Best Pillows for Neck Pain

Our Verdict

An adjustable design won over side and stomach sleepers with an inner pillow and core that play together or come apart to create a flatter surface. Expect a cool night’s sleep and a sustaining shape with very little fluffing, thanks to a thick gusset.

How It Performed

You can choose between using the inner pillow and the core together or using just the inner pillow. Stomach sleepers on our team who prefer flatter models enjoyed using the inner pillow, which has a 2-inch loft and a softer feel. If you sleep on your side, we recommend using both pillows. This configuration has an 8-inch loft that helps keep a side sleeper’s head and neck aligned with other areas along the spine.

A thick gusset helps the pillow maintain a full shape, earning it high marks in our shape retention tests. Thanks to this feature, you shouldn’t need to fluff it very often. Latex and cotton are both naturally breathable materials, so the internal components didn’t retain too much body heat and the pillow slept fairly cool during our tests.

What It’s Made of

The core contains shredded Talalay latex that feels soft and responsive in equal measure. Down alternative microdenier fiber cushion the inner pillow to enhance the plushness without compromising support. The outer cover is made of breathable organic cotton. As a bonus for owners, both the cover and microdenier pillow can be laundered at home, allowing you to avoid inconvenient hand washing or dry cleaning bills. Queen and king sizes are available.

As part of your purchase, you may include two sateen pillowcases for an added charge. Saatva provides free shipping to all customers in the contiguous U.S. The pillow is backed by a 45-night sleep trial and 1-year warranty.

Our Verdict

Adjustable loft and firmness earn high marks for sleepers who want to max out this pillow’s 8-inch thickness and accolades from those who want to take it down a notch with removable fill. Shredded foam promotes airflow, memory foam is adaptive and cradling, and snugglers will not be disappointed.

How It Performed

During testing, one of our favorite features of this pillow was the adjustable loft and firmness. Depending on how much fill you insert, you’ll get anywhere from a soft to medium feel. At its fullest, the pillow measures 8 inches thick, but you can make the pillow thinner simply by removing some fill. The pillow earned the highest marks from side sleepers, who typically enjoy higher profile pillows. Back sleepers also found the pillow comfortable, especially after removing some of the fill to achieve a medium loft.

The shredded design of the foam fill enables airflow through the pillow, so we found this model cooler than solid foam counterparts. The memory foam has an adaptive feel that gently cradles your head, neck, and shoulders, while still delivering plenty of support to keep your head aloft. It’s a good match for sleepers who enjoy snuggling their pillow at night.

What It’s Made of

The pillow contains shredded memory foam, and you’ll receive an extra bag of fill to use as needed. The foam is infused with a cooling gel engineered to minimize heat retention. The outer cover is made with a breathable fabric blend of polyester and bamboo-derived viscose. You may machine wash the outer cover in cold water, then machine dry on a low-heat setting. The foam is encased in an inner cover that is also machine-washable, but you’ll need to remove all fill before washing.

The Sleep is the Foundation Loft Pillow is available exclusively on Amazon. You may return the pillow within 30 days, and Amazon Prime members receive free shipping within the contiguous U.S. The pillow comes with a one-year warranty.

Our Verdict

Pressure-relieving cushioning that cradles the neck and reduces pressure while delivering moderate support along with an adjustable design makes this pillow compatible across sleeping styles. Your head won’t sink too low, and a breathable cotton shell encasement that is machine-washable makes for cool nights and easy maintenance.

How It Performed

Given the adjustable design, the Silk & Snow was compatible with most of our testers’ sleep positions. Even stomach sleepers on our team, who typically have a harder time finding suitable pillows, found this pillow comfortable. If you sleep on your stomach, you often require low-loft pillows to keep your head aligned with your spine. This pillow allows you to remove large amounts of foam in order to achieve this low loft. The plush fill and memory foam together offer excellent contouring for your head and neck, which goes a long way toward relieving aches and pains. At the same time, we found the pillow retains a medium feel that prevented our testers’ heads from sinking deep into the pillow.

What It’s Made of

The pillow features a core made of shredded memory foam that helps lift the head while remaining quite moldable. The foam core is surrounded by a chamber of microfiber fill that mimics the plush feel of down, offering cushioning for the head and neck. A breathable cotton shell encases the pillow. This cover is also removable and machine-washable for easy care. Silk & Snow recommends you wash on a cold cycle and dry on a low setting.

Silk & Snow offers a 100-night sleep trial, during which you can test the mattress and return it after a mandatory 30-day break-in period. The pillow is also backed by a 3-year warranty. Shipping within the contiguous U.S. and all Canadian provinces is free.

Our Verdict

The shape is unconventional with a recessed middle to hug the shoulder, an ideal match for side sleepers with neck pain. You still get a relatively high loft with versatility. Just add fill, or not. Its responsive, latex fill and highly breathable cotton offer a combination of temperature control and bounce with support.

The Eli & Elm Side-Sleeper Pillow has a unconventional shape with a recessed middle for the shoulder, designed to fit to your body while side sleeping. This accommodates your shoulders and provides the needed support to reduce neck pain.

How It Performed

The pillow has a relatively high loft that our side-sleeping testers thoroughly enjoyed. This thickness helps keep your head and neck aligned with the rest of your body while sleeping on your side. Although the pillow is specifically designed for side sleepers, our team’s back sleepers weighing up to 230 pounds also enjoyed this model’s mid-range feel.

Latex has a more responsive feel, and this prevented the pillow from sinking beneath the weight of our testers’ heads. Thanks to the use of breathable materials like cotton and latex, the pillow excelled in our temperature neutrality tests. We recommend this model if you tend to run hot or sweat at night.

What It’s Made of

The filling is a blend of latex and polyester fiber that provides enough resistance to hold your head aloft. Latex is a naturally breathable material, and the filling features gel infusions for enhanced cooling. Filling can be added or removed to adjust the loft, which also had an impact on the firmness during our tests. You can also purchase additional fill if you prefer an even thicker profile. The pillow has a breathable cover made of an organic cotton and polyester blend, which you can machine wash for easy care.

The Eli & Elm Organic Cotton Side-Sleeper Pillow is offered in just one size, suitable for a queen or a king mattress. Shipping is free to the contiguous U.S. The pillow comes with a 45-day return policy and a 5-year warranty.

Our Verdict

A solid latex core cushions sore spots with a side of springiness to settle the head and neck. Available in two loft options and plenty of padding to fill the head and downward facing shoulder (side sleepers). Back sleepers preferred the lower-loft version. A+ for temperature control.

How It Performed

Our side sleepers felt most comfortable on the high-loft pillow. This design provides plenty of padding to fill the space between your head and downward-facing shoulder, which is crucial for proper spinal alignment and less neck pain when lying in the side position. Some of our back sleepers also preferred the high-loft pillow, but others found the lower-loft pillow better suited to their needs. The pillow will probably be too thick for stomach sleepers regardless of loft selection.

Temperature control was a testing highlight. The latex is ventilated with small holes to promote air circulation and the cover is highly breathable, so the pillow should sleep noticeably cooler than competing models with memory foam cores. Our tests also show the pillow excels at shape retention, even after prolonged use.

What It’s Made of

The pillow’s core consists of solid Talalay latex, a material known for natural springiness and durability. A soft Tencel cover encases the latex. You may remove and machine wash the cover whenever a cleaning is needed. The pillow is available in lofts of 4 and 5 inches. Customers can also choose between queen and king sizes.

The Talalay Latex Pillow is affordably priced compared to many competing models made from the same materials, and Brooklyn Bedding offers free ground shipping throughout the contiguous U.S. Your purchase comes with a 30-night trial period. If you decide to keep the pillow, it’s also covered under a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty.

Our Verdict

Deep cushioning for the head and neck from a core of botanically derived down alternative fibers eases pressure points. Expect a balance of cushioning and support, and accolades from back sleepers who appreciate the mid-range feel. Also great for hot sleepers.

How It Performed

The medium feel offered a comfortable balance of cushioning and support that most of our team enjoyed. Our testing found back sleepers particularly appreciated the mid-range feel, which helped keep their bodies on an even plane while relieving pressure in the neck. You may also enjoy the pillow if you tend to sleep hot because the fibers retain less heat than traditional down. The cover is naturally moisture-wicking, making it a great option if you often sweat at night.

What It’s Made of

Natural cotton makes up the pillow shell, which is breathable and moisture-wicking. The pillow core features two layers of plant-based fibers. The outer layer contains plush fibers that add great cushioning for the head and neck, while the inner layer has firmer, denser fibers for extra support. The pillow is fully washable in household machines. Simply wash it in cold water on a gentle cycle, and tumble dry it on low heat.

Two sizes are available: standard and king. Along with the competitive price-point, you’re eligible for free shipping if you live in the contiguous U.S, and Sweet Zzz offers a 50-night sleep trial. Plant-Based Pillow purchases are backed by 1-year warranties that cover structural defects.

Our Verdict

Customization is the key. If you’re a finicky sleeper with neck pain who wants options, you can adjust the firmness because of its nine-chamber design and calibration feature to inflate or deflate the loft. It’s the ultimate “your way” pillow design.

How It Performed

The pillow has a unique nine-chamber design that allows you to customize each chamber with the fill of your choice. You may add or remove fill as needed to achieve a calibration of loft and support that works for you. Our product testers have encountered very few pillows with this degree of customization, so we recommend it for sleepers seeking a highly adjustable pillow to alleviate neck pain or discomfort.

What It’s Made of

You may choose from three different fill options, each with different performance features and firmness levels. The shredded memory foam fill has a medium soft feel, the shredded latex fill has a medium firm feel, and the wool fill has the firmest feel of all three. Latex and wool are both breathable materials that retain little heat, so hot sleepers may gravitate toward these fill materials. Foam retains more heat but excels at pressure relief, offering the deepest cradling of all three fill materials.

The pillow cover is composed of breathable cotton with GOTS certification to ensure it’s been organically sourced. The wool is GOTS-certified, as well, and the latex has GOLS certification. You’ll receive one bag of extra fill with your pillow, and you may order additional fill free of charge within 30 days. All pillows come with a GOTS-certified organic cotton pillowcase.

Noble Pillow offers free shipping to addresses in the U.S and Canada. The pillow comes with a 30-day sleep trial and 5-year warranty.

Our Verdict

Back and stomach sleepers on our team enjoyed the Helix GlacioTex Cooling Memory Foam Pillow for its combination of close contouring and deep compression. Thanks to the mid-loft design, most of our testers noticed minimal neck strain and felt little to no pressure buildup.

How It Performed

Most of our back and stomach sleepers found the GlacioTex Cooling Memory Foam Pillow – Back & Stomach Sleeper comfortable during hands-on tests. The fill is both plush and adaptive, resulting in a squishy yet supportive surface for the head and neck. A small number of these testers found the pillow too thick. Side sleepers on our team preferred the thicker profile of Helix’s corresponding pillow designed for this position.

We were impressed at the reduced heat retention compared to other foam pillows we’ve tested, which can be attributed to the cooling GlacioTex fabric cover. The pillow also performed well during our moldability tests. Our off-gassing tests indicate some initial odor that should pass within a few days.

What It’s Made of

The pillow contains a fill made of solid memory foam infused with copper intended to reduce heat retention. The GlacioTex cooling cover is composed of a polyester and polyethylene fabric blend. Since the cover is removable and machine-washable, we awarded high marks for ease of cleaning. Standard and king sizes are available.

Helix ships the pillow for free throughout all 50 states. Your purchase comes with a generous 100-night trial period, and those who decide to keep their pillow after the trial ends receive a year of warranty coverage.

Our Verdict

Adjustable with excellent cushioning, this pillow delivers major pressure relief and you can fine-tune the loft to suit side, back, and stomach sleepers. Includes three inserts with varying firmness and material. You decide.

How It Performed

The LAYR Customizable Pillow offers excellent cushioning, which is beneficial for sleepers who prioritize pressure relief. In addition, the customizable design allows you to fine-tune the amount of cushioning and loft you’ll receive, making the pillow well suited to a wide range of sleep positions. Side sleepers usually need thicker pillows, so you can opt to use the maximum number of layers if you sleep on your side. Back sleepers gravitate toward mid-range pillow lofts and stomach sleepers tend to prefer very low lofts, so if you sleep in either position, you can use fewer layers.

What It’s Made of

The pillow includes three inserts, each with a different firmness and material. You can use whichever number and combination of layers feels best. The down alternative insert has a soft feel, while the shredded memory foam offers a medium firmness. The solid memory foam insert has the firmest feel and contains two foam pieces — one 1 inch and the other 2 inches — to further customize the firmness and loft. Each insert is encased in a breathable cotton cover, and the entire pillow cover is made with bamboo-derived viscose.

You may machine-wash the insert and pillow covers so long as you remove the fill first. Shipping is free to addresses in the contiguous U.S. and the pillow comes with a 30-day return policy.

Our Verdict

Kapok tree fibers feel like real down without allergy side-effects. Combine this with shredded memory foam for a plush surface that relieves neck and shoulder pressure. Like others, it’s adjustable. Breathability is another appeal

How It Performed

Since the Layla Kapok Pillow offers adjustable loft, our testers evaluated multiple profiles. The stomach sleepers on our team preferred a mid-level profile with roughly half of the fill removed. For our back sleepers, three-quarters of the fill provided enough loft without elevating the head too much, while our side sleepers preferred the pillow’s fill at full volume. Breathability proved to be one of the pillow’s biggest strengths during our tests. The shredded fill promotes steady airflow, and the cover is both breathable and moisture-wicking. We also found the pillow quite moldable and snuggly. If the Kapok Pillow feels uncomfortable at first, try removing some of the fill to lower the profile.

What It’s Made of

The fill consists of shredded memory foam and kapok fibers. This blend provides even contouring and exceptional softness, making this pillow the best of both worlds for people who need pressure relief and support. A cover made of poly-viscose encases the fill. The cover fabric is infused with copper for extra cooling. You can machine wash the cover, but first you should separate it from the inner pouch containing the fill. Queen and king sizes are available.

The Kapok Pillow is competitively priced and Layla offers free ground shipping throughout the contiguous U.S. Each purchase includes a 30-night sleep trial. If you decide to keep the pillow, you’ll also receive a 5-year manufacturer’s warranty.