Best Pillows for Neck Pain

Pillows that effectively reduce neck pain can be somewhat expensive, but the Original Groove Pillow manages to be affordable without skimping on quality or performance. The ergonomic design is particularly beneficial if you wake up with stiffness or soreness in your neck.

How It Performed

With a loft of 4.5 inches, the pillow earned its highest ratings from side and back sleepers. The solid foam core feels adaptive, but a firm feel and ergonomic design should prevent your head and neck from sinking too deeply. We were also impressed with the breathable scuba-knit cover, which offset the foam’s heat-absorbing properties to a noticeable degree.

What It’s Made of

The pillow’s core consists of solid memory foam infused with bamboo charcoal to offset heat retention. An ergonomic shape helps alleviate discomfort by elevating the neck and cradling the head, and a mid-range loft of 4.5 inches should be comfortable for side and back sleepers.

The cover is composed of breathable, scuba-knit polyester with a luxuriously soft hand-feel. You can remove and machine wash the cover to keep your pillow hygienic. Wash the cover with whites, then air dry or tumble dry. Weighing a little over 2 pounds, the pillow is very lightweight and easy to reposition during the night. One size is available.

In addition to the pillow’s below-average price-point, you’ll receive a discount of 10% to 20% if you include two, three or four pillows with your purchase. Shipping is free for most orders, but the rate is quite low in the event you pay for delivery. Groove’s sleep trial runs for 100 nights, during which you may return the pillow if it doesn’t meet your expectations.

The Eli & Elm Side-Sleeper Pillow has a unconventional shape with a recessed middle for the shoulder, designed to fit to your body while side sleeping. This accommodates your shoulders and provides the needed support to reduce neck pain.

How It Performed

The pillow has a relatively high loft that our side-sleeping testers thoroughly enjoyed. This thickness helps keep your head and neck aligned with the rest of your body while sleeping on your side. Although the pillow is specifically designed for side sleepers, our team’s back sleepers weighing up to 230 pounds also enjoyed this model’s mid-range feel.

Latex has a more responsive feel, and this prevented the pillow from sinking beneath the weight of our testers’ heads. Thanks to the use of breathable materials like cotton and latex, the pillow excelled in our temperature neutrality tests. We recommend this model if you tend to run hot or sweat at night.

What It’s Made of

The filling is a blend of latex and polyester fiber that provides enough resistance to hold your head aloft. Latex is a naturally breathable material, and the filling features gel infusions for enhanced cooling. Filling can be added or removed to adjust the loft, which also had an impact on the firmness during our tests. You can also purchase additional fill if you prefer an even thicker profile. The pillow has a breathable cover made of an organic cotton and polyester blend, which you can machine wash for easy care.

The Eli & Elm Organic Cotton Side-Sleeper Pillow is offered in just one size, suitable for a queen or a king mattress. Shipping is free to the contiguous U.S. The pillow comes with a 45-day return policy and a 5-year warranty.

Proper neck support from your pillow is key to alleviating aches and pains. Materials like memory foam and down tend to sink beneath your weight, but latex — derived from rubber tree extract — is highly responsive and resistant to shape loss. The Brooklyn Bedding Talalay Latex Pillow showcases these qualities. The solid latex core is soft enough to cushion sore spots, but you’ll notice significant springiness as your head and neck settle. Two loft options also make the pillow suitable for different sleep positions.

How It Performed

Our side sleepers felt most comfortable on the high-loft pillow. This design provides plenty of padding to fill the space between your head and downward-facing shoulder, which is crucial for proper spinal alignment and less neck pain when lying in the side position. Some of our back sleepers also preferred the high-loft pillow, but others found the lower-loft pillow better suited to their needs. The pillow will probably be too thick for stomach sleepers regardless of loft selection.

Temperature control was a testing highlight. The latex is ventilated with small holes to promote air circulation and the cover is highly breathable, so the pillow should sleep noticeably cooler than competing models with memory foam cores. Our tests also show the pillow excels at shape retention, even after prolonged use.

What It’s Made of

The pillow’s core consists of solid Talalay latex, a material known for natural springiness and durability. A soft organic cotton cover encases the latex. You may remove and machine wash the cover whenever a cleaning is needed. The pillow is available in lofts of 4 and 5 inches. Customers can also choose between queen and king sizes.

The Talalay Latex Pillow is affordably priced compared to many competing models made from the same materials, and Brooklyn Bedding offers free ground shipping throughout the contiguous U.S. Your purchase comes with a 30-night trial period. If you decide to keep the pillow, it’s also covered under a 3-year manufacturer’s warranty.

If you experience neck pain at night, you can benefit greatly from a pillow that alleviates pressure. We found the Silk & Snow Pillow provides enough cushioning to cradle your neck, thus relieving pressure buildup, while still maintaining moderate support.

How It Performed

Given the adjustable design, the Silk & Snow was compatible with most of our testers’ sleep positions. Even stomach sleepers on our team, who typically have a harder time finding suitable pillows, found this pillow comfortable. If you sleep on your stomach, you often require low-loft pillows to keep your head aligned with your spine. This pillow allows you to remove large amounts of foam in order to achieve this low loft. The plush fill and memory foam together offer excellent contouring for your head and neck, which goes a long way toward relieving aches and pains. At the same time, we found the pillow retains a medium feel that prevented our testers’ heads from sinking deep into the pillow.

What It’s Made of

The pillow features a core made of shredded memory foam that helps lift the head while remaining quite moldable. The foam core is surrounded by a chamber of microfiber fill that mimics the plush feel of down, offering cushioning for the head and neck. A breathable cotton shell encases the pillow. This cover is also removable and machine-washable for easy care. Silk & Snow recommends you wash on a cold cycle and dry on a low setting.

Silk & Snow offers a 100-night sleep trial, during which you can test the mattress and return it after a mandatory 30-day break-in period. The pillow is also backed by a 3-year warranty. Shipping within the contiguous U.S. and all Canadian provinces is free.

The Sweet Zzz Plant-Based Pillow features a core made from botanically derived down alternative fibers that deeply cushion the head and neck. This gesture and the medium feel made the pillow popular among our testers with sharp pressure points.

How It Performed

The medium feel offered a comfortable balance of cushioning and support that most of our team enjoyed. Our testing found back sleepers particularly appreciated the mid-range feel, which helped keep their bodies on an even plane while relieving pressure in the neck. You may also enjoy the pillow if you tend to sleep hot because the fibers retain less heat than traditional down. The cover is naturally moisture-wicking, making it a great option if you often sweat at night.

What It’s Made of

Natural cotton makes up the pillow shell, which is breathable and moisture-wicking. The pillow core features two layers of plant-based fibers. The outer layer contains plush fibers that add great cushioning for the head and neck, while the inner layer has firmer, denser fibers for extra support. The pillow is fully washable in household machines. Simply wash it in cold water on a gentle cycle, and tumble dry it on low heat.

Two sizes are available: standard and king. Along with the competitive price-point, you’re eligible for free shipping if you live in the contiguous U.S, and Sweet Zzz offers a 50-night sleep trial. Plant-Based Pillow purchases are backed by 1-year warranties that cover structural defects.

The Noble Head Pillow is a luxury pillow that offers an impressive range of customizable options. The adjustable design makes this model a strong choice for sleepers who need a very particular firmness and loft to optimize comfort and minimize neck pain during sleep.

How It Performed

The pillow has a unique nine-chamber design that allows you to customize each chamber with the fill of your choice. You may add or remove fill as needed to achieve a calibration of loft and support that works for you. Our product testers have encountered very few pillows with this degree of customization, so we recommend it for sleepers seeking a highly adjustable pillow to alleviate neck pain or discomfort.

What It’s Made of

You may choose from three different fill options, each with different performance features and firmness levels. The shredded memory foam fill has a medium soft feel, the shredded latex fill has a medium firm feel, and the wool fill has the firmest feel of all three. Latex and wool are both breathable materials that retain little heat, so hot sleepers may gravitate toward these fill materials. Foam retains more heat but excels at pressure relief, offering the deepest cradling of all three fill materials.

The pillow cover is composed of breathable cotton with GOTS certification to ensure it’s been organically sourced. The wool is GOTS-certified, as well, and the latex has GOLS certification. You’ll receive one bag of extra fill with your pillow, and you may order additional fill free of charge within 30 days. All pillows come with a GOTS-certified organic cotton pillowcase.

Noble Pillow offers free shipping to addresses in the U.S and Canada. The pillow comes with a 30-day sleep trial and 5-year warranty.

Many pillows on the market are suitable for back and stomach sleepers, but the Shredded Memory Foam Pillow from Helix is specifically targeted toward people who use one or both of these positions. While the pillow’s 6.5-inch profile qualifies as high-loft, the shredded foam and down alternative fill sinks deeply to prevent excessive elevation of the head and neck. 

How It Performed

Most of our back and stomach sleepers found the Shredded Memory Foam Pillow comfortable during hands-on tests. The fill is both plush and adaptive, resulting in a squishy yet supportive surface for the head and neck. A small number of these testers found the pillow too thick. Side sleepers on our team preferred the thicker profile of Helix’s corresponding pillow designed for this position.

We were impressed at the lack of heat retention, which can be attributed to the moisture-wicking Tencel cover. The pillow also performed well during our moldability tests. Since the cover is removable and machine-washable, we awarded high marks for ease of cleaning. You may need to fluff the pillow somewhat frequently to restore the shape. Our off-gassing tests indicate some initial odor that should pass within a few days.

What It’s Made of

The pillow contains a fill blend of 90% shredded memory foam and 10% down alternative fibers. Although traces of the latter add some extra softness to the design, this pillow feels similar to many other shredded foam models we’ve tested. A Tencel cover encases the fill. The design is not adjustable. Standard and king sizes are available.

Approachable pricing and free shipping throughout the contiguous U.S. and provincial Canada make the Shredded Memory Foam Pillow a great option for shoppers with tight budgets. Your purchase also comes with a generous 100-night trial period, and those who decide to keep their pillow after the trial ends receive a year of warranty coverage.

Boll & Branch has earned a reputation for luxurious sleep products with approachable price-points. The Down Chamber Pillow epitomizes the brand’s commitment to quality and affordability. This pillow is available in three density levels, so most people can choose at least one comfortable option regardless of their primary sleep position.

How It Performed

Our team tested all three of the Down Chamber Pillow’s density levels. The soft design sinks somewhat deeply, resulting in a lower profile that was most comfortable for our stomach sleepers. If you sleep on your back, we recommend the medium density pillow — you should receive adequate support for your neck without excessive elevation. Side sleepers on our team preferred the firm pillow due to its extra loft and thick profile.

During our temperature control tests, we found that the down retains some heat, but the breathable shell promotes enough airflow to prevent uncomfortable warmth. The chambered design distributes the fill evenly, so you shouldn’t need to fluff the pillow too often, but the down and feathers make it feel moldable and snuggly. You may notice a slight odor at first, which is common with down pillows.

What It’s Made of

The pillow is constructed with three chambers. Soft pillows contain down in all three chambers. Down fills the outer chambers of medium and firm pillows, creating a plush surface for your head and neck, while feathers fill the core to provide support and prevent uncomfortable sinkage. The pillow has received certification from the International Down Standard, indicating all geese are humanely treated.

A breathable organic cotton shell encases the fill. The pillow is fully machine-washable. Wash in cold water on a gentle cycle, then tumble dry on low heat. Boll & Branch recommends laundering the pillow no more than once every 3 months to preserve its structure. Standard and king sizes are available.

In addition to affordable pricing for the Down Chamber Pillow, Boll & Branch offers free ground shipping for all domestic U.S. orders. Returns are accepted within 30 days, provided the pillow is in pristine condition with its original tags intact.