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Katie: Hey, guys. It's Katie from Mattress Clarity. Today, I'm going to talk about my
four favorite pillows for neck pain. As you know, neck pain is literally a pain in the
neck. For some, they can be very extreme and an actual medical issue causing that neck
pain. Right off the bat, I would say check with your doctor if you feel like you've got
really bad neck pain or it's consistent.
For some people, bad neck pain is just a result of a bad pillow. There is easy fix here because
there's a ton of awesome pillows out there to alleviate neck pain. We're going to go
over my top four favorites, going to go show you them in detail, all the construction,
all the cool features.
I'm also going to talk a little bit about how to help you find the right pillow for
you and address some commonly asked questions. If you're ready, let's get started on this
list.
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Katie: Whether you're a back sleeper, a side sleeper, stomach sleeper, or some combination
of sleeper, we've got the best pillows for every different sleep position and all different
kinds of sleep needs. Just make sure you go to mattressclarity.com. You're going to see
a Best Pillows tab. Click on that. It's going to show you all the different options, all
my favorite pillows.
We also have individual written reviews and videos for each of the pillows in this list.
I'll link to those in the description below. Make sure to check that out as well as some
comparisons from some top pillow brands. Basically, it's a pillowtopia at mattressclarity.com.
Go check it out if you're interested.
Of course, comment below and let me know which of these pillows on the list you think is
going to be the best for you or if you want a personal recommendation for a best pillow
for neck pain.
Let's get started with this list. This is the Cushion Lab Ergonomics Contour pillow.
It's a big name, but it's a really nice contour pillow for helping to alleviate neck pain.
Let's talk a little bit about why that is.
First of all, it's your standard contour pillow shape. If you're not super familiar with that,
what makes contour pillow stand out are these curved edges on the side. Those are going
to support the back of your head and neck. If you reach down and feel it, you're going
to create a little cervical curvature is what it's called.
This is going to fill that space and keep your neck and head stable and support it.
That's going to help alleviate that neck pain. The cool thing about Cushion Lab is that there's
some personalized features within the pillow itself. It actually has two different heights
on each side. One is 3.1 inches tall, and one is 4.3 inches tall.
Whether you're on the more petite side or maybe you're on the taller side, you're going
to have option for the level of support.
It also has two different firmnesses. Inside has a solid piece of what they call their
hyper-foam. It's a really nice high-density foam. There is a medium plush option and the
firm option. Again, you can decide which one's going to be the right fit for you and which
helps make your neck pain go away.
This pillow is designed for back and side sleeper. If you're primarily a back sleeper,
or a side sleeper, or a combo of the two, this pillow will be well-suited for you. They
have some cool design elements to help support you. There's a curved edge over here where
your shoulders are going to have more room to lay. You're not going to be pressed up
right against the pillow.
There's also raised cheek supports on the side. As you move from your back to the side,
you're going to have extra support on the side of your face, not only keep your neck
stable but also your head stable and secure as well, which will help alleviate potential
neck pain.
I also love the cover. It's 100 percent cotton. It is so super soft. You can remove the cover
with a zipper on the side and machine-wash and dry that. Now, if I haven't given you
enough reasons to love this pillow, especially for alleviating neck pain, it's also super
affordable. It comes in at just under $50, and you get 30 days to try it out.
Next up on the list is the Purple Harmony pillow. This is the newest addition to the
line of Purple pillows from the well-known mattress brand, Purple. What is cool about
the Purple Harmony is it's got a very nice resilient Talalay latex core which means that
your head is going to sink in.
It's going to have a lot of pressure relief in contouring, but it's going to stay light
and supported. It doesn't have that memory foam feeling, which is also very nice on its
own. The latex is for people who like foam, like support but don't love the feel of memory
foam. That's why I included it on this list.
It's also more than just a solid piece of Talalay latex. You've got the outer cover.
That's where Purple really shines. It's their Purple Hex Grid out here. That's their hyper-elastic
polymer.
If you're not super familiar with Purple, they make this proprietary squishy gel material
that they use in their mattresses and several other pillows. This is in a honeycomb design.
It's built into the cover of the pillow.
When your head rests, it's going to get that extra layer of support and squish from this
hyper-elastic polymer that's Hex Grid. It's not going to be disruptive or disturbing.
It's not going to move or change shape on you. When you go to lay your head down, no
matter what sleep position you're in, they do offer two different height profiles, standard
and tall.
You're going to be able to stay comfortable. It's not going to go far. It changes shape
on you. You're going to get a good amount of support without being overpowering. Should
be able to adjust to whatever height level is going to give you that best neutral head
and neck and spinal alignment, which we'll talk more about later.
It stays supportive. It's not going to sink down. You're going to stay right there. Then
as soon as you get up, it's going to spring back and just be super responsive.
Of course, the cover and breathability is also important. It's very much highlighted
here with this breeze mesh cover, a lot of breathability. You can remove the cover and
care for that. Make sure you line-dry it but, of course, leave that core alone.
This pillow is a little bit on the pricey side, $159 at full price for either high profiles,
but you do get 100 nights to try it out. You'll certainly know by the end of that trial period
if this is helping your neck pain.
Another one of my favorite contour pillows to help fight neck pain is the SpineAlign
pillow from Dr. Loth. He is a sports chiropractor, so he certainly knows a thing about head and
neutral neck and spinal alignment.
He designed this contour pillow to help keep people's necks and everything in a spinal
alignment that's neutral, which means that there's no muscles that are being stretched
or strained in any direction which is going to be what's generating that neck pain.
It's a very interestingly designed contour pillow. There's lots to go over here. I'll
start with who it's a good fit for. Back and side sleepers, this pillow is for you. You're
going to see this little logo on this side. You're going to use this side if you're 5'7"
or taller and this side if you're shorter than that or, of course, whichever side feels
better for you. That's just a general guideline.
Back sleepers are going to want to use the inner chamber of this pillow. Side sleepers,
you're going to want to move to the outer chamber. This is a little bit more supportive
and a little bit taller. The entire pillow is made up of foam and fiber combination,
which means you're getting a lot of support from the foam but a smooth feeling from all
that fiber collecting around it.
It's definitely a unique film. There's also a zipper on the back that lets you add or
remove as much of the filling from the inside as you want, which allows it to be as customizable
for you as possible. The outer cover is very soft. It's a mix of lyocell or Tencel, which
is a synthetic fiber known for being breathable, polyester, and a little bit of spandex.
You're going to spot-clean only on this pillow. Keep in mind, you're not going to want to
get it dirty. It will fit queen-size pillowcases. Make sure to put that on there as well. I
like it for neck pain because this is a contour pillow, which means that these sides over
here are supporting that cervical curvature of your neck and keeping it supported.
You can move from your back to your side. You can adjust the filling level, so you can
really get it to be exactly the right level of support and height for you which is crucial
when you're finding that sweet spot and avoiding neck pain.
All right, the pillow comes in two different sizes, standard and queen. I will say the
standard costs a $139, which I know is an investment, but you do get 60 days to try
it out and to make adjustments. I know that if you are struggling with neck pain, sometimes
a perfect pillow is worth that investment.
Last but not least on my list of best pillows for neck pain is the TEMPUR-Cloud pillow from
Tempur-Pedic. If you're familiar with Tempur-Pedic, which I hope you are because they're a well-known
brand that's been around for decades, they're known for making high-quality foam mattresses.
All their products, including their pillows, include their Tempur material which is their
proprietary foam. It's got a lot of those classic memory-foam feel to it which means
that your head will sink in. It will contour support your neck and give you some unbelievable
pressure relief which is what you need to avoid that neck pain.
TEMPUR-Cloud is one of their most popular and best-selling pillows. It's a great fit
for most people. It's definitely a crowd-pleaser. The outside cover is a soft knit, very soft,
got a cool texture. You could put a pillowcase over it.
If you don't like that, you're going to unzip the cover, which you can remove and wash.
You're going to get that solid piece of Tempur material on the inside. This is where the
magic is happening in terms of alleviating neck pain. Your head's going to sink in. You're
going to get a lot of pressure relief, a lot of support.
It's not going to go flat on you. It's not going to change shapes. You're not going to
get up during the night and have to punch it in different directions to try to find
a comfortable position. In terms of best sleeping position, back and side sleepers about average
body type, this is probably going to be the most comfortable for you.
I will say if you're on the larger side, maybe broader shoulders and you're a stomach sleeper,
you may enjoy this pillow as well. Tempur-Pedic does not do returns or trial periods. This
pillow is $79 at full price. You're going to want to make sure that you think this is
the best fit for you before buying it.
Marten: Hey, guys. Marten here from Mattress Clarity. I'm a larger person than Katie. You
definitely want to think about your size and your weight when you're looking for a pillow.
I think three stand out for heavier people like myself. The first one I want to talk
about is the Purple Harmony pillow. There are two versions of this, and one is taller.
I went with the taller version. As a larger person, I need more support. My head sinks
in just the right amount with this Purple grid, get some nice neck support there as
well, very good for back sleeping, good for neck pain as well.
Then we have this SpineAlign. As Katie mentioned, there's a couple of different ways you can
sleep on this. For those taller people, you want to go for the side here with the logo.
I use that side on my back, felt some great neck support, very nice for back sleeping,
did not wake up with neck pain or whatsoever.
Then last but not least, we have the Cushion Lab Contour pillow. As Katie mentioned, you
have two sides, and one is taller than the other. I use the taller side as a larger person.
Again, great neck support, so very good fit for back sleeping for a larger person like
myself.
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Katie: I want to offer up some tips and tricks and answer some common questions about how
to avoid getting neck pain in the first place from your pillow. One way to avoid neck pain
in general and to wake up feeling more refreshed, and happy, and ready to go in the morning
is to find a pillow that helps you achieve a neutral spinal alignment no matter what
sleeping position you're in.
What that means is that you're going to have a straight line from your forehead to your
nose, to your lips, down your chin to your sternum. When you have that neutral alignment,
that means that there's no muscles, or joints, or anything that's being tensed or in a direction
that's going to cause stiffness overnight. When you achieve that, then you're in a good
position to avoid neck pain.
One of the big questions we get is, what's causing neck pain? I'll be the first to tell
you I'm a certified sleep science coach but not a doctor. If you're dealing with intense
neck pain or if you made a lot of changes and you're still getting neck pain, go check
out with your doctor.
Go make sure that there's an underlying medical condition happening. If it is just your pillow,
we can definitely help you fix that. More often than not, people are sleeping with a
pillow that's either too supportive and too tall for them or too flat and not enough support
based on their sleep positions.
If you can have them take a picture of you while you're sleeping or just take a quick
look at you in a non-creepy way, and if you see your head tilting up and it's not at that
neutral straight line I mentioned earlier, then yes, you probably have a pillow that's
too supportive.
Likewise, if you're sleeping maybe on your side and your back and you feel your head
tilting back, you're getting a lot of strain on your neck, and you need more support. Make
sure to check that out, first of all. That's a really easy thing to tweak.
Next question people often ask us is, how should I sleep to avoid neck pain? The three
primary sleep positions are back, side, and stomach. Back sleepers and side sleepers,
you all have the best shot at being able to alleviate that neck pain. It's about finding
the right pillow that helps you achieve that neutral spinal alignment.
Stomach sleepers, it's honestly a little bit tougher for you guys, because when you think
about sleeping on your stomach, you just need a very flat, soft pillow that's not adding
too much height, too much support to cause strain on your neck. Just remember flatter
and softer for stomach sleepers. Back in side sleepers, you have a few more options.
The last question we often get is, are contour pillows any good for neck pain? At Mattress
Clarity, we certainly think so. It's why I have two contour pillows on my list. The main
reason is that they have this design that's all about supporting that natural curvature
in the back of your neck.
If you want to know what I'm talking about, grab your hand, put it on the back of your
head and work your way down to your neck. You're going to feel this natural curvature.
When you have a contour pillow, your head and your neck lay right on that spot. It gives
it some wonderful support. Of course, that means it's supporting your neck, which hopefully
alleviates that neck pain.
All right, that's a wrap. Those are my four favorite pillows to help beat neck pain. Hopefully,
you learned something and, hopefully, you found a pillow that's a good fit for you.
I tried to cover a range from different prices, different materials and, of course, different
design features and support levels.
If one is calling your name, make sure to check out the full review below. In the description
below, there's a link there to it, or you can go to mattressclarity.com and click that
Best Pillows tab. There's a link there as well.
If you want a personal pillow recommendation, just comment below and give me some of your
details. I'm happy to help you out. Like or subscribe to our channel for more content,
including more pillow reviews and mattress reviews. I hope I see you again soon.
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