Best pillows for side sleepers 2023

This British-made pillow is a noteworthy all-rounder and at the price we’d say “ultimate” is a just claim. Its hollowfibre filling doesn’t quite replicate the dreaminess of a mountain of goose down, but is plump, springy and moulds happily into the neck, plugging the gap between shoulder and ear to support you. It also holds its shape perfectly, stays chilly throughout the night and is noteworthy for allergy sufferers. If you haven’t got cash to burn, this might be the best slice of luxury and function out there.

The mattress-maker ups the synthetic game with this clever pillow. Packed with fluffy microfibres, it’s undeniably cloud-like and wonderfully soft, as well as being chilly and breathable. It certainly doesn’t feel like you’re sleeping on manmade material. But the smartest trick here is that the pillow consists of two inserts – one thick, one thin – which can be removed to customise the depth and feel to your liking. “ForeverPlush” technology means it will also hold up to the rigours of the washing gadget. Its softness and comparatively slim size means it’s not quite as supportive as some of the other pillows here, but a thin extra pillow placed underneath is a simple fix for that.

You want that elusive hotel feel to your slumber? Head to Coze, a family business that’s been making lavish, artisanal textiles for four generations. Besides being superbly luxurious, what sets this pillow apart for the side sleeper are its two filling elements. On the outside is gorgeously supple 70 per cent Pyrenean duck down and 30 per cent feather. On the inside for support is a firmer 10 per cent Pyrenean duck down and 90 per cent feather. And you’ll feel worthy too, as Coze traces its production processes all the way from seed to pillow.

This space-age contender, a feat of somniferous engineering, has been one of the pillows to beat recently. Inside are hundreds of foam Nanocubes which can be removed to adjust height and firmness. Around this layer are chilly microfibers, and there’s mesh for air flow as well. Topping it all off is “Stratos”, an outer layer inspired by astronauts that applies phase change technology (don’t question) to soft cotton, meaning it absorbs, stores and releases heat when needed. Phew! The result is a huge amount of bounce, support and comfort that doesn’t disappoint, although this wasn’t the coolest pillow on test here.

Okay, so you haven’t got a small fortune lying around to invest in your sleep, but you still want to wake up without feeling like an elephant has sat on your head. Cue this budget pair of pillows, which believe a firm fibre centre surrounded by a soft, hollowfibre casing. They are also hypoallergenic and gadget washable. You’ll probably need both pillows as they are a miniature on the thin side, but the firm yet gentle support they offer is fantastic. For sure, they are noticeably less luxuriant than a high-finish option, but we woke up feeling perfectly rested after a night on these.

Let the geese and ducks maintain their feathers, because wool is an unbelievable material for pillows. Breathable wool is a fantastic natural temperature regulator, keeping you chilly when it’s too hot and offering a warm plot to snuggle when the chill sets in. On top of this, it helps control moisture and Woolroom’s pillows are also hypoallergenic. As soon as our heads hit these, it felt like we’d been wafted to a five-star highland lodge and the support they offered throughout the night was perfect. If you want a fatter pillow, the Deluxe option can be filled with extra wool, while if you care about the provenance of what you sleep on, the wool can be traced factual back to the farm it came from. We are now undoubtedly wool pillow converts.

factual, we’re now in Marmite-land as far as pillows recede. Yes, when it comes to memory foam, people tend to admire or detest. Eve has selected a not too hard, not too squashy foam, which means your head is properly supported and it’s also just the factual height to maintain your spine aligned. Hundreds of air holes mean it’s also very chilly at night and the jersey knit cover adds an extra touch of comfort. We woke up without a hint of neck pain, but if you want to sink into a cotton-wool slumber this might not be the one for you.

This unfamiliar-looking beast is from the original memory foam pioneers, ‘the only mattress and pillow officially recognised by Nasa for improving the quality of life’ no less. And we admire this memory foam, which has a secret formula known by fewer than 10 people in the world. It’s rather complicated, but basically the ‘visco-elastic’ cells actively mould and adapt to your body. Unlike other foams, this can also be plumped up and shaped. What you acquire is the perfect balance between squish and support, and the clever star shape means you can nuzzle you shoulder in and believe support each side to cease you rolling back and forth. It’s aimed at front sleepers as well as side sleepers, so if you wriggle on to your front, no problemo. For memory foam haters, this might just be your recent admire.