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The best pillows for a good night's sleep
From memory foam to microfibre... a heavenly headrest for everybody.
Many of life's problems can be solved with a good night's sleep, but tomorrow is guaranteed to be a bad day if your pillow isn't up to scratch. Do you regularly wake up feeling groggy, with a stiff neck and an aching back? If so, it's time to buy a new one.
Best pillows 2024
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How do I pick the right pillow?
Shopping for a pillow is not unlike searching high and low for that elusive pair of perfectly-fitting jeans, in that no single pillow will suit everybody's sleeping style. Different fillings offer varying levels of comfort, firmness and support to match the way you tend to lie in bed. The right pillow will keep your head, neck and spine aligned, preventing neck and back pain.
Let's help you match your sleeping style to a filling:
Front sleeper: To keep your head from being pushed upwards and backwards (ouch!), look for a soft pillow that will flatten. Try down or wool.
Side sleeper: Try a thick, firm pillow that will tuck in above your shoulder and support your neck as you kip. Opt for mouldable memory foam or microfibre, and minimise the risk of lower back ache by popping another pillow between your knees.
Back sleeper: Once again, your neck needs adequate support. Consider a slim memory foam pillow that won't push your head forwards.
Combination sleeper: Most of us toss and turn a bit at night, so if in doubt, either choose a pillow with medium height and firmness, or layer two softer pillows. Better still, invest in an adjustable pillow that lets you add or remove its filling until you're happy.
How we test
Our panel of 48 testers tried 22 different pillows for at least a fortnight, before telling us how well they slept. They were asked to judge each pillow on its support, comfort, breathability, washability and overall design. You'll find their 10 favourites below. Sweet dreams!
This was actually our favourite pillow, full stop, so if memory foam is your thing, there's frankly no need to keep reading. Every tester scored it 10/10 and said they'd happily buy it themselves. It moulded quickly to their heads, easing neck pain, and gave them all a hotel-quality night's sleep.
Memory foam pillows can smell slightly plasticky at first, but this one didn't, and it comes with a generous five-year guarantee. Did the 'cool gel' make a difference? Not really, but it's worth its high price tag regardless.
Key specifications
Filling: Viscoelastic polyurethane foam with gel powder
Cover: 40% Lyocell from Tencel, 60% polyester
Support: Medium/firm
Height: 12cm (medium)
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: 5 years
This memory foam pillow is slim enough for front sleepers to try, but it's a particularly smart choice if you usually drift off on your back.
Our testers found it the ideal blend of comfortable and supportive (one said it was the "comfiest sleep they'd ever had") and the hotheads among them appreciated the breathable Tencel cover. It's slightly too small for a standard pillowcase, giving it an unattractive bagginess, but if aesthetics come second to sleep quality, it's hard to fault.
Key specifications
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Tencel
Support: Soft/medium
Height: 15cm (medium)
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: 2 years
Blissfully soft goose down epitomises bed-time luxury, but what we love about this pillow is its supportive core of firmer feathers, which helped our entire panel sleep like babies.
It didn't rustle or scratch them when they moved and it kept its plump fluffiness throughout the trial. If you're prone to pillow-induced sniffles, note that it's anti-allergy (a rarity for down) and also washed well, with no damage. In short, it's the stuff that dreams are made of.
Key specifications
Filling: Core: 15% down, 85% feathers, outer chamber: 90% down, 10% feathers
Cover: Cotton
Support: Medium
Height: 20cm (thick)
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: 3 years
Our panel tried the firmest of this pillow's three options and still found it cloud-like and cosy to sink into at the end of a long day. Like the Scooms pillow, it has a feathery core for support, which proved a big hit.
Our testers found it regulated temperature brilliantly and helped them sleep significantly better than they had been, but it lost some fluffiness after a spin through the washing machine. One panellist found it noisy when they shifted position, too.
Key specifications
Filling: Core: 10% down, 90% feathers, outer chamber: 90% down, 10% feathers
Cover: Cotton
Support: Soft, soft/medium, medium/firm
Height: 17cm (medium/thick)
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: 5 years
Memory foam is a Marmite filling – it has its diehard fans, but others find it too rigid and sweaty to sleep on. That's where this adjustable hybrid pillow comes in, combining a layer of microfibre with removable memory foam cubes so you can customise its firmness to your needs and not get quite so hot.
Our testers found it extremely comfortable and liked that it came with a drawstring bag for storing the excess filling. Our only complaint is that for nearly £100, a guarantee should be a given.
Key specifications
Filling: Memory foam nanocubes, microfibre layer
Cover: Cotton
Support: Adjustable
Height: 17cm (medium/thick)
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: None
If £99 for a single pillow makes your eyes water, look to this also adjustable alternative for less than half the price. It comes with four removable inner pads, giving you (and any fussy overnight guests) plenty of height and firmness options.
It’s hypoallergenic, so you won't wake up with red eyes, and our testers found it comfortable and breathable, if a touch too rigid when fully stuffed. It looked brand new after a wash and there's a 14-night trial offer available, should you still need convincing.
Key specifications
Filling: Polyester hollowfibre
Cover: Cotton with polyester mesh sides
Support: Adjustable
Height: 22cm (thick)
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offer: 14 nights
Guarantee: None
Brook + Wilde Everdene Cooling Pillow
No fancy gel features here, but this pillow does boast a breathable cover that's specially designed to keep heads cool.
Our testers said it worked, and loved that hollowfibre filling is in the form of removable balls for finding your ideal height. This adjustability meant it suited everybody's sleeping style, but it did feel a bit lumpy after washing and doesn't come with a guarantee, despite its five-star price tag.
Key specifications
Filling: Thermofill Plus, polyester hollowfibre balls
Cover: Egyptian long staple cotton with Outlast interliner
Support: Adjustable
Height: 20cm (thick)
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offer: None
Guarantee: None
Charcoal and pillows don't usually go together– but in this case, charcoal has been infused into bamboo and memory foam to create a sweat-wicking, odour-busting wonder of a head rest.
Our testers delighted in kipping on it, and one dust mite allergy sufferer didn’t experience any adverse reactions at all. Nobody noticed any dipping or loss of support, but some would have preferred more thickness.
Key specifications
Filling: Bamboo memory foam
Cover: Polyester, spandex
Support: Medium/firm
Height: 10cm (thin)
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: 14 nights
Guarantee: None
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