Best Soft Pillow Reviews

Soft pillows are often popular with a large range of sleepers due to how well they compress to provide spinal alignment for back and stomach sleepers. They’re also well-liked due to how versatile they are for supporting the head and neck when in a side sleeping position, as well as other body parts to alleviate pressure points. Because of this, The Sleep Judge Team has compiled a series of soft pillows that we’ve personally slept with and reviewed to provide you with some of our top-rated choices found below.

What many people don’t realize is how influential their pillow choices are to their overall sleep health. When shopping for pillows you need to take into account more than just your personal preferences. Your sleep position, personal needs, and even mattress comfort choices should be taken into effect before choosing a pillow that compliments all of these things. We’ve purchased each of the following to try out on our own, and these are the ones that have made the cut. Each of the following picks allowed for various comfort positioning – no matter whether you sleep on your back, stomach, or side.

The Best Soft Pillows

Soft Pillow Buyers Guide

Back and Neck Alignment

When at rest, you want to influence your body position to support your spinal alignment as much as possible. Not only is head and neck support a big part of your overall comfort, but the added body strain of poor positioning can lead to restlessness and interrupted sleep. Over time, this can lead to not only muscle aches and pain – as your soft tissues are stressed to support your body correctly – but poor quality sleep which can begin to wear upon your overall health.

Your mental and physical functioning is highly dependent on how much sleep you get each night, and how well you sleep. Choosing the incorrect pillow can twist, raise or lower your head more than what’s considered healthy, which creates tension in your cervical spine. When this area of your body becomes compromised, much more than just your sleep may be interrupted.

Sleep Position vs. Pillow Comfort

The natural sleeping position we fall into each night can occasionally be influenced, but what we do unconsciously is often difficult to change. Because of this, one of the most important considerations you need to think about when making a pillow choice is how you most naturally sleep. Pillows aren’t a one-size-fits-all, so use the following guide to help you determine what type of soft pillow may work best for your personal comfort:

— Back Sleep Position Needs

Thin, supportive pillows are the go-to for back sleepers to properly provide support between the shoulders and head to keep the neck at rest. It’s also important to offer enough loft to keep the head aligned with the neck, but that won’t lift it too high, or allow it to fall too far back. Both of these can place strain on your shoulders, neck, and lower back.

Soft pillows that are filled with a support material can better conform to this area of your body, and are often shapeable to use for additional neck support. These work well beneath the legs to take the stress away from the lower back region, as well.

— Stomach Sleep Position Needs

Sleeping on your stomach will unfortunately always compromise your spine, as you’ll need to turn your head from one side to another, placing a strain on your neck and lower back.

Placing your head directly upon the mattress is often the best choice when in this position, but many people find they need a fluffy pillow for creature comforts, or as a support due to where they place their arms. Soft pillows generally provide ample opportunity to allow for a lower head positioning, as well as a place to rest your arms through the night without disrupting your spinal alignment. They’re also an excellent choice to place under your hips and shoulders to better support your body’s natural alignment.

— Side Sleep Position Needs

Higher lofted pillows with good contouring and support are the best choices for side sleepers, since they need enough fill to keep the space between their head and neck supported. Often thicker, gusseted pillows are a preferred choice, but too firm a filling can sometimes keep from allowing your head to rest in alignment with the rest of your spine.

This is especially true for those who like to tuck their arms up under their heads, or those with narrow shoulders. In these situations, a softer but well-filled pillow is a better choice, as it’ll have more give and contouring than firmer options. Plus, softer pillows are often filled with shapeable filling choices which allow you to create support where it’s needed.

Why Would You Want a Softer Pillow?

If you’re a stomach or back sleeper, a softer pillow may provide the alignment you need depending on the type of filling used. Many of these pillows are also more on the thin side to better accommodate these positions, but it’s important to note that this may not always be the case. A soft pillow may be too soft for good back sleeping posture, but it also may be well-filled to better accommodate a side sleeper.

Looking over the specifications of your soft pillow choices are important because of this. You don’t want to end up with a choice that is too thin and underfilled if you need good, uplifting support. This is also true if you’re in need of something thinner, but end up with an overfilled, high loft.

Soft pillows generally have excellent contouring benefits and are good go-to choices when you need a surface to manipulate for comfort, or even to provide an added layer of softness to an existing pillow.

Pillow Loft

When you hear the term loft applied to your pillow, what’s actually being mentioned is how high the pillow sits when laid upon a flat surface. Loft is often confused with the firmness or softness of a pillow, with people mistakenly believing a high loft equals a more firm surface, and a low loft being softer. This isn’t true at all, and pillows of varying comforts can be found at almost any loft height.

Concerning loft, what’s important to consider is how it relates to the fill of the pillow. The material your pillow is filled with not only helps determine its comfort level, but also the amount of space left available when compressed. For example, natural fillings such as goose down will plump up and give the impression of a higher loft, but will compress much more easily into a flatter pillow when in use. A polyfill or polyfill-blend may give the impression of a more thin pillow, but it does hold up under applied weight to provide a more contouring surface.

What to Consider When Choosing a Soft Pillow

What is your sleep position?

As mentioned, your sleep position is highly influential to your comfort level and should be a deciding factor in which types of pillows you are researching in order to influence a better night’s sleep. Soft pillows can be used for any type of sleep position depending on their fill, loft and comfort level. Be sure to understand the difference between fillings and how well they contour or support your body, as well as their loft and how the pillow behaves when compressed.

Do you have any allergies?

Softer pillows often use more natural fillings such as goose down, feathers or even kapok. Unfortunately, natural fillings may cause sensitivities in people who suffer from allergies. If you’re unsure if you have allergies to certain fibers, you may want to find out for sure before you decide on a pillow that uses these materials in the pillow’s fill.

Do you sleep warm?

Some materials provide better airflow than others. Because of this, you’ll want to look at pillows that are constructed with natural fiber covers for good breathability, as well as durable fillings that provide enough airflow and structural support. Pillows that compress too easily may also cut off airflow and may not be the best option.

Test your pillow age every 18 months to 2 years

As your pillow ages, it won’t provide the same amount of comfort as it once did when it was new. The filling may compress over time, and it becomes less supportive. This is often the reason why a pillow that once worked well no longer does. After about 18 months, begin to regularly test your pillow by folding it in half. If it springs back to shape, then you’re good to go. If not, you may want to consider replacing it.

Conclusion

Soft pillow choices should be considered carefully in order to meet your specific needs. Just because they’re considered soft, it doesn’t mean that they’re thin or too flat to support your head and neck correctly in a side sleeping position. This is also true if you’re looking for a thinner pillow, as not all soft choices are thin enough for proper stomach support.

Soft pillows are also very popular for their versatility, and how well they can ease hip or back pain to provide an extra layer of cushioning to pressure points. Because of this, you need to consider your specific needs and preferences and take the time to review your choices before making a final decision.

Additional Resources

• Types of Pillows
• Bed Pillow Sizes and Dimensions
• How Many Pillows Should You Sleep With?
• Layla Pillow Unboxing