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The 8 best pillows for side sleepers in 2022: The definitive in-depth review of top-rated pillows
Your pillow choice affects your quality of sleep and your overall health, so it's important to get it right if you're a side sleeper. These are rated the best pillows for side sleepers in 2022.
Laura Shallcross
01.19.22

Best Pillow for Side Sleepers in 2022 – Winner: Dosaze Cooling Side Sleeper Pillow

If you want the short answer, here is the best pillow for side sleepers in 2022, the crème de la crème:

Dosaze
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Dosaze

And now for the long answer.

Our goal with this article is to help you take the guesswork out of finding the perfect pillow by putting popular styles to the test – in this study, we looked at over 40 of the most popular pillows on the market available, and evaluated them to find the best. We looked for pillows that would work for specifically for side sleepers.

For decades, I had been sleeping on whatever pillow I found at the department store when moving residences. I could never find the exact best pillow for me – some were too flat or too thick, too firm or too soft, too hot, or to rough. I took it upon myself to find the best pillow available on the market. It is worth noting that I am a side sleeper. I was looking for a pillow that would be great for a sleeper like me.

I started by going through a bunch of lists of the best pillows – I scoured Amazon and direct to consumer sites to come up with a list of 8 of the best pillows on the market for all sleepers. We ranked the pillows according to the following characteristics:

  • Support / comfort for side sleepers
  • Fill
  • Cover
  • Temperature regulation
  • Return policy / warranty
  • Price

Luckily, it’s easy enough to sleep comfortably and soundly with the right pillow for your sleeping preference. If you’re keen to learn of the 8 best pillows currently available for side sleepers in the US, we’ve covered everything you need to know in this guide. Here’s a summary of our rankings:

1. Best Overall Pillow For Side Sleepers: Dosaze™ Cooling Side Sleeper Pillow – Learn More

Dosaze
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Dosaze

The Dosaze™ Cooling Side Sleeper Pillow is cleverly designed to help side sleepers say goodbye to a poor night’s sleep once and for all. With this pillow, you get all the pressure-relieving benefits of memory foam, combined with a totally unique ergonomic design that’s intended to provide optimal comfort night after night.

There are four key things that make this pillow so great for side sleepers:

  • 100% pure, fresh gel memory foam fill – unlike most other ‘memory foam’ pillows that are blends of micofiber (which isn’t supportive and falls flat), this pillow is 100% gel memory foam – and you can definitely tell the difference. This memory foam also isn’t “recycled” from other foam – it is made fresh for these pillows and infused with a cooling gel that is noticeable cooler to sleep on
  • Unique cutout shape that relieves pressure on your shoulder – not only does this unique shape relieve pressure on your shoulder by allowing you to rest your head away from your shoulder, it’s also great if you are a combination sleeper (or if you sleep on both sides) because you can roll around from side to side. This is really the best feature of the pillow!
  • Cooling cover – this cover feels luxe and cool to the touch. It’s honestly so soft that you don’t need to put a pillowcase on it (although most people do)
  • Adjustable to your height and sleep preferences – a key for side sleepers is finding a pillow that fills the gap between their shoulder and head – and everyone is different. This is why it’s great to have a pillow you can adjust to fill your unique gap. This pillow does just that.

Pros:

  • 3-year warranty
  • 100% adjustable height
  • 100% fresh gel memory foam fill (no microfiber, no recycled foam)
  • Allergy-friendly
  • Inhibits bacteria growth
  • Cooling gel infusions prevent overheating
  • Cool and luxe cover

Cons:

  • only available online

2. Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow – Learn More

Parachute
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Parachute

If you’re the sort of person who thinks traditional is best, you’ll be most attracted to the Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow. This pillow is on hand to help you break the cycle of flipping and fluffing your pillow, offering unparalleled high-quality support and plushness.

Being medium-density and with a 3.5-inch gusset, the Parachute Down Side Sleeper Pillow gives is the right height for side sleepers. This pillow contains 750 fill power European white down for the most luxurious sleeping experience.

Keep in mind that this pillow is a more expensive option compared to some of the other pillows for side sleepers on this list, and some customers also found that the pillow required punching to keep it in shape overnight.

Pros:

  • High enough for side sleepers
  • Made from quality materials
  • Offers great neck support

Cons:

  • Quite expensive
  • May require punching

3. Naturepedic Organic 2-in-1 Adjustable Latex Pillow – Learn More

Nautrepedic
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Nautrepedic

Organic pillows only use materials that have been organically produced and contain no chemicals that could seriously harm your health. As the best organic pillow for side sleepers on this list, the Naturepedic Organic 2-in-1 pillow contains an organic shredded latex core, which you can adjust to suit your tastes and support your side sleeping position. Some people did find that it was difficult to get the right feel with the pillow, and would have preferred a non-adjustable option that was designed to be just right with no alterations needed.

Not only can you adjust the fill of this pillow, but you can also alter the outer encasement for optimum comfort. You can choose to sleep on the pillow’s smooth stretch-knit side or the quilted side, or swap between the two for the best of both worlds. The smooth stretch-knit side has a stretchier feel that will better conform to your head and neck position, while the quilted side has a fluffier feel. You can machine wash this case to keep it in peak condition throughout its lifespan.

Pros:

  • Adjustable fill
  • Contains no harsh chemicals
  • Two encasement options

Cons:

  • May take a while to adjust pillow to tastes

4. Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow – Learn More

Avocadogreenmattress
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Avocadogreenmattress

Latex-foam is an increasingly popular pillow option for side sleepers, and the Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow is one of the best of its kind. This pillow has been designed for side sleepers, back sleepers, or anyone who simply wishes for a firmer pillow offering more support.

Not only does the Avocado Molded-Latex Pillow hold its shape, it also offers temperature regulation thanks to its charcoal-infused latex core. Some pillows can hold onto odors and moisture, but the Avocado pillow incorporated design features that prevent this. However, an issue brought up by numerous customers was that this pillow is too high for comfortable sleep.

The pillow comes with one removable, GOTS organic certified cotton cover, which is soft and light, as well as being super simple to clean.

Pros:

  • Temperature regulating
  • Helps to prevent moisture and odors
  • Easy-wash cotton cover

Cons:

  • Some customers found pillow was too high

5. Best Hybrid Pillow: Layla Kapok Pillow – Learn More

Laylasleep
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Laylasleep

Hybrid pillows are particularly popular for side sleepers, providing the best of both worlds. The Layla is stuffed with a combination of reactive memory foam fill and kapok fibers, which allow the pillow to mold nicely to your head, neck and shoulder and keep a firm shape throughout the night.

This pillow features a super soft cover made from a breathable polyester viscose blend with interwoven CuTec® performance copper fibers, ensuring you stay cool and sweat-three throughout the night. However, for people who sleep hot, this pillow might not be as cooling as you’d like.

Kapok may be a new material to you. This kind of material is ideal for using in pillowcases as it’s softer and airier than cotton or wool, offering a greater level of comfort during sleep.

Pros:

  • Stays firm throughout the night
  • Offers good head and neck contouring
  • Uses kapok, a softer, airier material

Cons:

  • May not provide enough cooling for hot sleepers

6. Purple Harmony Pillow – Learn More

Purple
Source:
Purple

Hot sleepers, don’t panic – there are pillows out there that offer a high level of support and promote a cooling sleep, and the Purple Harmony Pillow is one of the best out there. This pillow features grid material, an innovative invention that you’ll only find in a Purple pillow, which helps to support your head, neck and shoulders while being cooling enough to keep you comfortable on even the hottest nights.

How is cooling promoted with the Purple Harmony? There are several features that promote a cooler sleep, including open air channels in the latex core, which prevents heat build-up. If you hate it when pillows collapse under your neck, you’ll be happy with the performance of the Purple Harmony, which bounces back after a weight has been applied. The only small customer complaint here was that the Purple Harmony isn’t quite high enough for some sleepers’ tastes. It’s also pretty expensive.

Pros:

  • Offers a high level of support
  • Promotes a cooling sleep
  • Soft cover

Cons:

  • Not high enough for some sleepers
  • Expensive

7. Best Buckwheat Pillow: Hullo Buckwheat Pillow – Learn More

Amazon
Source:
Amazon

Pillows containing buckwheat hulls are a good choice for side sleepers because of their natural firmness, which prevents them from collapsing or changing shape overnight. Buckwheat is also known for its cooling capabilities, especially when paired against memory foam. The Hullo Buckwheat Pillow performs particularly well when it comes to both firmness and coolness.

While a standard pillow will most likely be unable to offer the extra support that a side sleeper needs, the Hullo Buckwheat Pillow lets you adjust the shape and thickness of the pillow, ensuring you can enjoy optimum support for your head and neck, preventing stress on your spine. The Hullo Pillow uses certified organic twill instead of bird feathers or chemical-based foams. Some people found this pillow too hard for their tastes, however, and it is quite costly.

Pros:

  • Promotes breathability
  • Firm and supportive
  • Made from natural, organic materials

Cons:

  • Quite hard for some sleepers

8. Best Wedge Pillow: MedCline LP – Shoulder Relief System – Learn More

Medcline
Source:
Medcline

If you’re a side sleeper who sleeps with your arm underneath your pillow, the MedCline LP pillow will give you the best shoulder support. It’s a little pricier than the other pillows in this guide, but there’s good reason for it – it’s an entire sleep system, so you pay more to get more.

This pillow helps to eliminate chronic shoulder pain for side sleepers, letting you sleep in a naturally comfortable position on either your left of your right side. There’s space to drop your arm into the patented arm pocket and drape your other arm over the pillow, helping you to sleep the most comfortably with minimal aches and pains.

Pros:

  • Innovative design prevents chronic pain
  • Eliminates the need to stack pillows
  • Symmetrical to allow for left and right side sleeping

Cons:

  • Most expensive pillow on this list

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