The Best Pillows for Side Sleepers of 2023

The Coop Home Goods Original Pillow is our top pick for side sleepers.You can remove or add the shredded-foam fill to find the ideal loft and support. With a little work, the pillow will cradle your head, bolster your neck and shoulder, and put that eternal side-sleeper struggle to bed, once and for all.

The pillow seemed overfilled on arrival, and came with a bag of additional stuffing. Italmost felt excessive. But this abundance of fill ensures it will have broad appeal. Those who like to sleep on thin pillows sleepers who enjoy a medium firmness, and even people who want a firm pillow can all get what they want.

The packaging provides recommendations on fill level based on sleep position. It suggests side sleepers try the pillow straight from the box, adding or removing fill in small amounts as needed.

This was the first pillow I tried. For the first few nights I had it, I didn’t get the fill level quite right. It turns out there’s an expected learning curve. I circled back to it later in testing, got the fill to my preference, and slept through the entire night with none of my usual stirrings each subsequent night I used it.

The Coop became my dream pillow, for sleeping and for lying in bed watching Netflix. (Bad sleep hygiene, I know). No matter how much time I spent resting on it, the pillow provided great support. It never left my neck feeling sore from over-extending or drooping down, which are both common issues when side-sleeper pillows have the wrong amount of fill.

The pillow needs a few days to air out as the foam is a little smelly at first. It's covered in a tightly woven rayon-polyester fabric. The whole thing is machine-washable and -dryable, which many fills and foams are not. That said, the company recommends only washing the whole thing once a year. e'd recommend using a protective cover, especially if you have allergies. While it can be finicky to adjust the pillow's fill, powering through the potential discomfort of an adjustment period has major payoffs. Plus, with its 100-night sleep trial, the company gives you plenty of time to fuss—and fall in love—with your perfect fit.

The Beckham Hotel down-alternative pillows, sold in a bundle of two, offer surprising comfort for a low price. They are not my top pick for supportiveness. But for something like a guest room, or for those who prefer to replace pillows more frequently, they’re a solid option.

When it comes to pillows, whether you’re a side sleeper or not, we think you get what you pay for. However, the two-pack of Beckham Hotel pillows is a bargain, and unlike other low-cost pillows we tested, they didn’t show any signs of wear from testing. But, similar to other cheaper options in our roundup, they lean toward being flatter, while our pricier picks provided more depth, loft, support, and overall substance. This makes the Beckham Hotel set less than ideal for people with broad shoulders.

The manufacturer claims the pillows are filled with a gel that provides cooling, but I didn’t notice a difference in the nights I slept on the pillow. On the plus side, these pillows fluffed up quickly after being unrolled, and hardly smelled in comparison to other pillows we tested. They also easily passed our cleaning tests, emerging from the laundry looking and feeling as good as when they went in.

For anyone looking for pillows that provide quality and comfort without a high price, these are a great option. Plus, if you give them a shot and find they really aren't working for you, the company has a 30-day satisfaction guarantee within which the pillows can be returned for a full refund.

I was excited about the Original Casper Pillow from the moment I opened the package. I liked how plush it felt when I pushed a hand into it. It struck a good balance between floppy and stiff. It wasn’t just a big squishy marshmallow, nor was it a rigid plank.

This down-alternative fiberfill pillow is composed of two pieces—it’s almost a pillow within a pillow. The two layers are made with the same fill, but the inner core is more densely packed to provide support.

The outer layer, in contrast, gives the pillow softness and cushion. Casper claims the structure keeps the pillow from falling flat over time. They also claim the unique design improves air circulation, ensuring hot sleepers can peacefully snooze.

The jury’s still out on whether down or down alternative is best for people who suffer allergies. (See “What to Know About Choosing Pillows,” below.) But we do know that washing pillows is more helpful than anything else. The Casper pillow's unique construction offers users different ways to wash it, which may make it easier to keep clean over time.

The outer shell of the pillow can be washed on its own. Since the core is already buffered by the shell, it may need less washing. You can also wash the entire pillow, though Casper notes you should remove the core from the outer section, even if you run both pieces in the same load.

What's more, the pillow's case is made with a tight percale weave, likely 300 thread count according to a company rep, which may make it better at blocking out allergens.

Overall, this pillow should provide enough support and plushness for most side sleepers. Unlike our top pick, this pillow isn’t adjustable, which is a downside since people have different-sized frames and different preferences when it comes to side sleeping. However, with the clever construction and a 100-night sleep trial, this is a great bet for folks who like the feel and washability of down alternative.

For side sleepers who prefer a natural material and enjoy the lofty, luxurious feel down provides, the Brooklinen Firm down pillow is the way to go. In our testing, it outscored other pillows, but down isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and the options to clean it are far more limited.

When Brooklinen says firm, they mean it. Don’t expect the super-cushy sensation you might associate with fluffy feathers—this pillow provides serious support. I loved it, noting it was pleasantly firm but also had a nice amount of surface give. As a life-long down devotee, I found it as comfortable as our top-pick Coop Home Goods Original Pillow and far more comfortable than the other pillows we tested.

But down pillows aren’t without flaws. On top of generally being pricier down is also usually dry-clean only. Brooklinen down pillows are no exception. You can spot-clean the surface of the fabric, but you can’t throw the whole thing in the wash like many of the synthetic-fill pillows we tested. For what it's worth, Brooklinen's pillows are treated with “antimicrobials” to help inhibit the growth of bacteria.

Like down alternative, down may lose its ability to spring back over time as the feathers compress from regular use and repeated pressure. In our testing, this pillow readily bounced back when weighed down—but we can't speak to how long that spring-back lasts.

If you've ever had down pillows, you may know that feathers can poke out—but the 400 thread-count fabric used on Brooklinen's pillows should keep any rogue fluff contained. A customer service rep said they rarely receive complaints of feathers piercing the fabric, and in any case it would be covered by the manufacturer warranty.

Brooklinen is a great fit for people who enjoy the feeling of down. Just be sure to be diligent about using machine-washable pillow protectors to keep allergens and dust out, and replace your pillows on the recommended basis. If you do choose Brooklinen, you have a generous 365 days to decide to keep it or get your money back.

As you might expect from a solid-foam pillow, the Tuft & Needle is extremely supportive. This one doesn’t provide the same sinking feeling you get when sleeping on memory foam, but rather a slight give that's springier overall. The material will likely support your head and neck better over time than a pillow made with down or down alternative, which may compress with use.

During the nights I slept on this pillow, I woke up just a couple of times to adjust it. That’s likely just because I am used to the squishier sensation of my usual down pillows. That said, this was my favorite solid-foam pillow from the side sleeper line-up by far. It's just a skosh too lofty for my personal preferences—my shoulders are on the narrow side—but the vast majority of people will find the pillow's depth just fine.

The Tuft & Needle is encased in a washable microfiber cover, but the foam insert can't be thrown in the laundry. Microfiber covers tend to be tightly woven, which can provide extra protection for allergy sufferers, another added bonus of this pillow. (Though there's certainly no harm in covering it with an allergy encasement to be extra hygienic.) Tuft & Needle offers a 100-night trial, so you can see if the pillow suits you worry-free. (If you purchase the pillow through Amazon, the trial is shortened to 30 nights.)