Best Pillow For Neck Pain: Relief When You Need It
If you wake sore, stiff, and tired each morning it might not be your mattress. Pillows are just as influential on your sleep comfort as your mattress, and can help hold your body in proper alignment for a good night’s rest.
Whether you currently suffer from chronic neck pain and stiffness, or struggle with it from time to time, a good pillow can help alleviate the worst of your discomfort. Take a look at The Sleep Judge Review Teams top picks below to find one that will help you wake feeling refreshed.
| Rank | Product | Highlights |
| #1 |  ZG-Home Memory Foam Cervical Pillow
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| #2 |  Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Ergo Neck Pillow
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| #3 |  SpineAlign Pillow
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| #4 |  Coop Home Goods – Eden
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| #5 |  Hullo Buckwheat Pillow
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Table Of Contents
- Causes of Neck Pain
- Why Head and Neck Alignment is Important
- Sleep Position and Pillow Comfort
- — Back Sleeping Needs
- — Stomach Sleeping Needs
- — Side Sleeping Needs
- What to Ask When Choosing a Pillow for Neck Pain
- Best Pillows for Neck Pain
- 1. ZG-Home Memory Foam Cervical Pillow for Neck Pain
- 2. Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Ergo Neck Pillow
- 3. SpineAlign Pillow
- 4. Coop Home Goods – Eden Adjustable Pillow
- 5. Hullo Buckwheat Pillow
- Conclusion
Causes of Neck Pain
Neck pain can be caused by many reasons. Poor posture, poor neck support, injury, chronic inflammation, nerve compression, arthritic complications, damaged vertebrae, and trauma could all be underlying causes of your discomfort. Whatever the cause, you need a supportive and comforting pillow that helps create proper spinal alignment through the night.
Why Head and Neck Alignment is Important
Your neck houses the gateway between your brainstem and the rest of your body via the cervical spinal column. Sleep is essential to the healing process, and getting a proper night’s rest is crucial to help alleviate neck pain and improve blood flow. If your neck is poorly supported, or hurts due to your pillow choice, you need to address the issue before it disrupts your night even further. When you lose sleep due to discomfort, you won’t just be physically in pain, you also will begin to suffer mentally from sleep fatigue. Over time this can affect blood pressure, weight, and your immune system.
Sleep Position and Pillow Comfort
The type of mattress and pillow you choose should always be dependent upon your natural sleep position. Creating support for spinal alignment is highly dependent upon these products, so understanding the way your body supports itself through the night is important to understand. It is also important to know which types of pillow shapes and materials will provide you with the best options.
— Back Sleeping Needs
Back sleepers don’t need a high profile pillow, but they do need a pillow that will support the head and neck to help keep the spine in alignment. Back sleepers who experience neck pain often do so because they have their head lifted too high or have too hard a surface.
— Stomach Sleeping Needs
Stomach sleepers already move their spine out of alignment due to having to turn their head to the side. Stomach sleepers should work to influence a better sleep position, such as a side option using a body pillow to help hold the body in a better position.
— Side Sleeping Needs
Side sleepers need a high enough profile pillow to help cradle the head and support the neck. This is important to help avoid added stress on the neck and the rest of the body that creates muscle strain.
What to Ask When Choosing a Pillow for Neck Pain
When choosing a pillow for neck pain, you want to take into account the style and design being offered to help support your head and neck in a manner that allows your body to relax. You want to find a balance between comfort and support to help you find the best option for your needs.
What is your sleep position?
Based on the info explained above, be sure to choose a pillow that provides the support your body needs. Adjustable choices are also often popular to help you find a more customized fit.
Does the rest of your body ache as well?
If you aren’t struggling with chronic pain, then you need to address your spinal alignment. Support under the hips and knees can help with your pillow to provide you the overall body support you need. You also may want to consider the firmness of your mattress to make sure it is supportive enough.
Do you snore or suffer from migraines or headaches?
These are all indicative of poor blood flow or oxygen reduction. The best pillows also support an open airway to help alleviate snoring and improve blood flow to reduce headache symptoms.
Best Pillows for Neck Pain
The Sleep Judge Review Team has reviewed some of the best pillows made for neck pain below. Take a look at these quality choices that provide a wide array of different designs and materials that all work for a more comfortable, customized feel to help alleviate any pain you may have.
1. ZG-Home Memory Foam Cervical Pillow for Neck Pain
SPECS:
- Filling: Solid memory foam core
- Loft: 4 – 5.5 inches
- Comfort Positions: Side
Best Firm Memory Foam Pillow for Neck Pain
The design of this pillow provides a higher profiled side for neck relaxation, and a gentle centered sink made of responsive memory foam to rest your head within. The conforming sink of the material conforms to your head’s weight and shape for consistent support through the night. Designed for side sleepers, it helps keep you comfortable if you move from side to side.
The varying heights also address a wide range of body types and sleep preferences. The removable cover is breathable and cooling to help you avoid heat sinks that memory foam can sometimes create. It launders easily to help you keep a clean sleep surface as well.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who This is For
Even though this is a more firm option that may take some getting used to, it is a popular choice for back and side sleepers to provide good support for both the head and neck.
2. Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Ergo Neck Pillow
SPECS:
- Filling: Solid memory foam core
- Loft: Dependent on the size choice
- Comfort Positions: Back/Side
Best Memory Foam Pillow for Neck Pain
The Tempur-Pedic neck pillow is designed to address cervical support and neck problems. This particular pillow is designed to help alleviate neck pain and is made with a solid foam memory core with two raised sides and a low center to cradle the head within. It comes in various sizes to meet the needs of a wide array of body shapes and sizes, and is created specifically for side and back sleepers.
The cooling polyester knit cover is designed to help improve airflow and create a comfortable surface that helps draw away heat from the body. Removable, it can be laundered without the worry of shrinkage or loss of cooling properties. It also provides a hypoallergenic surface to sleep on.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who This is For
This is an excellent choice for side and back sleepers looking for comfort and pain relief. Be sure to choose the size that is suggested for your body to ensure the best fit.
3. SpineAlign Pillow
SPECS:
- Filling: shredded latex foam and polyfill blend
- Loft: Adjustable
- Comfort Positions: Side/back
Best Customized Pillow for Neck Pain
Designed by a chiropractor to recommend to his patients, this unique, chambered and the adjustable option is filled with shredded latex foam and soft fiber. Responsive and comforting, you can remove and adjust the filling within each chamber to customize the entire pillow to create support for the head and neck no matter which sleep position you sleep in.
Created specifically to support cervical alignment, it works with all body shapes and sizes, and boasts a cooling, breathable cover. Made from a breathable polyether and mesh blend, it influences airflow and works with the shredded fill for a more cooling feel.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who This is For
Created for side and back sleepers, enough fill can be removed for stomach sleepers as well. It does take time to find the perfect adjustment, and is suggested that customers allow for 30 days to get used to the unique feel.
4. Coop Home Goods – Eden Adjustable Pillow
SPECS:
- Filling: Shredded memory foam
- Loft- Adjustable
- Comfort Positions: All
Best Traditional Style Pillow for Neck Pain
Coop Home Goods pillows have long been gaining in popularity due to their awesome plush feel and easy adjustability. Perfect for any sleep position, the shredded memory foam and soft microfiber blend are gel-infused to create a cooling experience that allows for a fully customized comfort experience.
The thick bamboo cover helps draw heat from the body and works with the filling for a breathable and cooler night’s sleep. Adding and removing shreds helps you find the perfect balance of support for your head, neck, and shoulders. The pillow also doubles as a means to support joints, and provide comfort for your arms and legs during injury recovery.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who This is For
This pillow is a favorite for many people due to how easy it is to adjust and how incredibly comfortable it is. It also is available in travel size so you can take it with you at all times.
5. Hullo Buckwheat Pillow
SPECS:
- Filling: Buckwheat Hulls
- Loft: Adjustable
- Comfort Positions: All
Best Buckwheat Hull Pillow for Neck Pain
Although it may seem strange to choose a pillow with a filling that isn’t made from a soft fiber, buckwheat hulls have long been used in Asian countries to help provide support to the spine and airways while you sleep. These hulls have a gentle spring that conforms perfectly to your head and neck to provide unparalleled support.
It can take a little bit of time to get used to, but it creates a consistent hold for your body to help stabilize your cervical alignment. This can lead to a healthier blood flow and addresses the balance between your body and your health. Hullo Buckwheat is one of the best companies to provide a traditional buckwheat pillow. It also has a zipper so you can remove hulls to create adjustability.
| Pros | Cons |
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Who This is For
This is a pillow that can work with all sleep positions. Even though you might want to take some time getting used to it, it is an excellent choice to help alleviate headache and neck pain, as well as snoring.
Conclusion
When you wake with neck pain, you might want to think about the culprit causing the pain. Your bedding may be a source of your discomfort and considering a supportive pillow that helps align your spine may be worth taking a closer look at.
The styles and materials we’ve presented above are all excellent choices that provide the means to help alleviate your discomfort. Everything from customized options to a more traditional pillow is available for you to take advantage of.