The Best Pillows for Back Sleepers

Nov 29, 2023

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By Lisa Lombardi

If you sleep on your back, you need a true Goldilocks pillow. One that's not too soft, not too firm—the perfect height to prop your head just enough.

"Using a pillow that's too flat or overly lofty can lead to discomfort by forcing your body into unnatural positions," says Rahul Shah, M.D., F.A.A.O.S., an orthopedic spine and neck surgeon in Vineland, N.J., Your neck should align with the rest of your body, he says, and it shouldn't tilt too far forward or sink backward, since an extended position can leave you with neck pain.

Investing in a good pillow is particularly crucial if you’re currently spending your nights on one that is worn-out. (Two signs your pillow is shot: You find yourself waking up in the middle of the night to fluff and adjust it or you get up in the morning with stiffness in your neck, shoulders or back.)

To help you find a pillow that feels just right for your sleep position, we tried out more than a dozen models tailored to back sleepers. (We’ve also tested options for side, stomach and hot sleepers.) I typically sleep on my side or stomach, but fell asleep on my back for this research. I also enlisted the help of my husband, who is a back sleeper. We found great options at a range of price points. Here are our top picks—and exactly what they have going for them.

$165 at Saatva

Saatva's shredded latex pillow balances plush comfort with a solid amount of neck support.

Plush and dense, the Saatva Latex Pillow lets you sink in—and stay supported. That's thanks to a stabilizing core of shredded latex combined with a layer of soft and airy microdenier (a synthetic fiber).

The pillow comes in two fill heights (standard and high loft), and we tested "standard"—the one the brand recommends for back sleeping. My husband and I are very different heights, but we both felt it kept our spines aligned (meaning your head remains in a straight line with the rest of your body).

The Saatva Latex is the best pillow for heat regulation out of all the options we tested. With a crisp, moisture-wicking, 100% organic cotton cover, it maintains a cool-to-the-touch feel. Not only is latex naturally heat-resistant, but the pillow's middle layer is designed to aid the cooling effort. I slept comfortably all night—no need for flipping the pillow or kicking off my covers due to overheating.

While latex pillows sometimes give off an odd smell, this pillow had zero odor. We also like that the cover zips off for easy machine washing. And it comes with a 45-night sleep trial, so you can return it for a refund within that window if it's not a good fit for you. Overall, the Saatva's Latex Pillow offers hotel bed-level comfort, making it a great choice for anyone except those with a latex allergy.

$100 at Sleep Number

You can personalize this plush shredded memory foam and alternative down pillow to get your perfect loft.

Sleep Number's ComfortFit Ultimate Pillow has such glowing reviews, I wondered if it would actually live up to its hype. Spoiler alert: It did. "It's so soft I feel like I’m sleeping on a stuffed animal," my husband says. That plush feel comes from a mix of torn memory foam and down alternative fibers. One main advantage of this Sleep Number pick is you can adjust the pillow to find your perfect fit. It comes with three stacked rectangular inserts that you can add or remove. (I found two inserts felt comfortable for both back and stomach sleeping; for side sleeping, most sleepers would want all three to find the right loft.)

The pillow is tucked in a particularly luxurious outer cover—an almost velvety polyester that's also conveniently machine washable. Another plus: This pillow comes with a generous 100-night sleep trial.

As you may guess from my husband's comment: This pillow is on the soft end of the spectrum—squishy though still supportive. If you prefer a medium firm option, consider the Saatva Latex or Tempur-Cloud instead. One small drawback: Compared with the other pillows we tested, this one slept a bit warm. If temperature regulation tops your wish list, we recommend going with the Saatva Latex Pillow, the Coop Crescent Pillow or the Brooklinen Down Alternative Pillow.

$89 at Coop

Coop's Crescent Pillow is a contour pillow that helps back and side sleepers rest comfortably.

Contour pillows provide support and cushioning for the neck and shoulders, and they can be a good option for people with pain in those areas, says Dr. Shah. I tested three contour pillows, but Coop's Crescent Pillow was my runaway favorite. Here's why: It has a shallow moon-shaped cutout, rather than a deep head-shaped opening like some other cut-out pillows. This left plenty of room to comfortably shift during the night. (With more narrow cut-out models, I felt like I was in a headlock.)

The beauty of Coop pillows is you can remove or add filling to tweak the loft until you find your ideal plushness. An extra feature I liked about the Crescent is that I could prop myself up on it easily to read in bed.

One small quibble: Coop doesn't sell a pillowcase that fits this product's unique shape. While the brand recommends sleeping directly on its soft polyester-bamboo cover—it zips off and can be thrown in a washing machine—I (and likely most sleepers) would prefer the flexibility of having a spare pillowcase. Otherwise, this is an all-around dreamy pillow (with a generous 100-night trial period) and a perfect pick for someone who has issues with neck pain.

$89 at Tempur-pedic

The Tempur-Cloud Ultimate Pillow is a responsive memory foam model that adapts to your body for plush comfort and pressure point relief.

Anyone who loves the feel of memory foam will appreciate the Tempur-Cloud Ultimate Pillow. Cushy and medium-soft, the pillow feels springy; unlike typical memory foam, it didn't make me feel cemented in place. When my head sank in, it provided some stability, but I didn't feel stuck in it. That means sleepers can adjust their position without having to wait for the sleep surface to adapt.

A key perk of memory foam is that it distributes weight evenly, which can relieve pressure points and potentially save you from a sore neck and achy back. In my testing, I found it felt gentle under my head and I didn't get a stiff neck after sleeping on it.

Another plus: It has a soft quilted polyester cover that zips off for machine washing. One big negative is the pillow isn't returnable, which means you can't test it out the way you can with our other top picks.

$69 at Nolah Mattress

$79 Save $10

Nolah's AirFiber Pillow is a soft and fluffy down-alternative pillow made from a silky-feeling polyester filling. It wasn't the plushest of the bunch, but it's a solid pillow at a nice price (under $80). And it truly shines as a cooling pillow—likely because its cover is cotton combined with the brand's "Outlast" technology, originally developed by NASA scientists to regulate temperature.

$120 at Quince

$297 Save $177

Quince's Goose Down Pillow feels as sumptuous as the more expensive pillows we tested: Its plush 700-fill-power responsibly-sourced down is sewn into a silky 100% cotton sateen shell. One minor complaint: You have to fluff the fill regularly so you don't end up with a valley in the middle.

$143 at Purple

$179 Save $36

Most of our recommended pillows do a solid job keeping heat away, but if you need something extra-cooling, the Purple Harmony Pillow in low loft might be the best choice. The medium-firm pillow is made from a ventilated latex inner layer surrounded by the brand's "gel flex grid," which is designed to provide responsive support and dissipate heat. And if you do get sweaty, the breathable mesh cover zips off for easy machine washing.

$59 at Brooklinen

$65 Save $6

I found the Brooklinen Down Alternative Pillow a bit thick for me to sleep comfortably on my back. However, someone who is larger or broader might like it. It might also be appealing if you sometimes sleep on your side. The pillow has a lot going for it: 100% cotton sateen cover, planet-friendly fill (recycled plastic bottles), hypoallergenic and sits at a nice price under $70. Alas, it's not offered in a queen size (king and standard only).

$178 at Nolah Mattress

$198 Save $20

I was skeptical about Nolah's Squishy Pillow because it arrives flat as a pancake. But within a day, it plumped up nicely to make a medium-loft memory foam option that would work for different size sleepers. It's on the medium-to-firm end of the spectrum, so if your motto is "the softer, the better," move on to another pick like the Coop or Sleep Number.

$510 at Boston Lux Beds

The Hästens Beddoc Therapeutic Pillow, from the premium Swedish sleep brand, is a feather-and-down pillow designed by a chiropractor with the goals of aligning the spine and improving breathing. Its pillow insert system involves not only the standard pillow insert, but also two different-sized cylinders—you can remove one or both to arrange yourself at the ideal angle for a happy spine. As an extra plus, the luxe pillow comes with a cute blue-checked cotton pillowcase.

I’ve spent more than 20 years covering healthy living consumer trends for a range of leading publications, including Health, Time and Parents. I’ve written extensively about sleep and sleep hygiene in particular, including reviews for Buy Side of pillows for side sleepers, pillows for stomach sleepers and the best mattress toppers. While researching this article, I consulted three experts: Rahul Shah, M.D., F.A.A.O.S., an orthopedic spine and neck surgeon in Vineland, N.J.; Heather Swain, D.P.T., a physical therapist in Toledo, Ohio; and Robin Zachary, a lifestyle expert in New York City and author of "Styling Beyond Instagram."

To test pillows designed for back sleeping, I slept on each pillow for two nights. I also enlisted the help of my husband to try them out and provide a different perspective, since he is primarily a back sleeper who is taller and heavier than me.

Support and comfort: I considered whether each pillow felt like the right loft and firmness to deliver a comfortable night sleep in the back position. We also assessed the comfort factor. We made sure each pillow felt nice to lay your head on, let us rest comfortably throughout the night and didn't leave us with next-day stiffness.

Material and fill quality: We assessed each pillow's fill, including sourcing and certifications. In addition, we judged the textile quality and breathability of covers.

Temperature regulation: For a comfortable night's sleep, pillows should keep the microclimate—the area between the sleeper and the bedding—from feeling warm. We took note of whether we felt cool enough to fall asleep easily and without overheating later in the night at 3 a.m. We also considered how breathable the fabric is and whether the pillow uses heat-regulating technology to deliver a completely temperate night's sleep.

Ease of care: We evaluated how easy each pillow was to clean. All of our top picks come with a cover that you can remove and toss in the washing machine. This is important for removing grime and allergens—and helping the pillow last longer.

Rahul Shah, M.D., F.A.A.O.S., orthopedic spine and neck surgeon in Vineland, N.J.

Heather Swain, D.P.T., physical therapist; founder and owner of Ally Total Physical Therapy in Toledo, Ohio; guest lecturer at the University of Toledo

Robin Zachary, New York City-based home and lifestyle stylist; author of "Styling Beyond Instagram"

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