Katie: Hey, guys. This is Katie from Mattress Clarity and I'm so excited because today I
get to talk about my five favorite pillows for side sleepers. Do you know if 41 percent
of Americans sleep in a fetal position on their side at night?
Additional 15 percent sleep on their side with their torso and their legs straight.
That means that more than half of the country sleeps on their side.
Don't worry because there are a million pillows for side sleepers. There are a ton to choose
from. I rounded up my five favorite ones that covers a whole range of different design features,
support levels, covers, materials, all that good stuff. There's something in there for
everyone.
We're also going to talk a little bit about what to look for when you go shopping for
your pillow and I'm going to answer some commonly asked questions. If you're ready, let's dive
into this list.
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Katie: We've got pillows for everybody. While this list is all about side sleepers, if you're
a back sleeper, stomach sleeper, combo sleeper, if you sleep hot, and when you're dealing
with neck pain, I've got lists of my favorite pillows plus individual reviews up at our
website in mattressclarity.com.
Go there, click the tab that says best pillows and you'll see the whole list and every pillow
on this list that I have also has an individual review. Plus, we've got comparisons of the
top pillow brands. Again, mattressclarity.com. Check it out if you want more.
At the end of this video, comment below and tell me which of the pillows on my list of
best pillows for side sleepers is going to work for you. All right. First on my list
is the Coop Home Goods Original pillow.
This pillow has been on my list before and it's just that good. It's stood the test of
time despite all these other pillows I've had a chance to review. I love the how to
recover it. It's so soft.
It's a mix of polyester and rayon derived from bamboo. It's got a unique soft feel and
a breathable feel to it. You can remove the cover and you access the core and the core
is really what makes it stand out for side sleepers because you can already tell it comes
in various stuffed, practically, overstuffed. Inside is big chunks and memory foam.
It has large chunks that are awesome because it's going to give you a lot of support, a
lot of loft which is what side sleepers need. They need to fill that gap between your shoulder
and your head when you're lying on your side to get that neutral spinal alignment that
we're going to talk more about.
That's going to help alleviate any potential neck pain and keep you happy all night long.
This pillow is going to have it because of those huge chunks. You've got to keep it fat.
You've got to keep it maintained by it's super easy to do. Not only can you wash and dry
the pillow cover, but you can wash and dry the whole pillow, just follow those care instructions.
It's hypoallergenic and it comes in two different sizes, queen and king. A queen is only $60
plus you get 100 nights to try it out. Next up on my list is a truly luxurious option.
It's the Brooklinen Down pillow in Mid-Plush.
Brooklinen is the name of the company who makes this down pillow and it's a mid-plush
option. They also have plush and firm.
The Mid-Plush is plenty of support for side sleepers who are holding up, pressing down.
It so firm down pillow. A lot of times side sleepers don't like down because it falls
flat, your head goes straight through. Not the case with this Brooklinen pillow. That's
because of their dual core designs.
You've got the softer fluffy feathers on the outside and the center is a more supportive
core and that's what's keeping that support level. I love it for that reason. I love the
design overall.
It's also the more affordable side, $70 for a standard size and it comes in two different
sizes which is pretty durable. It's Canada Goose down certified.
It's got this gorgeous 100 percent cotton cover. It's 400 thread count. It just has
that luxurious down pillow feel. Some that feels very expensive, but it is $79 at full
price for a standard which is pretty good. Overall, just that nice solid loft and support
that side sleepers need in a down pillow.
Next up on my list is one of my all time favorite pillows for side sleepers This is the Eli
& Elm Organic Cotton pillow for side sleepers. You can already tell it has a very unique
curvature right here and that's all about creating space for your shoulder while you're
side sleeping. Often when we're sleeping on our side, we're putting our shoulder into
the pillow.
It's creating extra pressure on our shoulder and is flattening out our pillow. That alleviates
the problem here because the curvature allows space for your shoulder and then you get all
the beautiful loft and support from the filling inside this pillow which is a mix of engineered
latex noodles, they're very cute to look at, and polyester fibers.
You're going to get a very nice mix of support from the latex, support from that foam, and
then the smoothness that comes with those fibers is really a best of both worlds feeling.
The outer cover if you can't tell it's organic cotton on here. It's a mix of organic cotton,
polyester, and a little bit of spandex, so it's got some stretch and breathability.
The cool part is, there's a zipper at the top of the pillow that lets you add or remove
as much of this filling as you want. If you're petite side sleeper, you want to remove so
that it's too much loft and support for you, go ahead and do that. Likewise, if you're
bigger, you can add more or you can just leave it as is. Either way, it's customizable in
that sense which I love.
Of course, I love this contouring design. It's also hypoallergenic which is awesome.
You get 45 days to try it out and at full price, it's $99. All right, The next pillow
on my list of best pillows for side sleepers, I'm super excited about because this is the
eco-friendly option. This is a vegan pillow. It's called the Avocado Green pillow and it's
made by Avocado Mattress.
It's a brand that's very eco-conscious and known for sourcing high quality natural materials
in all their sleep products and this pillow is no exception to that at all. It's got this
gorgeous 100 percent certified cotton, organic cotton of course.
On the outside a very soft knit, but it's got a thick durable feel to it. The filling
is 100 percent Talalay latex shreds.
There's pieces of latex in here. If you know it's very resilient, very supportive, great
for adding a lot of support for side sleepers. Then, there's also Kapok fibers in here. For
those of you don't know what I'm talking about, Kapok fibers are seed pod fluff from a rainforest
tree. I'm like, what is that even doing in a pillow? It has a really nice feel.
It's get it down alternative, down fluffy feel to it but it's way more natural. It's
actually in quite a few pillows on the market and it's been well received. The mix of the
Talalay latex shreds and the Kapok fibers in here give you a nice level of support and
spooning without being a solid piece that's not adjustable.
There is a zipper at the top, the bottom on this pillow and you can add or remove as much
of that filling as you want or you can buy extra filling if you want any more. That's
what it's great for all different body sizes because you can adjust how much support and
loft you want, but you're definitely not going missing out on that support.
You get 100 nights to try this pillow out.
There's three size options. The standard is the smallest and it comes in at just about
$79 for full price. All right. The last pillow on my list deserves a lot of love. It's the
Purple Plush pillow which is a mouthful to say, but this pillow packs a lot of punch.
Again, more elevation. I love it.
This is a great pillow for side slippers for a couple of reasons. It's definitely got a
lot of variability and adjustability. The outer cover is super soft. It's a mix of Lysol
which is known for breathability and nylon.
Think like, not it's soft is like a cotton knit, but very smooth at the same time and
very lightweight.
The inner fill is interlocking poly fiber balls which is what they call their smart
fluff material. It definitely has that soft fluffy feel of a traditional down or down
alternative, but it's not going to go flat because it is, again, it's interlocking system,
so it doesn't fall flat on you.
The real highlight of this pillow and why I like it for side sleepers is because of
these zippers. You can tell the sides both have zippers and they're both zipped completely.
This is the pillow at its firmest and this is what it's great for side sleepers.
It's got a lot of firmness and loft and support going on, but if you want to adjust, you can
simply unzip the sides of the pillows and it softens up.
Again, if you're on the smaller side and you're a side sleeper, sometimes pillows can be overwhelming
for you, unzip one of the sides and zip it halfway, whatever combo you want. Larger heavier
side sleepers, definitely consider both of these zipped up and you're going to have a
great time with this pillow.
Super easy to care for. You just machine-wash and dry the entire pillow which I love and
definitely on the more affordable side, $49 for the standard size of this pillow. You
get 100 nights to try it out.
Marten: Hey, guys. Marten here to offer a different perspective. I'm a larger person
than Katie. I'm also more of a side sleeper. I think out of these five pillows, three stand
out for heavier people like myself. The first one I'm going to talk about is going to be
the Purple Plush pillow.
As Katie mentioned, it's very, very interesting design. You have zippers on both sides that
can actually affect the firmness of the pillow. I put it on its firmer configuration with
these closed off. Definitely firm enough for me as a side sleeper getting the support I
need when I'm side sleeping.
Then, we have the Brooklinen. Brooklinen is a super firm pillow. If you're larger person,
I'm 250 pounds. If you're even larger than me, you definitely want a pillow that's supportive
enough when you're on your side. This is definitely that pillow, very, very supportive, very firm,
a very good match for me as a side sleeper.
Then, last but not least we have the Eli & Elm. I love this because it has this awesome divet
here where your shoulder is going to go when you're on your side. It's also very, very
supportive pillow.
On my side, the right amount of support, very comfortable as well. If you're a larger side
sleeper like myself, definitely take a look at one of these three pillows.
Katie: I want to talk to you a little bit about how to find the right pillow for side
sleeping for you and answer some commonly asked questions. The right pillow for you
is going to give you neutral spinal alignment.
What that means is that if you're lying on your side, you're going to have a straight
line going through your forehead, down through nose, hitting your chin, through your neck
and your sternum.
That's going to mean that your spine is in a neutral position which means there's no
extra strain on your joints or on your muscles, nothing that's going to leave you feeling
stiffness for when you wake up.
That's the ideal situation and that's what the pillow you're looking for is going to
offer that to you when you find it. That's the idea to look for.
One way to assess whether or not you have that is actually to find the pillow that you
think is going to work and have someone take a picture of you or to look at you while you're
sleeping and make sure that your head isn't too overly tilted one way or the other, that
might mean you need to adjust your pillow.
All right. Let's go to the first question. The first question we get a lot is, how thick
should my pillow be if I'm a side sleeper? Compared to back sleepers and stomach slippers,
side sleepers need the most loft, the most firmness, and support because, in general,
you guys have a four to six inch gap between your shoulder and your head and neck.
You need to fill that space with a supportive pillow and a tall pillow. Keep that in mind
when you're shopping and know that often when you do rest your head on the pillow it's going
to sink in a little bit, so you need to account for that space as well.
The other question we get a lot is, what's the best type of pillow for side sleepers?
The beauty about the pillow world right now is that there's so many different ones to
choose from, that really you can pick the material and the fill and the overall feel
that you want.
As long as it's a lofty pillow, it's supportive. Those are the two key features.
A lot of times people are afraid to go with down or down alternatives or any sort of fibers
because over time they fear that they're going to fall flat. You can still enjoy those pillows.
Look for ones that are made for side sleepers because they're often more supportive and
firmer or look for firmer options within those categories.
The other thing you need to do is keep them fluffed and this is also goes for shredded
foam options as well. When you keep your pillow fluffed, it maintains that performance, that
loft, and that support that you need.
I've got a whole video if you go to mattressclarity.com on how to fluff your pillow. Definitely check
that out for some great tips.
My final tip for everyone is taking advantage of risk free trials and return period. A lot
of the pillows that I mentioned in this list and a lot of other pillows on the market today
come with very generous trial periods.
That's because I want you to get a chance to adjust to the pillow, the pillow adjust
to you, and see if it's a good fit for you.
I know this means pillows are an investment. They range in price from under $50 up to 100
and that's just not in everyone's budget. If you get 100 nights, 50 nights or 45 nights
to try it out, I'd actually recommend doing that because you're really mitigating the
risk.
Give yourself 30 days with the pillow, see if it feels good for you after your body adjustment
and if not, use that return policy to return it and try again.
All right. That's it guys. Those are my five favorite pillows for side sleepers. I hope
you learned something. You've found the pillow that's interesting to you.
I've got individual reviews linked in the description below or you can check them out
at mattressclarity.com. If you've got any questions, of course, leave them below, or
if you want a personal pillow recommendation, I have been reviewing them for years and I'm
happy to give you one, so also comment below.
Like or subscribe to our channel for more information and I hope I see you again soon.