Best Pillow For Stomach Sleepers

Pillows are essential for your sleeping environment to be supportive, gentle and comfortable. These are all qualities of a reputable pillow, but is one pillow capable of being all of this for everyone? The reality is that there’s no one pillow that satisfies everyone. Sleep and comfort are very personal experiences, and our preferences heavily influence this. Everyone prefers a different level of firmness, material and sleeping position.

Sleeping positions are extremely important since they will help you determine how much pressure or strain is placed on your neck, head and shoulders. What’s comfortable and supportive for you can change dramatically with your position. Though stomach sleeping is not the most recommended position, one can hardly control what position you feel most comfortable in each night. Stomach sleeping creates stress on your cervical spine given you have to turn your head in order to breathe, but there are a few tips and tricks to better support your body for a healthier night’s sleep.

While sleeping without a pillow is highly recommended when on your stomach, this is very difficult for many people to fall asleep comfortably. The key to an ideal sleep posture lies not only in your mattress choice (a firmer mattress is suggested for stomach sleepers), but also your pillow choice. The best pillow for stomach sleepers has much to do with design and support, and our handpicked reviews of top-rated picks can be found below. These 8 products have been run through various sleep trials and reviewed personally by The Sleep Judge Review Team. As a reviewer and a stomach sleeper myself, I can attest to the comfort these various choices lend to your sleep.

 Best Pillow For Stomach Sleepers  

Pillow Sizes

Various pillow sizes work for different people and different sized beds. The most common way to match your mattress and pillow is through size, then you work your way into the details.

• Standard, also known as a twin, is the generic pillow size for one person. This measures 20” x 26”.
• Super standard is a tad bit longer than standard pillows, for more shuffle room. These super standard pillows are 20” x 28”.
• Queen sized pillows are usually partnered with queen-sized beds. Since queen-sized mattresses have more room to shuffle around, so does your pillow, in case you turn over. Queen pillows are 20” x 30”.
• King pillows are the largest of the standard pillows, measuring 20” x 36”.
• Euro pillows are square-shaped and can be sized anywhere between 26” x 26” to 16” x 16”. These pillows are mostly decorative and throw pillows.
• Body pillows are made to be hugged. If you sleep on your side, there’s a chance you need to wrap your arms around a pillow to sleep comfortably. Body pillows are either 54” x 20” or 48” x 20”.
• Finally, there are toddler pillows. Since infants and toddlers are so much smaller than children, they need a smaller pillow. These measure 13” x 18”.

Head and Neck Alignment

Your cervical spine is the connection between your head and the rest of your body, controlling movement and support. More importantly, it houses a portion of your central nervous system and is the gateway between your brainstem and the rest of your body. The support and protection of this area of your body are critical to survival, and when you compromise the soft tissues of this area, you run the risk of creating more than just aches and pains. Poor cervical support can lend itself to a worsening of diseases, migraines, headaches and dizziness, to name a few.

As you sleep, you should pay particular attention to the support of your neck and head to allow for spinal alignment and relaxation of the soft tissues of the neck and back. This allows your body to heal and rest as it should through the night when true relaxation occurs, and your muscles and spine are not stressed. There are certain sleep positions that support this better than others, but stomach sleeping is not one of them as you are always forced to twist your neck and spine in this position.

Sleeping Positions

There are three basic sleep positions; stomach, back, and side.

Back sleepers usually sleep on flatter pillows, so their spine is properly aligned while they lie down. Stomach sleepers have the same issue, but with the practice of placing arms under the head. This could mean you need more loft in your pillow.

Then there are side sleepers. This can be tricky since a plush-fluffy pillow is always heavenly to sleep on. On the other hand, a firm pillow will support your neck and shoulders better. The perfect balance is hard to attain, but in doing so you’ll sleep on your side with support and comfort.

Pillow Loft

The pillow’s loft refers to how high or thick it is. Being a high pillow doesn’t necessarily make it soft or firm though, that depends more on the filling.

Low loft pillows are less than three inches in height. Medium pillows range between three to five inches. A high in the loft is anything above five inches.

Pillow Firmness

The firmness of the pillow will determine how conforming and supportive it is.

Plush pillows are the softest of all. They practically feel cloud-like with how squishy and light they are. Soft pillows are more conforming and supportive, but usually high in loft. Medium pillows have a more durable filling that keeps your head aligned. Finally, there are firm pillows. These are more than often the flattest of all pillows and focus on keeping you supported and relieve pains and aches.

What Affects Your Preference?

There are personal factors that will affect what pillow type is the right one for you.

Pillow Position

Where do you place your pillow when you sleep? Is it completely underneath your head, or only partially? Completely under your head, you might want something with a low loft, while only partially being under your head means there should be more support and therefore more loft.

If you hug your pillow, you’ll need one that’s lofty but maintains its shape under the pressure.

Mattress Type

Your mattress affect how effective your pillow is. If you sleep with a plush, soft mattress, then chances are you’ll want a firmer and flatter pillow that acts as a sturdy surface for your head.

Firmer mattresses are complimented better with a loftier and softer pillow that allows you to sink into your ideal aligned posture.

Body Weight

The heavier you are, the heavier and flatter you’ll want your pillow to pillow. This keeps you aligned properly, and the pillow won’t sink too much. The lighter you are, the loftier and lighter you’ll want your pillow to be as well.

Pillow Filling

Latex

Latex is extracted from the sap of rubber trees. This sap is then whipped into a froth which is manipulated into filling for pillows, mattresses and even turned into the fiber to weave and stitch.

Latex has excellent pressure and pain relief. No matter how you use your pillow, the latex inside will not deform and continue to provide the same support. Latex is dense and bouncy, which can either be a selling point or downfall based on what works for you.

Latex, however, is a much more expensive filling option, and comes with a rubber smell that’s hard to air out.

Memory Foam

Memory foam is a viscoelastic foam that conforms when in contact with heat.

Memory foam is a good balance between firmness and support. It cradles your head and keeps it in place throughout the night while ensuring you have proper spinal alignment. It relieves pains and aches in your head, neck, and shoulders. Memory foam is best for side and back sleepers.

A newer innovation is having shredded memory foam in your pillow for greater flexibility. There is quite a bit of off-gassing from memory foam pillows and they come at a much higher price.

Gel

The gel is placed into pillows either through infusing it with other materials such as memory foam and latex, or it’s turned into fibers to create covers and blankets. The gel keeps you cool and breezy when there is hotter weather and sweat on your pillow.

Anything that has been infused with gel will have a higher price.

Pillow Cover

Cotton

Cotton is the most natural and simplistic cover you can get. This cover is breathable and lightweight. The cotton wicks moisture away from your skin so you can keep cool while you sleep.

It’s also naturally hypoallergenic, making it safe both for people suffering from allergies and sensitive skin.

Bamboo

If there’s bamboo, it’s most likely this pillow aims to keep you as cool as possible. Bamboo is 30-40% more breathable than cotton and wicks all moisture from the surface of your pillow.

Polyester

Finally, there is the most common option, which is polyester. This is a synthetic fiber that replicates the qualities of cotton and wool. It keeps you warm as well as cool based on the temperature around.

It’s hypoallergenic and lasts longer than organic cotton but isn’t as efficient.

What to Consider When Choosing a Pillow for Stomach Sleeping

There are a few things to consider when searching for the perfect stomach sleeping pillow. Thin pillows that practically bottom-out may be the best choice for your body, but not always the most comfortable for many. Finding a balance between your comfort wants and your body’s needs is important, and asking yourself a few simple things in advance can help narrow your choices down.

Stomach sleepers are often partial side sleepers and may have found a comfortable body position through the use of a body pillow, or multiple pillows that support them in more of a hybrid way. Side sleepers need to consider how the shape of their bodies can manipulate the spine and provide proper neck support to fill the gap between the head and shoulders.

Some stomach sleepers like to raise their arms above their heads, fold them under their heads, tuck them under their bodies or at their sides. This changes how the spine is positioned, and softer, more responsive pillows may lessen the negative effects it may have on the body.

Certain types of materials retain heat easier than others, and sleeping on your stomach may trap body heat beneath you. If you’re already a warm sleeper, look to materials that are highly breathable, or have gel infusion to help draw heat from your body and disperse it for a better night’s sleep.

Conclusion

The many choices we’ve provided allow you to see how many options you actually have if you’re a stomach sleeper. The options we’ve presented may not work well for everyone, and also may lend themselves well to other sleeping positions as we’ve noted. You should make your selection based not only on comfort wants, but also your body’s needs, and the ones we’ve reviewed allow for you to see the many different fills and shapes you can pick from. 

Recent Updates

June 1, 2021: The Slumber Cloud Cumulus Pillow, Wenersi Goose Feather Pillow, Tempur-Embrace Pillow and eLuxurySupply Extra Soft Down Filled Pillow have been removed due to product unavailability. The DreamyBlue Premium Pillow has been added due to brand popularity. Two additional sizes/shapes have been added to the SleepNumber ComfortFit Pillow: Curved and Ultimate.