The Very Best Pillows for Back Sleepers

Whatwe’relookingfor

Fill type:Talalaylatex foam| Loft:Multiple loft options| Firmness:Medium

The Purple Harmony pillow is my favorite pillow for back sleepers hands down — and I say this as a back sleeper who has tested dozens of pillows and slept on the Harmony for about two years. You’ve almost definitely seen an online ad for Purple’s mattresses, which have the brand’s signature flexible gel grid as a top layer; this pillow features a thin layer of the same grid within the pillow’s mesh cover. In combination with the Harmony’s bouncy Talalay-latex core, the grid gives the pillow a springy and responsive feel. What I love about this pillow as a back sleeper is that it is sturdy enough to support my neck while still having some squish to it. I also like that the latex core stays fairly cool at night, so I don’t wake up sweaty.

My partner sleeps on this pillow too and likes how the gel grid immediately feels soft when he lies on it — especially compared to many memory-foam pillows, which tend to feel firmer at first, until the foam contours around your head and neck. Even with that more flexible feel, our pillows have held their shape for more than a year of nightly use and are still just as supportive as the day we got them.

The Purple Harmony pillow comes in three loft options: low with a 5.5-inch loft, medium with a 6.5-inch loft, and tall with a 7.5-inch loft. I’m about five-foot-five and sleep on the low-loft version, which works nicely to fill the space between my neck and the mattress without pushing my head too far forward. And even though Purple labels it as “low,” I would actually classify it as more of a medium loft and likely to be a good height for most back sleepers. While back sleepers with larger bodies or broad shoulders may prefer the medium loft, I think the tall version will likely be too tall for most back sleepers (however, it could be a good choice for side sleepers).

My biggest complaint about the Purple Harmony is the price — $200 is a lot to spend on a pillow. But I think the combo of Talalay latex and the Purple Grid does provide a uniquely springy, cushioned-yet-supportive, and cooling pillow. There are otherlatex pillowsout there, but no other latex pillow I’ve found has a top layer that competes with Purple’s supercomfortable gel grid.

Fill type:Memory foam| Loft:Low | Firmness:Firm

This flat-on-purpose pillow comes in three loft heights — Super Slim (3.25 inches), Ultra Slim (2.75 inches), and Hyper Slim (2.25 inches) — so you can choose the loft that works best with your body size. Note that all three loft heights are still lower than the Purple Harmony’s “low” option, though the pillow is also affordable enough to stack more than one if needed. The fill in the Bluewave pillow is a single piece of perforated gel-infused memory foam, which gives it a supportive, medium-firm feel, albeit one that’s not quite as buoyant or responsive as the Purple Harmony’s springy latex and flexible gel grid. It comes recommended by Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin, a back sleeper who used to suffer neck pain because her pillow was too thick. She swapped her loftier pillow for the Bluewave Super Slim and after sleeping on it for a year, says it’s plenty supportive despite its lower loft. Martin sleeps with it vertically so it is nestled underneath her shoulder blades and it supports her neck, “so it’s not dipping too far back,” she says.

Fill type:Shredded foam mixed with polyester fiber| Loft:Adjustable| Firmness:Adjustable, arrives medium-soft

Spinal and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo prefersadjustable pillows, which allow you to add or remove filling to your liking and optimize your head’s resting position for that all-important spinal alignment. There are dozens of options out there — most of which are fairly similar — but I love this one from Sijo for back sleepers in particular because of its doughy, cushy feel mixed with good neck support.

The pillow is filled with an 80-to-20 mix of shredded memory foam and polyester fiber. When I unzipped the case to inspect the fill and pressed a cube of foam between my fingers, it took a few seconds to reform. I think this slow-response foam, in conjunction with the wispy fibers, gives the Sijo a uniquely squishy feel amongst its adjustable peers, which meant I could settle into the pillow nicely without sinking in too deep. The descriptor “marshmallow-y” is overused in pillow marketing, but that’s exactly how the Sijo pillow feels — soft and puffy, while depressing under the weight of my head and contouring around it really comfortably. I didn’t end up adjusting the pillow at all, because it arrived with a loft and firmness that were spot-on for my back-sleeping preferences. But I like having theoptionto adjust it if needed. You can remove some fill by pulling out a handful at a time, or you can add more in — Sijo provides a packet of extra fill with each pillow.

Another great feature of this pillow is its cooling cover, which is made from nylon layered over cotton that’s infused withphase-change materialcapsules. I was surprised how effective it was; my pillow was noticeably cool to the touch, even through a pillowcase. After an hour or so of lying on it, the cooling sensation began to wear off, but that’s fairly standard for these kinds of cooling sleep products; I still think it’s a refreshing initial burst of cooling when you lie down to go to sleep.

Fill type:Memory foam| Loft:Medium| Firmness:Medium soft

This pillow from Tempur-Pedic is simple in construction — just a block of memory foam encased in a polyester knit cover. It’s a classic memory-foam pillow that I think is really comfortable for sleeping on my back, and I have actually found it works just as well for side and stomach sleeping, so it’s a versatile pick if you sleep both on your back and in another position. Tempur-Pedic’s foam pillows tend to feel more dense and conforming than other memory-foam pillows I’ve tested, and this one starts out feeling slightly firm, but the longer I lie on this pillow, the more thoroughly the foam contours around my head and neck. It ends up feeling quite cushioned while remaining supportive. It’s my all-around favoritememory-foam pillowtoo.

Fill type:Memory foam| Loft:Medium| Firmness:Medium soft

The Ostrichpillow Memory Foam Bed Pillow is an oblong pillow, shaped like a pill, with a slight divot in the center to position your head and neck in a neutral position. It doesn’t have the distinctive cutouts and wing shapes that other ergonomic pillows have, but its subtle ergonomic design can still effectively cradle your head while supporting your neck. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio (who edits all of our sleep coverage) likes this pillow for back-sleeping specifically because the foam feels softer and more plush than other memory-foam pillows she’s tried. She also likes its lower-profile loft, which measures about five inches at the edges and slightly lower in the center. She says most memory-foam pillows are too dense and firm for her taste, but the Ostrichpillow offers a nice balance between supportive foam and a cushiony feel.

Because of this pillow’s shape, you won’t be able to use a standard pillowcase with it — at least not if you want it to fit properly. However, Ostrichpillow does include a pillowcase with purchase, and you can choose from five color options. Just note that this pillow also runs smaller than a standard pillow, at approximately 25 by 15 inches (compared to a “standard” 20 by 26 inches), so if you typically use king-size pillows, you’ll be in for an adjustment.

Fill type:Polyurethane foam and polyester fiber| Loft:Medium| Firmness:Medium

Another option for those who want the plushness and cushioning of foam but don’t love a traditional memory-foam pillow is the Casper Hybrid pillow. Recommended for back sleepers by Dr. Jordan Duncan, a Washington-based chiropractor at Silverdale Sport & Spine, the Casper Hybrid pillow is made with a core of fiber fill surrounded by a foam outer layer. Duncan says the pillow feels soft but supportive. The hybrid design gives the pillow both the contouring feel of foam and the plushness of a down-alternative pillow. The Casper Hybrid’s foam-outside, fiber-inside design is also unique — most “hybrid” pillows tend to be built the other way around: with foam as the core and fiber surrounding it.

I’ve tried the cooling version of this pillow — the Casper Hybrid Snow, which I included in my list ofbest cooling pillows— and it’s overall very similar to this pillow, just with extra cooling features likephase-change materialand Casper’s “Heat Delete” gel bands. When I tested it, I felt the “soft but supportive” nature Duncan describes. Because the outer layer is foam, my head and neck felt supported, but the inner fiber fill makes the pillow feel more flexible than solid memory foam. For those who can’t get onboard with full-on foam, it’s a nice middle ground. I think it also makes for a good back-sleeper pillow because it’s supportive without being overly firm. This non-cooling version is $40 cheaper, so it’s a good option if you just want a back-sleeper pillow and aren’t concerned with cooling.

Fill type:Polyester fiber| Loft:Varies slightly by density, roughly medium to high| Firmness:Soft, medium, or firm

If you don’t want a foam pillow, this down-alternative one from Boll & Branch is an excellent choice. It’s my favoritedown-alternative pillowoverall, but as a back sleeper myself, I especially like how it provides plenty of neck support. You can choose between three density options, which basically determines how firm the pillow feels. The dimensions of the pillow are the same across each density, but they’re progressively stuffed with more fill as you go from soft to medium to firm. I tested the medium model, hoping for a mix of softness and support, and the pillow delivered on both. This pillow feels so plush and downlike, I initially thought the brand had mistakenly sent me a real down pillow, but it’s just filled with a super airy, cushy polyester fiber that’s still supportive enough to keep my neck aligned with the rest of my spine — no sinking down and forcing my neck into a strained position.

Fill type:Foam| Loft:Varies| Firmness:Varies

While there are plenty of general guidelines to follow when choosing a pillow, a lot of what makes a pillow right for you still comes down to personal preference. Pluto Pillow’s entire business model is designed to cater to that preference: You take a quiz on the brand’s website with questions about your height and weight, your current pillow and how much you like (or hate) it, how you sleep, and what feel you want from your new pillow. From there, Pluto builds a “custom” pillow with a foam core whose firmness and loft is matched to your sleep position(s) and body size. Trolio and I both tested Pluto — each filling out the quiz for our own customized pillows — and found our personalized results to be a good option for back sleeping. We are both back and side sleepers, and we received similarly constructed pillows. Both have a perforated-foam slab in the middle, with fluffy fiberfill cushioning in both sides of the machine-washable cover (the reverse of the Casper Hybrid’s construction) with a total loft of about six inches. Both pillows also have a quilted, polyester-polyethylene-blend cooling cover.

The Pluto pillow I tested felt very similar to the Casper Hybrid pillow, above, probably because both combine foam and fiberfill. However, on the Pluto, I felt my head and neck press into the fiberfill first, which gives it a slightly more plush feel up front than the foam-first Casper Hybrid. Still, the foam inner core keeps the pillow from veering too far into soft territory; it’s more like medium-firm, with a plush exterior. This ensures plenty of neck support. My biggest complaint about my Pluto pillow is that it’s a bit loftier than I would normally go for. Though it does compress under my head and neck (an unyielding six-inch loft would be far too tall for me), I would prefer a lower loft. If you’re in the same boat, that’s something to keep in mind when filling out Pluto’s quiz.

Trolio slept on her Pluto pillow on and off for about six months, and though it is a little firmer than she tends to prefer (despite saying she likes a squishier, more plush pillow when taking Pluto’s quiz), she says it has kept her neck and shoulders pain free, acknowledging that “even if it isn’t always the pillow I think I want, it’s often the pillow I need.” She also appreciated that it shipped uncompressed, so it didn’t need to reexpand once it arrived.