22 Best Pillows for Side Sleepers: Ease Neck and Shoulder Pain

What does it take for a pillow to reach the “best overall” spot? For us, it has to be washable, the inside has to be removable (so you can adjust the firmness and loft), and it has to provide good neck support for side sleepers. The Nest Easy Breather ticks all of those boxes and then some. Unlike other pillows filled with shredded foam, the texture doesn’t become lumpy after washing. And the pillow doesn’t have a chemical smell.

When you wash this pillow, expect for the fill to expand once it dries. You may need to remove even more fill to get the right level of loft again, which some users find annoying. Though the inner shredded foam is CertiPUR-US certified, it isn’t organic.

For side sleepers who prefer to stack two soft pillows, we recommend Hotel Grand. These pillows are well cushioned and soft, and the inner down-and-feather blend is cleaned using a FreshLOFT process that removes potential allergens. The cotton outer fabric is silky smooth, thanks to its 500 thread count.

Note that each pillow contains an outer wrap of alternative down (made of polyester), which may be a downside for buyers who want a 100-percent down fill. In addition, feathers may come out of the pillow over time.

Need more neck support without emptying your wallet? The Cozyplayer Cooling Pillow is an excellent choice. Best for side sleepers that stay put, this pillow cradles the neck and has a deep indentation for your head and ear to eliminate strain. The memory foam build is soft but firm, so you don’t have to worry about it losing its shape during the night. Best of all, the height is adjustable — rotate the pillow 180 degrees for the side with greater contouring, or remove the bottom insert to reduce the loft.

However, many buyers wish there were some way to adjust the ear hole. If your ear doesn’t rest directly over the hole, you could wake up with ear pain. The material may also trap heat even though the cover is meant to be cooling. This pillow is not organic and may have a chemical smell before washing.

If you love a contoured, U-shaped pillow, we highly recommend the Honeydew Side Pillow. The interior contains CertiPUR-US-certified foam infused with copper, which gives it antibacterial and cooling properties. The foam is removable so you can customize the loft to your liking, and the soft outer cover is machine washable. This pillow has no chemical smell.

As our splurge pick, the Honeydew is expensive. The company argues that the design and materials make it worth it, but some buyers still balk at the price. In addition, the inner material is not organic and not machine washable.

The Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow is similar in shape and feel to the Honeydew but differs in the filling. The interior is a blend of 75 percent latex and 25 percent polyester, which gives it more spring or bounce. Side sleepers who prefer a softer feel may therefore prefer this fill. Like the Honeydew, the Eli & Elm can be customized to your liking by adding or removing filling, and the cover is machine washable.

At $125, this pillow is one of our most expensive recommendations. Plus, some buyers complain that the pillow is too long for regular pillow cases and doesn’t fluff up as well after a few months of use.

If you need your pillow to hold its shape overnight, consider the Anvo Cervical Memory Foam pillow. This affordable pick offers two different loft levels depending on your shoulder width so that your neck rests at a neutral angle. Plus, the outer cover is machine washable.

Unfortunately, the pillow itself must be spot-cleaned, so it may become dirty and accumulate dust. The memory foam also has a slight chemical smell, though buyers note that it fades after a few days. This pillow shape may not be ideal if you shift positions during the night.

We get it — sometimes, those firm side-sleeper pillows leave you with a crick in your neck. Double stacking soft pillows is always an option, and the MoonRest Organic Pillows are perfect for the job. These pillows contain a “down alternative” made of polyester, which helps increase durability in the washing machine and dryer. Also, the shell is made of organic cotton.

Unfortunately, some buyers notice a synthetic smell on the MoonRest pillows even after washing and leaving them outside to air. Others say a few days in the fresh air eliminates the smell completely. Be careful if you open the zipper to reduce the filling inside — the filling may catch on the zipper when you close it again.

If you wake up in the morning with neck pain, chances are your pillow has too much or not enough loft. The Groye Adustable Neck Pillow is an excellent solution because you can add or remove an insert to customize the loft level. It also has a contoured neck hold to reduce any strain on your neck or upper spine.

Some buyers wish that the pillow contained more than one removable insert to lower the loft even further. Others wish it had an ear hole to reduce pressure on the ear. Note that this pillow is made of one memory foam piece and is spot-clean only.

Waking up with shoulder pain is often an indication that your shoulder bears too much of your weight while you sleep. To ease the pressure off your shoulder, use a pillow like the Nappler Side and Back Sleeper Pillow. The shredded memory foam interior provides an impressive loft so your head can rest at a neutral angle, and the pillow comes with extra filling if you need even more loft.

Since the interior is made of memory foam, this pillow is hand wash or spot-clean only. Buyers complain that the inner zipper gets caught easily on the fill, so be careful when adding or removing filling. In addition, the cover tends to hold heat.

When your head isn’t in line with your spine, all sorts of painful problems can occur — from a crick in your neck to an ache in your low back. The OVODRY Adjustable Cervical Pillow aims to prevent that from happening by keeping your head in a neutral position and offering gentle, firm support while you sleep. This adjustable foam pillow features an ear hole and a contoured middle that helps distribute the weight of your head across the whole surface.

Though OVODRY claims the mesh material is breathable and cooling, a few customers wish that it had even more cooling properties. In addition, the material is not organic and the pillow itself must be spot cleaned or hand washed.

When you have heartburn, it isn’t easy finding a comfortable sleeping position. The Luxe Casa Orthopedic Pillow Set addresses the whole body to help ease pressure points as you sleep. It features a teardrop-shaped back pillow, a curved back pillow, a detachable head pillow, and a triangular pillow for your legs. The memory foam material holds its shape as you sleep, and the machine washable covers keep you cool.

With four pillows at your disposal, you can try different positions on your side until you find the best support. However, you may still need to add in some regular pillows to get things just right. Since the material is memory foam, these pillows are spot-clean only.

Looking for an easily-customizable experience? We recommend the Sleep Number Comfortfit Pillow. You won’t have to go pulling out clumps of stuffing — instead, the pillow includes three removable inserts to lower the loft. Each insert contains memory foam pieces and down alternative fibers to create a blend of firm support and soft comfort. In addition, the memory foam is CertiPUR-US certified, so it won’t release harmful chemicals.

As with most pillows that contain memory foam, the Sleep Number is not machine washable, so it has the potential to accumulate lint and allergens over time. The covers are fortunately machine washable. In addition, a few buyers think that the inserts aren’t customizable enough because there is too big a difference between each loft level.

Are you a hot sleeper? A cooling pillow like the Brooklyn Bedding Luxury Cooling Pillow can help regulate your body temperature with the help of cooling gel. We like this pillow in particular because the responsive memory foam doesn’t sink into one shape and stay there — rather, it adapts to your body’s movements. Plus, the memory foam naturally contains copper which gives it antimicrobial properties.

Some reviewers find the responsive nature of the pillow uncomfortable because it doesn’t sink down enough. You can choose between a low and high loft before buying, but you can’t customize the loft beyond that. In addition, adding a pillowcase may reduce the cooling properties.

If you’re looking for a natural alternative to memory foam that doesn’t leave you hot and sweaty, consider the Plush Beds Shredded Latex Pillow. The organic latex is springy and airy, so it doesn’t hold onto heat as well as down and polyester. The organic cotton cover also helps release heat. And since the latex is shredded, you can remove some of it or push it around inside the pillow to create a contoured shape.

This pillow is spot-clean only, so it may accumulate dust and allergens as you use it. It is also not as cooling as pillows with synthetic cooling gels, and the loft may be too high for people with a smaller body frame.

If you run hot, you’ll love the Uniqwarmer Cooling Pillows. They contain shredded memory foam to create firm support, and the cover has two sides: a “cool side” made of silk fabric, and a “soft side” made of bamboo and polyester. The loft is also adjustable — simply remove handfuls of filling until you reach your desired loft level.

As with all memory foam, this pillow may have a chemical smell during the first few days. In addition, some buyers complain that the zipper breaks easily and the pillow itself could be more cooling.

Dreaming of a cooling pillow that won’t empty your pockets? We like the NEIPOTA Cooling Side Sleeper Pillows because the middle layer contains gel fibers that reduce heat. The top and lower layers contain elastic fibers which add support while cradling your head. The smooth exterior fabric is made of organic tencel and Egyptian polyester. Plus, the pillow is completely machine washable.

Reviewers note that these pillows feel too soft at first but firm up in two days after removing them from the packaging. To speed things along, let them spin in the dryer on low heat. In addition, the fill is not adjustable and some reviewers note that the loft is too high.

Most “organic” pillows only have a few organic components, which is why the Saatva Latex Pillow stands above the rest. This 100 percent organic pillow features a shredded natural latex core for support and removable fill. The fill is machine washable and made of organic cotton and microdenier fibers to give the feel of natural down. Also, this pillow comes in two loft levels: high and standard.

This pillow isn’t completely machine washable — you must first remove the latex core. However, being able to wash the main fill is a huge plus. Some buyers may find this pillow too soft.

The Turmerry Egg Crate Pillow is unique: It has a textured, egg-crate design to help evenly distribute weight across the whole pillow. This might sound lumpy and unpleasant, but buyers love the soft feel and the fact that their shoulder and neck pain disappears. This pillow comes in three firmness levels: soft, medium, and firm.

Since the Turmerry Egg Crate Pillow is one piece of latex, it isn’t customizable or moldable like shredded latex. So, you’ll be stuck with just one loft size unless you cut the latex with scissors, as one reviewer did. In addition, this pillow isn’t as cooling as those with gel interiors.

There are so many down alternative pillows out there, but the Boll & Branch is the best (in our opinion) because it is sustainably made. It features an OEKO-TEX certified, hypoallergenic fill that comes in three density levels: soft, medium, or firm. The outer shell is 100 percent organic cotton, and the pillow is machine washable on a gentle cycle.

With an impressive amount of loft, these pillows need multiple cycles in the dryer to get dry. They also don’t have any contouring or the extra-firm support of memory foam, so they may not be ideal for some side sleepers.

Looking for a truly washable pillow that will stay intact in the washer? Try the LOFE Organic Cotton Pillow, which is made with a 100-percent organic cotton shell and durable, hypoallergenic, poly-cluster filling. The pillow is a slightly tan color because it isn’t bleached white, and the fill is removable so you can achieve the right loft.

Bear in mind that these pillows aren’t made specifically for side sleepers, so you may need to stack two of them to get the right height and loft. In addition, the zipper may get caught on the filling.