We Tested the Best Pillows for Side Sleepers

The side-sleeping position is by far the most popular position among adults, so it’s only natural that we’ve been investigating what the best pillows for side sleepers look and feel like. And though there are many reported benefits to sleeping on your side, like reduced sleep apnea, when done improperly it can cause neck and shoulder strain, potentially leading to nerve pain and soft-tissue issues in the spine.

Shop the Top Picks

Best Overall

Purple Harmony Pillow

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$209 $167 (20% off)

Amazon

Best Latex-Fill

Naturepedic Organic Side Sleeper Pillow

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$159

Amazon

AD Staff Pick

Coop Sleep Goods Original Loft Pillow

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$89

Amazon

Pittsburgh-based Premier Chiropractic Clinic owner and chiropractor Brian Meenan, DC, regularly advises his over 1.5 million followers on TikTok and treats patients for sleep-related pain everyday. According to him, the right pillow for a side sleeper should put the least amount of stress on your spine and neck. “You want your neck mostly in neutral, not bending too far to the right or left when lying on your side,” he says. Betsy Grunch, MD, FAANS, FACS, who posts recommendations to over 2.5 million TikTok fans as @ladyspinedoc agrees that neck support makes all the difference for pain relief. “I often see patients with neck and back pain that worsen during side sleeping,” she says. “I recommend a good supportive pillow to keep their neck in perfect neutral alignment during sleep.”

“The most common complaints for side sleepers are shoulder, jaw, and hip pain,” echoes Alyssa Hickey, DC CACCP, who specializes in pregnancy care and posts on TikTok to over 400,000 followers. “I always suggest a pillow that will prevent your shoulder from rolling in,” she explains. “This will support both the neck and shoulders, decreasing the likelihood of carpal tunnel or at least expanding the amount of time you have before symptoms arise.”

To help you enhance your sleep quality, we’ve rounded up 15 of the perfect pillows for side sleepers—including recommendations from sleep experts, top-reviewed online faves, and high-quality bed pillows AD staffers have tried themselves.

“I prefer a more dense and firm pillow for side sleeping,” says Dr. Hickey, whose pillow of choice is the Purple Harmony Pillow. “Trying pillows out is so important,” she adds. “A good choice for a side-sleeping pillow will always allow your head to remain centered on your shoulders.” Contributor Kelsey Borovinsky (a side and stomach sleeper) is also impressed by how well Purple’s Harmony pillow holds its shape. She says it’s a great fit for anyone looking for firm support. “If you like a Tempur-Pedic–type pillow that’s really solid and supportive, or you are in the market for one to support other parts of your body, this would be a great option,” Borovinsky notes.

This pillow landed in our best-of Naturepedic roundup for its shredded latex fill and breathable cotton cover, as well as its peculiar shape that lends itself perfectly to pain-free sleep. Shopping director Rachel Fletcher says this is the perfect pillow for a taller person, as well as for someone who doesn’t like a super-firm pillow. “That said, it does come with extra fill in case you want to stuff it up a bit and increase the firmness,” she adds.

Coop also makes an adjustable pillow that can be customized to your personal preference—especially if you’re a side sleeper who needs a super supportive pillow. Filled with a combination of foam and microfiber stored in a washable cover, over 46,000 Amazon reviewers have given this pillow five stars. One top reviewer even called it the “best pillow ever,” adding that the pillow helped them have the best night’s sleep in months—something they never thought possible. Both our shopping director Lori Keong and our shopping producer Lauren Arzbaecher are big proponents of Coop’s pillows. Arzbaecher calls it “life-changing—the memory foam and microfiber combo has helped with movement isolation so I don’t wake up with a stiff neck anymore; plus it just feels luxurious.”

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Wamsutta Supreme Comfort Down Alternative Pillow

$110

Wamsutta

In shopping writer Julia Harrison’s many attempts to become a side sleeper (she’s a lifetime stomach sleeper), she’s tried out this medium-loft down alternative piece from Wamsutta to see if it might help with the switch. In fact, it did. “My doctor recommended a medium loft to discourage sleeping on my stomach, and height like this bends your neck up so that you instinctively adjust to sleeping on your back as it’s more comfortable.” 400-thread-count lyocell and temperature-control tech encase the premium down-alternative fill for a luxury pillow that also features an accessible price point. While Harrison prefers a genuine feather pillow, she attests this meets her criteria for something soft, cool, and durable.

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Utopia Bedding Pillows (Set of 2)

$25 $20 (20% off)

Amazon

At the end of the day, though, it’s about what feels right for you. “Everyone has a preference on what feels best,” Dr. Hickey says. For a reasonably priced down pillow, she suggests this set from Amazon. “When choosing a lighter or fluffier material like down, it’s key to ensure that the structure isn’t compromised after hours of laying on it.” Harrison has had these pillows for over a year and finds them to be “firm without being hard, and plush without swallowing you.“

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Brooklyn Bedding Talalay Latex Pillow

$172 $129 (25% off)

Brooklyn Bedding

Latex pillows that hold their shape are another good choice for side sleepers or those with back pain. Although Brooklyn Bedding’s very bouncy Talalay latex pillow is a great firm-support option for the neck and shoulders, I personally think it’s ideal for extra back support. “If you prefer sleeping on your side, it helps to place a pillow behind the upper back to kind of prop you up so that you do not roll onto your back,” Dr. Meenan says. “This takes less pressure off of the shoulder joint.”

“So many AD editors love Coop’s signature adjustable pillows, so I wanted to give the collection a try,” begins senior shopping editor Nashia Baker. “Even though people sing the praises of the original since it’s fluffy and supportive, I think this pillow takes it up a notch because of the cooling gel-infused foam.” Indeed, Coop ranks highly across our pillow content, but over 14,000 positive f reviews from Amazon customers would seem to solidify its rankings even outside our staff. “It’s instantly cool to the touch,” says Baker, “almost like that feeling your skin gets when you open the refrigerator door, so I’ve truly never overheated with this on my bed.” Even using half the fill, Baker says this feels like a hefty pillow with potential to be super firm. This also suits her as a combination sleeper, perfectly comfortable for those nights when she sleeps on her back, and it also comes in handy to prop her up when she’s working or reading in bed.

This down alternative pillow is the perfect combination of squishy and durable, according to senior commerce editor Nashia Baker: “I sleep on this pillow almost every night, and if it wasn’t for the unique grid cloud texture, I would definitely mistake this for down because of its superior softness.” While it’s a comfortable pillow for side sleeping, Baker says it’s a great option for combination sleepers too since the pillow fill is dense without falling flat. She also notes that the patented honeycomb GelFlex Grid support feels like pressing onto a trampoline because of its stretchy, springy style. Plus, the down alternative fill cushioning underneath absorbs the weight of her head without getting close to it sinking through.

Other perks include the moisture-wicking pillow cover for warm nights and the fact that it is machine washable for easy routine care. “As someone who loves a good skin and haircare routine, I really appreciate the machine-washable pillow protector,” Baker adds. “Since this is a fairly pricey purchase, it’s nice that unsightly oil staining won’t seep through my pillowcase and get directly on the pillow itself.”

Over 900 Amazon reviewers gave Honeydew’s medium-firm, crescent-shaped side-sleeper specialty pillow five stars, describing it as the kind of pillow that’ll keep you in bed all day. In addition to breathable, CertiPUR-US-certified, copper-infused memory foam filling that make this one of the best cooling pillow options to try out if you're a hot sleeper, its adjustable loft level also promotes proper alignment to help you sleep comfortably through the whole night. This is a number one pick for Fletcher, who says “It’s got the perfect amount of firmness for me—I cannot stand a soft pillow.” Made with a breathable, CertiPUR-US-certified, copper-infused memory foam filling, it’s one made for side sleepers who run hot. “While a side sleeper pillow might look a little funny on your bed,” Fletcher says, “I love that it comes with its own fitted silk pillowcase, which is (a) great for skin and hair and (b) makes it look a little bit neater in my pillow-scape.”

Saatva’s latex pillow gets a stamp of approval from side sleeper and contributor Sydney Gore, who calls the 100% organic and shredded latex pillow “even more comfortable IRL.” Prone to an achey back, Gore is impressed that the pillow’s claims of essential back and neck support are actually true when she wakes up feeling exceptionally well-rested thanks to the comforting material. Her only complaint: “I wish I had a pair!”

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Boll & Branch Down Chamber Pillow

$159

Boll & Branch

$159

Amazon

Another one of the best bed pillows for side sleepers is undoubtedly the down chamber pillow from Boll and Branch, which is available in three densities: soft, medium, and firm. The soft density is recommended for stomach sleepers, the firm density is recommended for back sleepers, and the medium density is recommended for side sleepers.

Lifelong side sleeper and long-time contributor Kristi Kellogg sleeps on the medium density pillow, and reports that it’s the best down pillow she’s tried. “I can attest that sleeping on your side is a dream on this pillow,” she says, adding that it is fluffy and gently cradles her head. “There’s plenty of cushion and support beneath your head, but there’s enough give for you to melt into the pillow and drift off with ease. It reminds me of the pillows you find in the very nicest hotel rooms.”

Brooklinen’s down pillow is another great not-too-firm option that got a raving “15 out of 10—would recommend” from contributor Jacqueline Wladis. “They’re not so firm that you feel like you’re sleeping on a brick, but they cradle your head and provide nice back support,” she shares. Available in plush, mid-plush, and firm options, this down pillow is ideal if you’re trying to work your way up to something extra firm like latex, or even Brooklinen’s Marlow memory foam pillow. Brooklinen recommends the firm pillow for side sleepers, since it’s the most supportive of the three options.

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Casper Sleep Original Pillow

$75

Amazon

$75

Casper

Another medium-firm option that will deliver crucial neck support is Casper’s original pillow, which is great for all types of sleepers like our contributor Madeleine Luckel, who snoozes on both of her sides, her back, and stomach. And though she actually prefers soft pillows with some fluff, Luckel likes Casper’s firm-ish alternative down fiber fill pillow so much that she steals it from her boyfriend. She describes the pillow as reaching “some indescribable sweet spot in terms of its firmness” and “thick enough to work perfectly as a stand-alone sleep piece.”

In pursuit of the best pillows for side sleepers, we corralled our staff’s side sleepers and combination sleepers to determine what made the cut for us. We made sure to test across price ranges, from dubiously-priced Amazon favorites to more premium options. To get a sense of the full sleep experience, we tested each of these for at least a month or more. We also evaluated customer reviews across the market to make sure we were testing side sleeper pillows that met the needs of a careful and conscious shopper.