Best Pillows For Side Sleepers: Lofty Head and Neck Support

Getting just the right pillow may not seem like such a difficult task. But if you have ever purchased the perfect pillow, only to wake with aches and pains, then you know it is not as simple as it sounds. Your pillow choices are almost as important as your mattress choices, and should include not only personal preference, but the acknowledgement of cervical alignment for a truly healthy rest.

Waking feeling more tired than when you went to sleep is a common problem for those who struggle with poor support and comfort. Pillows are critical for proper head and neck alignment, muscle relaxation, and open airways, and side sleepers need a pillow with the specific loft and fill to fit these needs.

The following pillows have been personally reviewed by The Sleep Judge Review Team. Although we have many pillows we can recommend, these are some of the best we’ve used for side sleeping across a wide variety of body types and sleep needs.

You may want to read: Best Latex Pillow for Side Sleepers

Our Picks for the Top Pillows For Side Sleepers

Pillows For Side Sleepers: A Buyers Guide

Head and Neck Alignment

When your body is misaligned through the night you wake with aches and pains, or may feel restless and tired due to the interruptions to your sleep as you struggle to get comfortable. Your cervical spine is the gateway of your central nervous system, and the connection between your brainstem and the rest of your body. In short, it controls everything you do, and protection and influence of proper spinal alignment is crucial to your overall health.

While you search for the perfect side sleeping pillow, you will want to pay particular attention to the height it lens to your head, and the support provided to fill the gap created by your neck. You want the soft tissues of your back and neck to be able to relax, which allows you to sleep more comfortably and uninterrupted. This also helps support airways and increases blood flow; all things that lead to a healthier you.

Sleep Position and Pillow Comfort

Side sleeping is actually the most popular position, and a very healthy one overall when correctly supported. It helps keep airways open for anyone suffering from sleep apnea or other airway issues. The goal when side sleeping is to provide a stable, firm, and conforming surface for your head to rest in that allows it to stay level with your spine. The fill of the pillow should be able to fill in the gap between the head and shoulders to allow the neck to rest comfortably.

Gusseted pillows, those with higher profiles and responsive fills, contoured pillows for air way support, and various malleable type fills are all popular choices for side sleepers. Thinner, pliable pillows are also a popular choice to place between the knees to help alleviate any joint pressure, and to also help lift the hip and support overall body alignment as well.

Other Helpful Uses for Side Sleepers

Some side sleepers can benefit from various other pillow support. As mentioned above, placing a pillow between the knees can be helpful, but so can pillow wedges placed at the small of the back, or even body pillows to help stabilize and support the whole body. When side sleeping you may feel that you want to lay back, or even forward, making you a combination sleeper. Unfortunately, back and stomach sleepers require a different type of pillow, although some pillows are able to accommodate both for certain body types.

Thick Pillow Types

Since side sleepers comprise more of the population than back and side sleepers, they have a pretty massive choice of pillow types to choose from. Although a higher profile, thicker, and firmer pillow is suggested, you should always read the reviews of pillows to find what might work best for you.

Gusseted pillows are always a popular pick as they have a side gusset that helps provide the height for your head and neck, support to your shoulders, and allows the filling to evenly distribute and provide better neck support. Contoured pillows that have rolls for the neck are also made to help keep airways open and provide a stable sleep surface. Other fills such as shredded memory foam and buckwheat create a pliable surface that you can shape to provide the perfect place to lay your head.

What to Consider When Choosing a Pillow for Side Sleeping

While there are some general guidelines as to what pillows work for side sleepers, there is a certain degree of variety in design, so not every pillow labeled as a side sleeper pillow will be a good fit for your unique needs. To make sure that your new pillow will be both supportive and comfy to sleep on, it’s important to see if it checks all the boxes on your list.

Firmness

The firmness of a pillow is directly related to the comfort factor: no one wants to sleep on a pillow that’s hard as a rock, but you don’t want it so soft it flattens like a pancake a few minutes after you’ve put your head on it. The goal is to find that sweet spot somewhere in the middle and to find a pillow that will give your great support when you sleep on the side but still feel plush and pleasant to sleep on. For side sleepers, pillows that are ranked as a medium-firm to a firm are the ideal choice. They will retain their shape throughout the night to keep your head and neck from sinking in, but not without any give: they should contour to your body while supporting it.

Loft

The loft refers to the height of the pillow and it is closely related to the firmness, which will ensure that the height remains uniform throughout the night. Those that sleep on their side need pillows with a high loft, which is anything above 4”- the exact measure will depend on your body type as the height is what allows your spine to be properly aligned. For some, this will mean a slightly higher pillow than 4” but for most, it’s the goldilocks zone. Low loft pillows and medium loft pillows are not suited for a side sleeping position as they will have your head “drooping” and disrupt the natural curvature of the spine, leading to tension, strain, and pain in the neck and shoulder region.

Arm space

While the common factor for all side sleepers is that they sleep on their side, not all of them position their arm the same. Some prefer placing it under a pillow (which is good because it increases the loft but can put pressure on the arm), others place it overhead and some simply let their arms fall naturally to their side. While there’s some debate on which of these is the best in terms of comfort and pain relief, regardless of the arm position you favor, you should make sure to take it into account when you pick between different pillows for side sleepers. For instance, if you are used to placing your arm under the pillow, a solid foam side sleeper pillow won’t work- shredded foam is more adaptable and will be comfier to sleep on.

Material

The choice of materials is important- some materials hold up better than others when it comes to the requirements of side sleepers. Memory foam is the most common type of material used for pillows for side sleepers due to its contouring properties, slow response rate, and varying densities that can help you find the perfect firmness level for your needs. Also, it will help relieve pressure from your neck and shoulders and as it comes in different shapes- molded, shredded, single piece, layered- there are options for all sleepers. The biggest downside to memory foam, though, is that it traps heat, so if this is an issue, latex, buckwheat, and down are a good alternative for side sleepers.

Are you considered a combination sleeper?

As I touched upon above, combo sleepers are faced with a unique challenge as side sleepers need a thicker pillow than any other sleep position. Look for pillows that offer multi comforts, and read reviews of people who sleep like you do. Also, look for other pillow-like support to provide whole body support to keep you from moving.

Do you tuck your arms up or under you or the pillow?

If you like to tuck your arm up under your head at night, you can can end up misaligning your spine. This is due to the added lift you create under your head. Look for highly responsive fills that will embrace your arm, rather than rest upon it. This is more comfortable, and supportive of your head and neck.

Do you sleep warm?

If you sleep warm, then you know how disruptive a heat sink can be to your sleep quality. Look for natural material construction, and fiber fills, or shredded foams that have many air pockets for improved breathability. Many foams are also gel infused, or have a cooling layer. These will help circulate air and draw heat from your body to dissipate it away.

Conclusion

Of course your own choices need to be particular to both what body support you need, and what you personally prefer for comfort. Our top best pillows for side sleepers come from our own personal experiences and detailed reviews. There are, of course, many other pillows out there for you to choose from, but these help highlight the many types of materials available, as well as a true guide to the features of each pillow. In our opinion, you can’t go wrong with one of these picks in your search for proper support and comfort.

Recent Updates

August 15, 2022: The Milemont Memory Foam Pillow has been removed due to unavailability, replaced with the Fern & Willow Pillow that has been personally reviewed by our team. Original photography and a link to our review has also been included.

October 25, 2021: The Duro-Med DMI Side Sleeper Body Pillow has been added to this roundup due to consumer popularity.