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The 6 Best Pillow for Side Sleepers of 2023

We tested pillows for side sleepers from brands like Honeydew, Tempur-Pedic, Casper, Sleep Artisan, and others to find the best for a good night's sleep
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Best Pillow for Side Sleepers of 2023
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch
By Ethan Newman & Ben Applebaum-Bauch  ⋅  Apr 6, 2023

Are you on the hunt for the perfect pillow for side sleeping? We've tested dozens of the best pillows to bring you the top 16 products available today in search of the best pillow for side sleepers. Our testing team spent night after night atop each product to determine which ones work best for those who prefer to sleep on their sides. We looked for the comfiest, highest quality pillows and put them through their paces on our beds and in our washing machines. We checked features, tested firmness, and measured thickness to bring you this in-depth review. We are here to help you find exactly what your nights have been missing.

Don't sleep on our other reviews! We want you to rest well, which is why we have an entire selection of bedroom reviews where we've chosen our favorite sheets, the best electric blankets, and the top comforters, all dedicated to helping you get a good nights sleep.

Editor's Note: This review was updated on April 6, 2023, to include five newly tested products, including options from Snuggle-Pedic, Eli & Elm, Casper, Linenspa, and Saatva.

Top 16 Product Ratings

Displaying 1 - 5 of 16
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Awards Editors' Choice Award Top Pick Award Best Buy Award   
Price $150 List
$149.99 at Amazon
$170 List
$145.00 at Amazon
$72 List
$72.00 at Amazon
$107 List$165 List
Overall Score Sort Icon
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Pros Fill is adjustable, crescent shape is good for shoulder space, pleasantly firmCrescent shape moves with you, supportive foam even when adjusted, hypoallergenic materialsEntirely washable, adjustable filling, comes with extra fillingAdjustable fill, firm in shape, soft in textureWashable outer case, softer texture, long
Cons Fabric on the side is slightly crinkly, have to pull all the fill out to washCan only spot wash, too little fill will compress too muchLess comfortable than crescent-shaped options, fill not extend into cornersRectangular shape is less conducive to side sleeping, can't wash the fillingExpensive, not good for latex allergies
Bottom Line Our absolute favorite overall with well-balanced fill material, an exceptionally comfortable crescent shape, smooth fabric, and the ability to adjust the fillOur recommendation for those who tend to roll around while asleep, and its high quality fill is adjustable to get you comfier fasterA quality standard shaped pillow with a pleasant adjustable shredded memory foam filling that's easy to cleanA super soft pillow with a nicely textured case and adjustable fillA high-quality latex pillow with a washable outer case
Rating Categories Honeydew The Scrump... Sleep Artisan Luxur... Coop Home Goods The... Nest Bedding Easy B... Saatva Latex
Comfort (40%)
9.0
8.5
7.0
8.5
8.0
Features (25%)
6.5
8.0
5.5
6.0
5.5
Quality (20%)
8.5
7.0
7.5
7.0
7.0
Washability (15%)
5.5
4.0
10.0
5.5
6.0
Specs Honeydew The Scrump... Sleep Artisan Luxur... Coop Home Goods The... Nest Bedding Easy B... Saatva Latex
Fill Material 73% CertiPur (US certified copper infused gel memory foam), 27% polyester fiber 85% cross cut natural talalay latex, 15% poly silk fiber Memory foam, microfiber 70% non-toxic CertiPur (US® certified virgin foam), 30% smooth polyester fiber 59% polyester fiber, 41% shredded latex foam rubber
Machine Washable Partial Partial Yes Partial Partial
Adjustable Fill Yes Yes Yes Yes No
Removable Cover No Yes No Yes Yes
Care Instructions Remove fill to wash case Cover can be washed on cold with all of the fill removed or spot cleaned Delicate cycle Remove the outer cover from the pillow, wash cover in cold water on a delicate cycle, do not use fabric softener or bleach, dry on low heat until the cover is dry, do not dry on high heat; the cover may warp and shrink Do not machine wash or dry this product as a whole, outer cover and outer pillow may be removed and machine wash cold, gentle cycle, wash with mild soap, do not bleach, tumble dry low, warm steam iron when needed, do not put latex insert in washer or dryer


Best Overall Pillow for Side Sleepers


Honeydew The Scrumptious Side Sleeper


78
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 9.0
  • Features 6.5
  • Quality 8.5
  • Washability 5.5
Machine Washable: Outer cover only | Fill: Copper infused foam
REASONS TO BUY
Adjustable fill
Crescent shape gives room for shoulders
Stays pleasantly firm even with some fill removed
REASONS TO AVOID
Side fabric can be crinkly
Must remove the fill to wash

The Honeydew The Scrumptious Side Sleeper pillow is our favorite pillow for side sleepers. We loved the crescent shape, which provided plenty of room for shoulders, and pleasantly cradled our heads even when rolling around. This super wide model is just as comfortable at the edges as it is in the middle. The level of fill is adjustable, and it still feels full and reasonably firm even after we removed a decent amount.

The only thing we don't love is that it doesn't have an inner liner between the fill and the outer shell. Since the fill itself isn't washable, laundering the outer cover requires removing every piece of stuffing. A band of stiffer fabric runs around the side of the pillow that crinkles when folding the pillow. All in all, we love the Scrumptious pillow. It has a well-balanced firmness, is fully adjustable, and has a great shape. It's our favorite pillow we've ever slept on and the best pillow for side sleepers.

Crescent-shaped pillows like the Honeydew Scrumptious stay just as comfortable whether you are lying on a point or in the middle.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Best Bang for Your Buck


Coop Home Goods The Original


72
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 7.0
  • Features 5.5
  • Quality 7.5
  • Washability 10.0
Machine Washable: Fully washable | Fill: Cross cut memory foam
REASONS TO BUY
Adjustable fill
Fully washable
Comes with additional fill
REASONS TO AVOID
Not as comfortable as crescent-shaped models
Fill doesn't reach corners

The Coop Home Goods The Original is a comfortable and quality option for its price. At first glance, it's a standard rectangle pillow with foam fill. However, the shredded memory foam blended with microfiber is quite pleasant and can be adjusted to your desired thickness by inserting additional fill. It's one of the softer options we tested, but it still provides decent support even after removing some of the fill. We also love that it is fully washable — just chuck the whole thing into the washing machine and run it on delicate.

This pillow would rise to the next level if it were crescent-shaped like some of the other top contenders in this category. We also noticed that the double cover design, though nice for washing, leaves the corners of this pillow with less stuffing. Otherwise, this model is a solid choice for those who want a more conventionally shaped pillow for side sleepers.

pillow for side sleepers - we like that the coop pillow has adjustable, high-quality fill and a...
We like that the Coop Pillow has adjustable, high-quality fill and a reasonable price tag, but felt that its comfort wasn't on par with the crescent-shaped models we tested.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Best on a Tight Budget


Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Shredded Foam


63
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 5.5
  • Features 6.0
  • Quality 5.5
  • Washability 10.0
Machine Washable: Fully washable | Fill: 80% shredded polyurethane foam, 20% polyfiber
REASONS TO BUY
Adjustable with additional foam included
Fully machine washable
Reasonably priced
REASONS TO AVOID
Lumpy texture
Lower quality fill

The Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Shredded Foam offers much value. It has a high-quality case and is fully adjustable. It even comes with a bonus tube of fill so you can immediately dial in the loft to just the right thickness. We love that the whole pillow is machine washable, and the thick, high-quality outer case is also removable for easy washing. In terms of comfort, we appreciate that the stuffing is evenly distributed across the whole pillow, so the edges provide just as much support as the center.

Compared to the rest of the category, this pillow doesn't quite reach the top of the pack. The lumpy filling doesn't make for the most comfortable experience. It also doesn't look or feel like the highest-quality material and can compress over time. However, if you are looking for a great value in a memory foam pillow, there's enough to like about this one to give it a try.

pillow for side sleepers - the snuggle-pedic memory foam is an inexpensive adjustable shredded...
The Snuggle-Pedic Memory Foam is an inexpensive adjustable shredded memory foam pillow.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Best for Restless Sleepers


Sleep Artisan Luxury Side Sleeper


74
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 8.5
  • Features 8.0
  • Quality 7.0
  • Washability 4.0
Machine Washable: Cover only | Fill: 85% Latex foam, 15% poly silk fiber
REASONS TO BUY
Long crescent shape stays with you when rolling
Foam stays firm, even when adjusted
Hypoallergenic
REASONS TO AVOID
Spot wash only
Soft spot forms in the middle if too much fill is removed

The Sleep Artisan Luxury Side Sleeper only lost to our favorite by a smidge; we love this pillow too. The long crescent shape rolled accommodatingly along with our lead tester, who tends to sleep with all the restfulness of a horizontal tornado. We really like the fill, which nicely fills the cover even when adjusted to be thinner. The sideband that helps keep its shape is also softer than the Honeydew pillow, which is a nice benefit. It can also be folded and tucked nicely if you want a firmer or thicker spot in the middle of the night.

The Sleep Artisan is made with high-quality filling, but only the cover can be laundered, and the filling has to be spot washed. Some testers also wished this pillow was a touch firmer when thinned down, but it is still one of our favorites. We recommend this model as a great pillow for side sleepers who are also restless sleepers, as it rolls with you.

pillow for side sleepers - despite our lead tester&#039;s inability to stay still throughout the...
Despite our lead tester's inability to stay still throughout the night, the Sleep Artisan pillow stayed with him all night, even with lots of fidgeting.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Most Supportive Pillow


Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo


65
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 6.5
  • Features 5.0
  • Quality 8.0
  • Washability 7.0
Machine Washable: Cover only | Fill: Memory foam
REASONS TO BUY
Very supportive
Surprisingly cool for firm foam
Doesn't lose shape
REASONS TO AVOID
Annoying piping on the sides
Only the cover can be washed

The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo offers exceptional support. It is shaped to fit comfortably between your neck and shoulders. This solid-block memory foam pillow is plenty cool, which is all the more surprising given its firmness and density. Though it is not adjustable, it is available in different sizes and thicknesses. The material also rebounds quite easily, so fluffing is never needed. We also appreciate its removable and washable cover for quick cleaning.

This pillow has some annoyingly stiff piping sewn onto the edges of each side. You can feel it through the case, and it's uncomfortable. Some sleepers may also find the overall texture of this pillow too firm to be comfortable. Still, we recommend this one to sleepers who like a very supportive pillow or who have neck pain from pillows that aren't firm enough.

pillow for side sleepers - if you like a reliably firm memory foam pillow that doesn&#039;t deform...
If you like a reliably firm memory foam pillow that doesn't deform, even when you're head is on the edge, the Tempur-Ego is the one we recommend.
Credit: Laura Casner

Best Pillow to Keep You Cool


Hullo Buckwheat Pillow


60
OVERALL
SCORE
  • Comfort 6.0
  • Features 5.5
  • Quality 6.0
  • Washability 6.5
Machine Washable: Cover only | Fill: Buckwheat hulls
REASONS TO BUY
Adjustable fill
Pillow doesn't slide away
Stays cooler than other pillows
REASONS TO AVOID
Noisy
Unusual texture

The Hullo Buckwheat Pillow might be the cushion of your dreams if staying cool at night is one of your top priorities. A staple in many traditional Japanese households, this pillow for side sleepers is a simple but pleasant product incorporating an organic cotton case and American-grown buckwheat filling. Our lead tester, who sleeps warm, found that the buckwheat fill stayed cooler than foam pillows, maintaining a comfortable temperature all night long. It's also heavy. The standard size weighs nearly nine pounds, so it won't roll away from you at night, and it generally keeps its shape once you settle in. It's also adjustable, and Hullo offers replacement buckwheat if, for some reason, you need to refill it.

One noticeable drawback is the amount of noise the buckwheat makes. The shells are noisy when your ear is pressed against the pillow, especially when moving. If you're sensitive to noise at night, this might not be the best product for you or your partner. It's also considerably more firm than any other non-buckwheat cushion we tested and has a texture similar to a bag of beans, which some might find offputting. However, if you need a supportive pillow that keeps you cool and you like the idea of natural materials, we recommend trying the Hullo pillow.

pillow for side sleepers - the hullo buckwheat pillow is our favorite naturally filled pillow...
The Hullo Buckwheat Pillow is our favorite naturally filled pillow. It kept us cool and is fully adjustable.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Compare Products

select up to 5 products to compare
Score Product Price
78
Honeydew The Scrumptious Side Sleeper
honeydew the scrumptious side sleeper pillow for side sleepers
$150
Editors' Choice Award
74
Sleep Artisan Luxury Side Sleeper
sleep artisan luxury side sleeper pillow for side sleepers
$170
Top Pick Award
72
Coop Home Goods The Original
coop home goods the original pillow for side sleepers
$72
Best Buy Award
71
Nest Bedding Easy Breather
nest bedding easy breather pillow for side sleepers
$107
69
Saatva Latex
saatva latex pillow for side sleepers
$165
68
Eli & Elm Cotton Side
eli & elm cotton side pillow for side sleepers
$145
67
Casper Hybrid
casper hybrid pillow for side sleepers
$99
Best Buy Award
65
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo
tempur-pedic tempur-ergo pillow for side sleepers
$109
Top Pick Award
63
Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Shredded Foam
snuggle-pedic adjustable shredded foam pillow for side sleepers
$55
Best Buy Award
61
Mkicesky Side Sleeper Memory Foam
mkicesky side sleeper memory foam pillow for side sleepers
$79
60
Hullo Buckwheat Pillow
hullo buckwheat pillow pillow for side sleepers
$109
Top Pick Award
58
Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo
xtreme comforts shredded memory foam bamboo pillow for side sleepers
$55
56
EPABO Contour Memory Foam Pillow
epabo contour memory foam pillow pillow for side sleepers
$50
Best Buy Award
53
Beans72 Organic Buckwheat
beans72 organic buckwheat pillow for side sleepers
$60
50
Beckham Luxury Hotel Collection Gel Pillow
beckham luxury hotel collection gel pillow pillow for side sleepers
$50
33
Linenspa Shredded Memory Foam
linenspa shredded memory foam pillow for side sleepers
$25

pillow for side sleepers - snuggle in as we detail the results from our extensive testing and...
Snuggle in as we detail the results from our extensive testing and assessments.
Credit: Laura Casner

Why You Should Trust Us


Before purchasing the top pillows for side sleepers, we scoured the market, assessing dozens of models to determine the most promising ones to evaluate. We tested these pillows extensively, with thorough personal use and carefully designed evaluations. Our testers and their partners slept on these pillows for weeks, rotating through them to make comparisons and see how they performed. Our testing team also washed each model according to their instructions to see how they held up and put every pillow through multiple dryer cycles to accelerate the wear process to see how each fared.

We have divided our scoring of pillows for side sleepers across four different metrics:
  • Comfort (40% of overall score weight)
  • Features (25% weighting)
  • Quality (20% weighting)
  • Washability (15% weighting)

Leading this review are Ethan Newman and Ben Applebaum-Bauch. Ethan knows quality bedding as someone who owns and operates a small B'n'B. He is also an extremely light sleeper and sensitive to small changes in his sleeping environment. Ethan has picked through dozens and dozens of pillows, sheets, and mattresses to find the highest quality and value in his bedding for both himself and his guests. Ben has been testing products with GearLab since 2018. In that time, he has reviewed hundreds of home goods and camping products, including camping blankets, tents, and backpacking chairs, so he takes his sleep and relaxation seriously, no matter where he is.

The crescent shape of the Scrumptious leaves room for shoulders.
The crescent shape of the Scrumptious leaves room for shoulders.
We slept all night and napped during the day to get these pillows...
We slept all night and napped during the day to get these pillows accurately and thoroughly assessed.
The Saatva Latex is soft and fluffy with a washable outer case.
The Saatva Latex is soft and fluffy with a washable outer case.
Testing pillows is all in a day's (night's?) work for our team of experts.

Analysis and Test Results


We used four metrics to analyze the pillows for the most objective reviews possible. Each metric covers a different kind of performance for these products. We rated each pillow for comfort, quality, washability, and features for this review.


Value


When thinking about value, we are comparing the overall score of a product relative to its price. We want to determine whether an expensive item can justify its price with its performance. Similarly, we also look for models that punch above their weight class. Given a product's price point, that means a performance exceeding what we expect. The Coop Home Goods The Original has excellent overall performance at a reasonable price. The Snuggle-Pedic Memory Foam is a shredded foam pillow for side sleepers that can't be beaten when adhering to a tight budget. Yet, in some cases, products are worth their higher prices because they represent a sound investment. The Honeydew The Scrumptious Side Sleeper is that product. It's an all-star sleeper sidekick that cradled our heads in the utmost comfort and was unanimously loved by our entire testing team.

pillow for side sleepers - the beckham pillow is a bit too voluminous for our taste as regular...
The Beckham pillow is a bit too voluminous for our taste as regular side sleepers, and it isn't adjustable like some of the others.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Comfort


First and foremost, pillows must be comfortable. Otherwise, why even buy them? Comfort is also essential for this specialized pillow for side sleepers review because, if you're here, you've likely already tried conventional pillows, and they just aren't comfy enough or don't suit your preferred sleeping position. Most pillows are designed for back sleepers, and a comfortable pillow for a back sleeper might be quite uncomfortable for a side sleeper.


We tested our comfort metric by using each pillow in our beds, with our lead testers and their partners using each one for multiple nights to evaluate them. We specifically evaluated comfort while sleeping on our sides, which is the natural sleep position of all our testers. We considered each model's head and neck support and assessed any neck discomfort we experienced in the morning or misalignment that would wake us up during the night. We also looked at the texture of the exterior as well as the interior fill. They scored lower if we had to do a lot of squishing and specific positioning for the pillow to be comfortable. The pillow scored higher if it felt nice with just the initial adjustment. Because comfort is so important for a side sleeper pillow, we heavily weighted their performance in this metric.

Illustrating differences in firmness between the Epabo Contour on the left and Saatva Latex on the right.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Our testing team found that crescent-shaped products, like the Sleep Artisan and Honeydew Scrumptious, are some of the most comfortable pillows for side sleepers. The curve provides room for your shoulders, while the wider part cradles your face nicely. These particular models are equally comfortable from edge to edge. The Sleep Artisan pillow fill is a touch softer than the Honeydew. The Eli & Elm Cotton Side has an even more pointed crescent shape with a deep concave center. The fill is springier than the Honeydew and offers a little more resistance.

pillow for side sleepers - two crescent side sleeper pillows: the eli &amp; elm cotton side...
Two crescent side sleeper pillows: the Eli & Elm Cotton Side (top) with a deep shoulder cavity and the Honeydew Scrumptious (bottom) with a shallower curve.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

For similar textures with a more standard shape, we like the Coop Home Goods The Original pillow quite a bit. Its fill is a pleasant blend of shredded memory foam and microfiber that can be adjusted to your desired thickness. It's one of the softer options we tried, but it still provides decent support even after removing some of the fill. The Saatva Latex is one of the plushest in the category. Its latex core and polyester outer layer offer a soft but supportive headrest in a traditional rectangle. The Casper Hybrid offers a similar level of support with a unique combination of a polyester fiber base with a layer of foam on top.

The foam fill of the Nest Bedding Easy Breather is nicely firm and springy but also allows your head to sink into the pillow. It is adjustable by removing some stuffing through a side zipper. The outer fabric is nicely textured and quite soft. The texture also helps keep it a touch cooler, as it allows for a bit of airflow. The Snuggle-Pedic Memory Foam is similar but with chunks of firmer foam, and it even comes with an extra tube of fill for even more support. The Linenspa Shredded Memory Foam uses the same strategy of incorporating shreds or chunks of fill rather than a solid mass of memory foam.

pillow for side sleepers - the casper hybrid &amp;#40;bottom&amp;#41; and the snuggle-pedic...
The Casper Hybrid (bottom) and the Snuggle-Pedic (top) have different types of fill. The former is made from solid pieces of material, the latter is shredded bits of foam and fiber.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch


The Epabo Contour Memory Foam and Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo are firmer, more supportive options designed to contour your neck. For a very firm pillow, the Hullo pillow is filled with buckwheat, which compresses less than foam and also keeps you nice and cool. The Beckham Luxury Hotel Collection Gel feels like a standard pillow. It has a nice gel fiberfill and smooth cotton fabric, though ultimately, it is way too fluffy to be a decent pillow for side sleepers.

pillow for side sleepers - the triple layer saatva has a soft case &amp;#40;left&amp;#41;, a poly fiber...
The triple layer Saatva has a soft case (left), a poly fiber outer layer (middle), and a latex core (right).
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Features


You might be asking, how many features can a pillow for side sleepers truly have? A surprising amount, we'd answer. The key feature for many of these is adjustability. Some pillows can be completely adjusted from overstuffed orbs of fluff to nearly empty bags with just a whiff of fill and every level in between.


The Sleep Artisan, Honeydew Scrumptious, Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo, Coop, Hullo Buckwheat, Snuggle-Pedic Adjustable Shredded Foam, Eli & Elm Cotton Side, and Beans72 Organic Buckwheat are all completely adjustable by adding or removing their loose-fill materials. This customization is a great advantage for fine-tuning the fill level we want to fit our neck and shoulders. We especially appreciate that the Snuggle-Pedic comes with an extra tube of shredded foam for immediate adjustment. The Saatva Latex is unique among the fleet. It has a latex core in a separate case, surrounded by another layer of polyfiber fill in a separate compartment, all wrapped in another case. It's not technically adjustable in the same manner as the models with shredded foam, but you could remove the latex center if you wanted a much lower-volume pillow.

Some pillows like the Saatva Latex are squishier but easy to fluff up.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

The buckwheat pillows involve the least amount of hassle to adjust. The buckwheat hulls are simple and quick to pour in and out of the case. On the other hand, shredded foam tends to get everywhere once it's out of the casing. As a bonus, buckwheat pillows typically feel cooler than foam pillows — a great feature for hot sleepers. We also like the Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo for its excellent airflow and the Casper Hybrid, which both have a long-lasting cool-pillow feeling.

pillow for side sleepers - the mkicesky pillow had an odd hole in the middle that cradles your...
The Mkicesky pillow had an odd hole in the middle that cradles your head well and is nice for listening with earbuds on your side but works much better for sleeping on your back.
Credit: Ethan Newman

On the pillows made of a solid piece of foam, include scoops to support the curve of your neck away from your shoulders. We liked the execution of this feature on the Epabo pillow. We didn't like it nearly as much on the Mkicesky Side Sleeper Memory Foam, as it felt like it pushed our shoulders awkwardly. The Mkicesky also has a hole cut through the middle to create a head cradle that seemed like a better fit for back sleepers than side sleepers, but we could kind of use it when trying to relax with earbud headphones in.

pillow for side sleepers - the epabo contour lives up to its name with a unique notch in the...
The Epabo Contour lives up to its name with a unique notch in the middle of the pillow that cradles the head and neck.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Quality


If you're going to plunk down the cash for a decent pillow, it should be well-constructed and made with quality fabrics and fill. We evaluated each pillow's quality by assessing its materials and finely combing over each pillow before and after use to find spots that might break down over time. We also washed each model multiple times according to the manufacturers' instructions to see how well they recovered from it and if they suffered any wear and tear.


The highest-scoring models impressed us from their unboxing through the end of our extensive testing: the Casper Hybrid, Honeydew Scrumptious, and Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo. We especially appreciate the elasticity and the quality of the zipper on the Casper case.

The Nest Bedding Easy Breather has a thick and nicely textured case with a silk band to keep this pillow well-lofted for years to come. Both Buckwheat pillows, the Hullo and Beans72, are also quite durable, as the cotton covers held up to washing well, and the buckwheat fill is robust. Buckwheat hulls are also inexpensive and easy to replace if needed.

pillow for side sleepers - to accelerate the wear cycle in order to test for quality...
To accelerate the wear cycle in order to test for quality construction, we put each pillow through multiple heatless dryer cycles.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Runs in stitching, easily caught zippers, pilling fabrics, and lesser quality fills all made certain products score lower in this category. For example, the Xtreme Comforts and Coop pillows are fairly similar in style, but we found the Coop pillow to contain higher quality fill, which kept the pillow fluffier. The Eli & Elm Cotton Side looks luxurious and offers a comfortable night's sleep, but the fill has a lumpier texture than the Honeydew Scrumptious. However, the Sleep Artisan Luxury Side Sleeper has a ribbon around the perimeter that helps the fill to stay evenly distributed. Saatva Latex has an outer case that looks and feels like it has a high thread count and the separability of its three layers is a thoughtful construction.

pillow for side sleepers - the fabric on the case of the epabo pillow is nice and soft, but we...
The fabric on the case of the EPABO pillow is nice and soft, but we saw evidence of it pilling up after a few weeks.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Some pillows, like the Epabo, have softer fabrics but pilled up fairly quickly during our testing. Hidden under a pillowcase, though, this isn't a large concern for most folks. The Linenspa Shredded Memory Foam looks and feels like a lower-quality item than other top contenders (but you get two in a pack).

pillow for side sleepers - the high-loft saatva latex is just as tall as two of the linenspa...
The high-loft Saatva Latex is just as tall as two of the Linenspa pillows.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Washability


Like the rest of your bedding, pillows should periodically be washed. Pillowcases absorb the daily amount of skin oils and dirt, but eventually, any pillow not covered in a protector needs to be cleaned. A good washing not only cleans the pillow but also revives the fill to its previous levels of fluff and volume. The easier each product is to clean, the higher its score is in this metric.


pillow for side sleepers - the casper hybrid has an easily removable cover that can be machine...
The Casper Hybrid has an easily removable cover that can be machine washed.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

Fully washable pillows include the Xtreme Comforts Shredded Memory Foam Bamboo, the Coop Home Goods The Original, Snuggle-Pedic Memory Foam, and Beckham Luxury Hotel Collection Gel Pillow, so they score the highest. They can all just be thrown into the washing machine and set on a delicate cycle, whereas, with the other pillows, only the cover can be machine washed.

pillow for side sleepers - some of the pillows can easily be washed in a washing machine...
Some of the pillows can easily be washed in a washing machine without much to-do, but others require removing the entire fill or spot cleaning only.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Models like the Nest Bedding Easy Breather and the Honeydew Scrumptious technically have a washable case, but all of the fill must be removed to clean it because there is no inner case — a highly impractical step. The Beans72 Organic has a similar setup, but removing the buckwheat is easier than the other models' synthetic fill. On the far end of the spectrum, the Linenspa Shredded Memory Foam can only be spot cleaned as there is no way to separate the fill from the outer, which is completely sewn shut all the way around.

pillow for side sleepers - a few pillows like the epabo contour have a removable case that is...
A few pillows like the Epabo Contour have a removable case that is machine washable but the pillow itself is not.
Credit: Ben Applebaum-Bauch

We are big fans of the zipper on the outer case of the Casper Hybrid. It unzips around two adjacent sides of the pillow, making it super easy to pull off and toss in the machine. Though it is air-dry only, we still found the process much simpler than many other wrestling matches we got into with other models to get the case back on. The Saatva Latex, Epabo Contour, and Eli & Elm Cotton Side all have removable outer cases that are easy to wash in a machine.

pillow for side sleepers - we tested the top side sleeper pillows to find the best one of them...
We tested the top side sleeper pillows to find the best one of them all.
Credit: Ethan Newman

Conclusion


Everyone has different needs, so there is no single best pillow for side sleepers out there. However, good head and neck support are worth their weight in gold, so we have identified some options that are the best for your needs. Sleep quality is vital; it can affect everything from cognitive function to athletic performance to stress levels. With that in mind, we hope you are well on the path to the right pillow for side sleepers.

Ethan Newman & Ben Applebaum-Bauch

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