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Enjoy healthier, better quality sleep with one of these tried and tested pillows.
Fed up of waking up with an aching neck and shoulders? It might sound counterintuitive, but it's probably your pillow to blame. If you tend to sleep on your side or back, a memory foam pillow should give you the support you're clearly lacking. The good news is, we've found the best you can buy.
Some people will say so, but others will adamantly disagree. It largely depends on your sleeping style. The main thing to remember is that your pillow should help keep your head, neck, shoulders and spine aligned while you sleep.
Memory foam pillows offer a lot of firm support and are usually on the thick side, which is great for side sleepers, but less than ideal for front sleepers, who need a flatter, softer pillow to keep their neck from cricking (try down or microfibre).
Back sleepers often get along with memory foam but will need a pillow with a medium thickness or adjustability to keep themselves in a straight line.
Memory foam pillows are hypoallergenic and relatively long-lasting, but they aren’t breathable and can feel rigid and trapping if you’re prone to tossing and turning.
Settled on memory foam as your filling of choice? Great. There’s a fairly wide range of memory foam pillows on the market, so you might want to consider looking for the following features:
Removable layers: Most of us are combination sleepers, but no one pillow fits all sleeping styles perfectly. Look for an adjustable pillow if you want to play around with the thickness and firmness. There are a couple on our list, including our winner.
Sustainability: Memory foam isn’t the most sustainable choice – that would be natural wool – but some of our listed pillows have covers made partly from eco-friendly bamboo, which also happens to be hypoallergenic and breathable.
Cooling claims: Hot-headed types might struggle with memory foam’s limited airflow. Don’t write it off just yet though, as some pillows claim to keep you cool with moisture-wicking covers or a layer of heat-absorbing gel.
Trial offer: Memory foam pillows can be pricey, which is a turn off if you’re already on the fence. Some brands offer a trial period, usually for a fortnight or a month, so you can try your pillow before you commit to keeping it.
Expect your memory foam pillow to last for two to three years with nightly use. If you start getting neck pain or noticing lumps and bumps, it might be time to replace it. Fold it in half and if it fails to spring back, get a new one.
We recruited a panel of testers to try memory foam pillows at home in place of their usual pillow. They judged each one on its support, comfort, breathability, washability and overall quality. The following seven met their high standards:
Our winning memory foam pillow was such a hit that every tester gave it 10/10! It moulded like a dream to our heads and necks, offering sublime support, especially for side sleepers.
It didn't smell at all plasticky and its soft cover washed well, with barely any shrinkage. We'll be honest, we didn't find it notably cooling, but it gave us such a great night's sleep that we'd all buy it ourselves. It's pricey, but oh so worth it.
Key specifications
Suits: Back, side and combination sleepers
Support: Medium/firm
Thickness: 12cm (medium)
Filling: Viscoelastic polyurethane foam with gel powders
Cover: 40% Lyocell from Tencel, 60% polyester
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: No
Guarantee: 5 years
It's comfy, it's supportive and...it's adjustable! That's right, this memory foam pillow ticks all our boxes. Its internal 'nanocubes' can be taken out and added in again until it feels just right to kip on. There's even a drawstring bag in the box for storing any excess filling.
It smells slightly chemical upon opening but this quickly disappears, and the cover can be popped in the wash for a freshen up. It stays beautifully fluffy and doesn't dip, but it didn't do a great job of keeping us cool (classic memory foam). It's expensive, and there's no trial offer or guarantee, but it's a close runner-up.
Key specifications
Suits: Front, back, side and combination sleepers
Support: Adjustable
Thickness: Up to 17cm (thick)
Filling: Memory foam nanocubes and microfibre
Cover: Cotton
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: No
Guarantee: No
This medium thickness pillow is a smart choice for front or back sleepers who sometimes find memory foam too dense. It's supportive and enjoyable to sleep on and it keeps its shape brilliantly. It's surprisingly cooling, thanks to a Tencel cover, and it doesn't have a plasticky whiff.
It's too slim for standard pillowcases, leaving them looking baggy, which may annoy interiors aficionados. Get past that aesthetic hurdle and it's a reliable, if pricey, bed buddy.
Key specifications
Suits: Front or back sleepers
Support: Soft/medium
Thickness: 15cm (medium)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Tencel
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: No
Guarantee: 2 years
Side sleepers need the chunkiest pillows and this memory foam marvel clearly has them in mind. It moulds effectively to heads and necks to offer superior support, but it feels cosy and luxurious to drift off on too.
It doesn't smell too 'new' and its Tencel cover makes it more breathable than most rivals. Said cover shrinks in the washing machine but should still fit over the pillow. It doesn't leave dips but it's a high-end choice at nearly £100. Good job there's a two-year guarantee.
Key specifications
Suits: Side sleepers
Support: Soft/medium
Thickness: 19cm (thick)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Tencel
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: No
Guarantee: 2 years
Given it's adjustability, this memory foam pillow feels like good value for money at £50. It's easy to customise its thickness by removing the inner pads and it doesn't smell off-putting at all.
It doesn't feel as premium to doze off on as our winning adjustable pillow, but it offers sufficient support, especially if you're a front or back sleeper. It could have moulded more securely to our heads and necks, but some people find that claustrophobic anyway. Note that it's spot clean only.
Key specifications
Suits: Front, back and combination sleepers
Support: Adjustable
Thickness: Up to 14cm (thin/medium)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Tencel and cotton
Machine washable: No
Trial offer: No
Guarantee: 2 years
Eco-conscious shoppers will welcome this pillow's organic bamboo cover and back sleepers will like that it's firm but thinner than average. It's pleasingly comfortable to sleep on and it moulds fairly well to heads and necks, but it could be more malleable.
It's reasonably cooling (that'll be bamboo's breathable qualities coming to the fore) and doesn't smell chemically. Its cover washes well but the pillow itself is smaller than standard so may make your pillowcases fit poorly. Still, it's a bit of a bargain at under £40.
Key specifications
Suits: Front, back, side and combination sleepers
Support: Medium/firm
Thickness: 12cm (thin)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Bamboo and polyester
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: 30 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Memory foam can get sweaty, especially in summer, but this cleverly designed pillow has small air pockets that regulate airflow and help cool things down. It's even infused with charcoal, which is anti-bacterial and great at neutralising odours.
It's comfortable and feels well-made but will probably be too firm for front sleepers. Its angled corners can be a touch annoying but it maintains its shape well, with no dipping in the morning. There's a 14-night trial offer available, too.
Key specifications
Suits: Back and combination sleepers
Support: Firm
Thickness: 10cm (thin)
Filling: Synthetic bamboo memory foam
Cover: Polyester and spandex
Machine washable: Cover only
Trial offer: 14 nights
Guarantee: No
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