only 28 inches. However, most people don’t need pillows larger than 28 inches to rest well, it’s more for the aesthetic of a king sized bed. If you don’t mind that and favor comfort instead, then this shouldn’t be an issue for you.
#3. Simply Sova: Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
We have already written up a positive review of this Simply Sova pillow on our “Best Pillows for Shoulder Pain” page, linked here.
#4. Snuggle-Pedic: Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
There are two versions of this pillow: With Zippers and Without Zippers.
Positives
- Highly versatile/customizable pillow – can remove some of the foam if it is too firm for you
- Highly responsive, customer service for any issues you may have (e.g. will send you softer foam if the foam it comes with is too hard). Fast response time over emails.
- Great balance of fluffiness and firmness
- Resolves neck pain
- Comes with a free pillowcase
Negatives
- The inside foam may feel very firm to some people – however, Snuggle-Pedic is more than happy to replace the foam if you reach out to them via email. Nevertheless, some people actually prefer the firmness of the pillow because the inside foam will be less prone to moving around when you rest your head on it. This is very much up to individual taste.
- The cooling feature is up for debate, some have said that it does not keep the head cool, and some have said it does. You can always send it back if it is not cool enough to suit your needs.
- For some, the “new pillow” odor takes a while to fade away
Stay Tuned!
We are still conducting ongoing research on other memory foam pillows (because there are so many of them). We will update our list if we stumble upon better pillows than the four we have currently listed. If you know of any better memory foam pillows or have a suggestion, please let us know in the comments below, we would be delighted to hear from you. Thanks!
Related Items
We have a few related items here that may or may not peak your interest. Feel free to take a look or just scroll right on through! We plan on updating these will full, comprehensive reviews – coming soon.
Memory Foam Body Pillows
- Snuggle-Pedic: Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam Body Pillow
- Coop Home Goods: Memory Foam Body Pillow
Memory Foam Dog Beds
- Dogbed4less: Orthopedic Cooling Memory Foam Dog Bed
- Dogbed4less: Orthopedic Shredded Memory Foam Dog Bed Pillow
- KOPEKS: Orthopedic Memory Foam Dog Bed with Pillow
Leg Rest Memory Foam Pillow
Memory Foam Car Pillow for Lower Back Relief
- Aukee: Memory Foam Car Pillow for Lower Back Relief: You can even shop by Make and Model of your vehicle!
Drop us a comment below if you found this guide helpful or want to give us some tips/feedback, or if you’ve already tried out one of these pillows before!