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Best Water Pillows

Candace Osmond

Finding the perfect pillow can seem like an impossible venture. Too soft, too hard, too thin, too thick – the possibilities are endless. It can be especially hard to settle on one if you have a peculiar sleep position, or if you experience recurring neck pain. Granted, there are a couple of efficient solutions in the world of pillows, but none of them are as balanced and efficient as water pillows.

Simple at their core but highly efficient overall, water pillows can completely change your sleep experience. The secret of this design lies in the incredible amount of control you have over every aspect of the pillow. By simply adjusting the water level in the pillow, you can choose the perfect firmness for yourself – and that can mean a world of difference for sensitive sleepers.

1. Mediflow Fiber Original Water Pillow – Editor's Choice

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  • Available Size(s): 28 x 20 x 4.5 inches
  • Material: Polyester and cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

2. Mediflow Water Pillow with Memory Foam

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  • Available Size(s): 23.62 x 15.35 x 5.12 inches
  • Material: Memory Foam and Cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

3. BLISSBURY SpineRight Premium Water Pillow

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  • Available Size(s): 17.71 x 6.7 x 6.7 inches
  • Material: Polyester & Bamboo with Dacron Fiberfill
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

4. Xtra-Comfort Water Pillow v2

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  • Available Size(s): 16.6 x 6.6 x 6.4 inches
  • Material: Memory Foam and Cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

5. FOMI Premium Large Water Pillow

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  • Available Size(s): 16.5 x 7 x 6.8 inches
  • Material: Polyester Fiber
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Best Water Pillows

1. Mediflow Fiber Original Water Pillow – Editor's Choice

Highlights

  • Available Size(s): 28 x 20 x 4.5 inches
  • Material: Polyester and cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Pros

  • Easily adjustable firmness level
  • Benefits clinically are proven by an independent Johns Hopkins study
  • 100 percent cotton shell
  • Conforms to your neck and head
  • 3-year warranty
  • Made in the USA

Cons

  • Prone to developing mold if the water is not replaced frequently

For the best possible support for your neck when you rest, a good water pillow is a great solution – and this design proves it. Mediflow offers a tried-and-true waterbase design that focuses on offering exceptional ergonomic support to the sleeper. As is the case with water pillows, this one also allows you to perfectly adapt it to your needs by adjusting the water level. You can opt for a soft, firm or medium-firm feeling. Too soft? Just add more water! Too firm? Empty a little out! The water bag is fully sealed, insulated and surrounded by a hypoallergenic, 100 percent cotton shell, adding to the softness and the comfort. There’s also an outer layer made from polyester fabric for added durability.

Keep in mind that this Mediflow Waterbase technology was clinically tested and proven to reduce neck pain and improve your quality of sleep, and it’s one of the few pillows on the market that can boast such extensive research. When you add a 3-year warranty and 30-day user satisfaction guarantee, all of these speak volumes about the pillow’s quality.

2. Mediflow Water Pillow with Memory Foam

Highlights

  • Available Size(s): 23.62 x 15.35 x 5.12 inches
  • Material: Memory Foam and Cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Pros

  • High ventilated memory foam layer
  • Great at keeping you cool
  • Hypoallergenic
  • Water pillow core for adjustable firmness
  • 3-year warranty

Cons

  • Off-gassing possible at first

Adding memory foam to a water pillow – did anybody say superior comfort and neck support? Even on its own, Waterbase design offers unprecedented support and pain relief, let alone when enhanced with body-contouring memory foam. At the core of this product is the Waterbase. Giving you all control over the firmness, simply add or remove water to customize the feel. But the key advantage of this pillow is the addition of high-ventilated European memory foam that adds hypoallergenic properties and gives even more support to your neck, not to mention the luxurious feeling of comfort.

These multiple layers are encased in an equally hypoallergenic 100 percent cotton shell that provides you with that crisp, cool feeling each time you go to sleep. By combining these two ergonomic features, Mediflow achieved a superior design that’s clinically tested and proven to relieve pain. Superior contouring and body-adapting properties on so many levels!

3. BLISSBURY SpineRight Premium Water Pillow

Highlights

  • Available Size(s): 17.71 x 6.7 x 6.7 inches
  • Material: Polyester & Bamboo with Dacron Fiberfill
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Pros

  • Bonus filling for superiors adjustability
  • Adjustable firmness through water pillow core
  • Removable machine-washable bamboo and polyester cover
  • Added water filling funnel

Cons

  • Can be too soft for some

Sleeping on your side can have a devastating effect on your neck, shoulder and back if you don’t have the right support and responsiveness both from your pillow and mattress. To prevent this, Blissbury offers a simple yet effective design that anticipates your needs and adjusts to them perfectly. With a Waterbase design, it allows you to fill up the water level to your liking, which means you can control the firmness, fine-tuning it to whichever level works best for you. This water pillow also has an addition that really gives it that premium feel. It comes with a luxurious polyester and bamboo pillowcase that offers great comfort and boasts hypoallergenic properties, while also being easy to clean as it’s removable and machine washable.

Sitting above the water pouch is a layer of fiberfill, so this pillow combines the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort. You’re given an additional 100 grams of Dacron Fiberfill filling, which allows you to add even more stuffing and adjust the comfort to your preference, both in the upper loft and with the water pillow core.

4. Xtra-Comfort Water Pillow v2

xtra-comfort-water-pillow-v2

Highlights

  • Available Size(s): 16.6 x 6.6 x 6.4 inches
  • Material: Memory Foam and Cotton
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Pros

  • Great value
  • Soft memory foam layer
  • Promotes proper spinal alignment, aids in neck and back pain
  • Easy to fill with included funnel tool

Cons

  • Newer product on the market without as many reviews

Another ideal memory foam water pillow is the Xtra-Comfort Water Pillow v2, designed to reduce head, neck and back pain. This pillow’s firmness is easily adjustable depending on your preferred sleeping position: back, side or stomach. It comes with a funnel tool that makes the water bladder easy to fill, so you can personally customize its loft. If you’re concerned about water pillows leaking while you’re snoozing away, this pillow ensures that it’s leakproof to give you the peace of mind of no spills. However, if you’re not seeing the benefits right away and aren’t completely satisfied with the sleep you’re getting, Xtra-Comfort offers you a 30-day guarantee to return the product with ease. As this is a newer product on the market, it hasn’t been as widely tried and tested as other water pillows on our list, so if reading through other customer’s experiences is something that’s important to you, keep this in mind when considering this product.

5. FOMI Premium Large Water Pillow

Highlights

  • Available Size(s): 16.5 x 7 x 6.8 inches
  • Material: Polyester Fiber
  • Firmness: Plush/Medium/Firm

Pros

  • High thread count cotton cover
  • Good for summer months
  • Affordable
  • Fully adjustable
  • Ideal for hot sleepers

Cons

  • Takes a lot of water to fully fill it

If you’re after a basic, simple design that offers all the benefits of a great water pillow at a more budget-friendly price than most, look no further. One of the best-value water pillows on the market, this water pillow nonetheless has all the features that make it a great addition to our list. The water pouch core of the pillow is well-insulated and encased in poly fabric to make sure the pillow withstands regular wear and tear, whereas the outside layer is a high thread count cotton cover for added freshness. It’ll keep you cool in the summer, especially in combination with chilled water inside.

Despite being at a lower price, this water pillow is not poorly made – quite the opposite. With the added funnel, you can tighten the water valve and ensure no leaking can occur and prevent mold from developing. You’d be hard-pressed to find a fault with this design, especially at this price point.

What are Some of the Benefits of Water Pillows?

Whichever pillow you go for, you’re always stuck with one downside: having to choose from a few pre-established firmness levels. When you have lasting neck issues and trouble sleeping, even the tiniest change in the softness of your pillow can have a dramatic change for you. Not to mention that some people are unsure what pillow firmness is right for them in the first place, leading to many missed purchases and wasted money. That’s where the biggest benefit of a water pillow comes into play – adjustability. The design of water pillows give you absolute control of the firmness, making it easy to find the perfect match for your needs and preferences. However, this isn’t the only advantage of water pillows. Besides their adjustability, some other key benefits can nudge you towards picking a water pillow over a standard option.

  • Adjustable firmness

As we’ve mentioned, water pillows have one great advantage over any other model, and that’s their adjustable firmness. As you decide on the amount of water you pour into the water pillow’s core, you also dictate the firmness. More water results in more firmness and greater support, while reducing that level will make the pillow softer and better at adapting to your posture and movements. This is an enormous advantage over all other designs: the option to constantly adjust according to your needs as your neck issues are relieved. No more needing to go through pillow after pillow simply because you can’t find the exact firmness you want.

  • Tailored temperature

In the hot summer months, there’s nothing as soothing and relieving as a cool pillow to lay your head-on. Again, this is where a water pillow outshines all the others. Pouring cool water into your pillow can make all the difference when you’re hot – the insulated water bag in its core will maintain that temperature for a long time and keep it regulated and constant. Having a constantly cool pillow is a unique experience that’s not only a relief from the heat, but also incredibly soothing. You can utilize this in the winter too, when you’d like a tad bit more warmth beneath your head. Thanks to the insulated water core on most water pillow designs, this is now a quick and easy option.

  • Relieves pain

Even when it appeared in its earliest form, a water pillow was an irreplaceable medical aid that was proven to offer relief from pain and lasting neck issues. The design excels at providing the perfect level of support to the head and neck, and perfectly adapts to any sleeping position. The water in the pillow moves in unison with you, and that way your discomfort is eliminated. Several popular brands – including Mediflow which make more than one appearance on our list – are common recommendations from leading chiropractors due to their great pain-relieving properties. Medically tested and proven to work, water pillows can be that crucial change you need in your life – because there’s nothing better than waking up refreshed and pain-free.

  • Retains shape

Your run-of-the-mill, traditional pillow can lose its shape and firmness over time. Even the much-lauded memory foam pillows can lose their conforming properties after a time, and that always brings you back to square one. No matter how firm or soft a pillow is, there’s the constant possibility of it simply losing the effect it had on day one. That’s not the case with water pillows. Thanks to their unique design, they can easily maintain their firmness for as long as is needed. All that’s required is the desired amount of water – nothing else. With this benefit, water pillows are easily placed one step in front of all other designs, which comes as a big plus. With this in mind, you can even opt for a high end, expensive water pillow, knowing it’ll be an important and long term investment to last you for years to come. That makes this purchase a real no brainer.

Conclusion

When all things are considered, water pillows really are the most effortless solution to many sleeping issues, but most importantly, chronic neck, shoulder and back pain. With an efficient and simple design, water pillows give you plenty of room for adjustment, allowing you to find the best firmness level for yourself. In turn, you’ll not only feel more comfortable sleeping on your new pillow, but you’ll also get optimal support that ensures your spine is properly aligned during sleep. All it takes is simply pouring more water in or out of the pillow – it doesn’t get easier than that.

Recent Updates

July 8, 2021: Our #4 recommendation, the Chiroflow Waterbase Water Pillow, has been replaced with the Xtra-Comfort Water Pillow v2 due to product unavailability. FAQ and Additional Resources sections have been added to address common customer queries and give readers further information when shopping for pillows.

Additional Resources