Discover the best ergonomic pillows for sleeping on your side and waking up in comfort

The best pillows for side sleepers tend to offer more support and “loft” (pillow jargon for height) than pillows for people who sleep on their back or front. Why? Because when you sleep on your side, there's a whole shoulder to support too. Without enough height, your poor shoulder will crunch while you slumber – and neither it nor your neck or back will thank you for it.

With more than half of us preferring to sleep on our side, according to Wikipedia’s summary of sleep position surveys, there's a good chance we're all crunching our necks at night by sleeping on flatter pillows than we need.

“We'd normally recommend a higher pillow or even two pillows for side sleepers rather than one, for more support,” explains Gary Jones, physiotherapist at Physio 206. Don't just dig out an extra old pillow from the loft and chuck it on top, though. A healthy pillow is a new pillow. “Think about how many hours you sleep each week,” said Jones. “Your car has an annual MOT, but how often do you do an MOT of your pillow? It's literally: let's wait until it's gone threadbare!”

So in this buying guide, we’ll reveal how to choose a pillow that offers the correct support for sleeping on your side and snugly filling that gap between your ear and shoulder. We’ll also reveal our pick of the best side-sleeper pillows currently available.

How to buy the best pillow for you

What type of pillow is best for side-sleepers?

Sleeping on your side is popular for good reason: it’s comfortable. It naturally maintains healthy spinal alignment and reduces pressure points all over your body. However, if you don't choose a pillow with enough depth to fill the space beneath your head and neck, that comfy foetal position could still leave you waking up with a crick in your neck. Here are a few pointers to remember…

Moulded support pillows are ideal for side sleepers because their high raised section provides support for your neck and room for your shoulder without pushing your head up high too. “A moulded pillow with a high bit for your neck lets your body rest in a more natural and healthy position,” said Jones. “This is especially important if you're on the phone a lot during the day because you'll need to counteract that compression to your neck and open up your spine.”

Memory foam pillows may feel a little too soft at first, but they soon firm up as the foam moulds to fit your body, creating a cradle that supports your unique pressure points while you're in the land of nod. On the downside, it can feel too warm in summer, so some memory foam pillows come with special cooling layers.

Natural latex also feels buoyant and supportive,枕頭推薦香港 and is a more sustainable option than memory foam. However, its eco credentials can push the price up – especially if you go for organic and other certifications. However, given how many hours you spend sleeping on your pillow, a good one is worth investing in.

Feather and down pillows are soft and naturally cooling, but they quickly lose their “loft” and fail to give consistent support. Wool is a great natural (and cruelty-free) alternative that maintains its shape better, so we've included a wool pillow in our rundown.

Two pillows may be better than one if you sleep on your side. A too-flat pillow on its own can lead to the dreaded “shoulder crunch”, stressing and straining the muscles in your neck as you sleep. So you could go for a firm contoured pillow as a base and a relatively squishy pillow on top for softness.

How often should you replace your pillow?

A good memory foam or latex pillow will last a few years before it loses its firmness. Some sleep experts reckon you should replace soft fluffy pillows as often as once a year, but that’s excessive (not to mention wasteful). Instead, we'd recommend investing in a well-made pillow that you can put in the washing machine on at least 40˚C. Wash your pillow every month or two to remove dust mites, dead skin cells and other allergens you'd probably rather not know about, let alone sleep on!

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