The Big One Gel Memory Foam Contour Pillow Reviews
The research
- Why you should trust the states
- Who should use retentivity-cream pillows
- How nosotros picked and tested
- Our favorite shredded-foam pillow: Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow
- An affordable single-slice foam pillow: Weekender Gel Memory Cream Pillow
- A luxurious layered-foam pillow: Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Suit Pro + Cooling Pillow
- A supportive contoured-foam pillow: Ecosa Pillow
- Intendance and maintenance
- What to expect forward to
- The competition
- Sources
Why you should trust u.s.a.
I personally prefer memory-cream pillows. Equally a side-sleeper I like a fair amount of height and a very firm pillow to keep my shoulders and artillery from getting sore, and in testing for this guide I had some of the better nights of slumber I can remember. I too co-wrote our main guide to bed pillows. Our picks are the pillows I would spend coin on myself.
Who should use memory-foam pillows
Retentivity-foam pillows (shredded foam, solid cream, layered foam, or contoured) are best for people who sleep on their side or back and don't get plenty support from down and down-alternative pillows. We don't recommend most retentiveness-foam pillows for stomach-sleepers unless you tin can customize the fill up or you specifically demand more than peak. Although some of these pillows are adaptable, almost of our picks are pretty lofty; in our testing, the extra-firm, extra-high back up didn't feel comfortable to nigh stomach-sleepers.
Dr. Jonathan Kirschner of New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery told us that, when choosing a pillow, yous should maintain your torso's natural alignment. "In the cervix we have a natural curve called the lordosis," he said, "and you want the pillow to accommodate for that." In testing I've institute that the most supportive pillows make my head feel like it's comfortably floating and non pulled in any 1 direction. If y'all like the feel of retention foam but need a smaller, softer pillow (in our test panel stomach-sleepers and side- and back-sleepers with smaller frames tended to take this preference), we take more options in the Competition section. To see the pillows nosotros tested with other fills (every bit well every bit more options in shredded cream, our testers' favorite manner), read our master guide to bed pillows.
How we picked and tested
Comfort: We looked for pillows with good cervix and shoulder support, and we ruled out about pillows that caused overheating. Retentivity foam tin can experience hotter than down and down-alternative pillows, though, then in some cases nosotros considered pillows with great support that felt a petty warm.
Construction: As with all pillows we've tested, we looked for strong stitching along the seams, nosotros noted the quality and thickness of the outer cover, and we judged the cover'southward ability to protect the foam within. We also checked the foam to see if it was fragile.
Return policy and warranty: Determining whether a pillow is a good fit takes a few nights, so we looked for generous return policies (from xxx to 100 days) from the companies whose pillows nosotros recommend. Only one of our recommended pillows—from Tempur-Pedic—doesn't offering returns, but dissimilar the others, it's available to endeavor in stores. Most of our picks likewise come with 3- to vi-year warranties (which mainly encompass manufacturer defects).
In 2019 we tried a total of eighteen memory-foam pillows in shredded, solid, layered, and contour styles. We've tested shredded-foam pillows for several years for our main pillows guide, only this was our start time considering all styles of foam pillows. After conducting first-round testing that eliminated the to the lowest degree comfy models, we had a panel of six testers (representing side-sleepers, back-sleepers, tum-sleepers, and some philharmonic sleepers) spend a few weeks sleeping on the 14 remaining pillows. Going by their notes on comfort and breathability—and building on our years of shredded-foam pillow testing—we made our picks.
Our favorite shredded-cream pillow: Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow
Our pick
Over the years, we've tried more than 100 pillows—blimp with down, down culling, and foam—with dozens of sleep testers. And the Nest Bedding Easy Breather Pillow has consistently been one of the well-nigh popular amidst back- and side-sleepers considering of its house merely soft support, its adaptable shredded-foam fill up, its high-quality materials, and Nest Bedding's decent return and warranty policies.
Nosotros've been recommending the Easy Sabbatical since 2016. This pillow is comfortable and firm, offer cervix support that doesn't crusade pain. Nest redesigned the Easy Breather in 2021—making it the third version of this pillow we've tested—and it's now completely car-washable and still our favorite shredded foam pillow. It's the superlative-ranked shredded-foam pillow among our side- and back-sleepers, scoring college than the Xtreme Comforts, Leesa Hybrid, and Sleep Number ComfortFit Archetype pillows. We also found that our testers virtually universally preferred the feel and support of shredded foam to that of solid, layered, or contoured foam.
One of our favorite features of shredded-foam pillows over other memory-foam pillows is their adaptability. Although yous can choose from three heights on the Tempur-Pedic pillow or add foam sheets to the Ecosa pillow, neither is as customizable as the Like shooting fish in a barrel Breather, from which you can remove clumps of make full to get a loft that feels just right for y'all. The 2021 version contains all the foam in a zippered, all-cotton inner pouch that tucks inside the outer cover. Every bit with past versions, with this 1 yous can remove clumps of the shredded foam until y'all get the loft just correct (and perchance save those pieces in a bag for futurity adjustments); we think this makes it the most flexible of our memory-foam pillow picks.
The Easy Breather's thick Tencel-blend cover is softer than the covers on our other memory-cream pillow picks, with a stippled surface that masks the slightly lumpy texture of the shredded-foam fill. Compared with other shredded-foam pillows nosotros've tested, the Easy Sabbatical also has less of a chemical olfactory property when you first open up the package (information technology dissipates in a mean solar day or so).
The Easy Breather comes with a 30-24-hour interval return policy (just save the original packaging for returns), which should exist long enough for you to make sure it's the right selection, plus a two-year warranty covering manufacturer defects. Tempur-Pedic offers a longer warranty and Ecosa offers a longer render policy, merely Nest'due south protection is still amend than what we've seen from nigh competitors in our years of pillow testing. Nest also has thirteen showrooms, so if yous live nigh 1 y'all might be able to attempt this pillow in person.
Flaws simply not dealbreakers
If you find this pillow to be too lofty, you tin adjust it by removing some fill, but the procedure can be messy. Some of our testers have said that when they've done this, the fill has left dusty clumps of foam everywhere. They still honey the Easy Breather's adaptability, though, and we think it's worth the temporary mess—keep a vacuum handy.
An affordable single-piece foam pillow: Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow
Budget pick
The Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow was the highest-rated solid memory-foam pillow for our testers, and it's i of the cheapest foam pillows we tried. It's the perfect choice if you lot want a depression-risk fashion to endeavor a retentiveness-cream pillow for the first time, or if yous know you don't like the experience of shredded foam. The Weekender's foam feels less high-tech and engineered than that of our other picks—it reminded me of the inexpensive cream you tin buy at sewing and craft stores. It doesn't offering equally much resistance to the caput and neck (what helps keep them elevated and aligned), just for most of our testers information technology got the job done.
Ane tester praised its "cushiony softness" and noted that it was just the right thickness for her shoulders. It'southward not as tall or as business firm equally the Nest Bedding, Tempur-Pedic, and Ecosa pillows, but another tester, who has a small frame and mostly prefers depression pillows, even so establish it as well high. It might exist a good choice if you prefer a medium-elevation pillow.
It's available in standard (which we tested), queen, and king sizes. Our testers were divided on the quality of the quilted outer cover—some thought it felt inexpensive, others noted information technology was absurd and soft—merely when it's within a pillow case, we don't think you'll observe. The embrace fits the pillow tautly and is removable for easy washing. From a mode perspective, nosotros thought the contrast piping looked cute. The Weekender comes with a iii-year warranty, and if you lot purchase through Amazon, you have thirty days to render it.
A luxurious layered-cream pillow: Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Pro + Cooling Pillow
Upgrade pick
The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Adapt Pro + Cooling Pillow (mid-density), with its three layers of cream, is the highest-quality foam pillow we tried—it molds to the shape of your caput and neck and is amend than the Like shooting fish in a barrel Breather at keeping its shape throughout the night. The outer cover is also libation and better quality than anything else we tested.
We tried the mid-density version—the pillow also comes in a "hullo" height that consists of a single cake of retention foam and a "lo" version with thinner layers inside—and the foam was business firm merely spongy, so our heads and necks were cradled simply didn't sink. When squeezed, the foam inside returned to its original shape faster than that of any other retentivity-foam pillow we tried, so we recall this pillow will probably hold its shape and provide comfortable support for longer than any of our other picks. When you remove the cover, this pillow looks similar solid cream, simply dissimilar nigh solid-foam pillows, which are flat rectangles, this one is rounded and overstuffed. That's because of the "micro cushion" layer sealed inside the memory foam, which gives information technology more resistance, extra loft, and a rounded shape. It's the simply retentivity-foam pillow nosotros've tried fabricated with layered sheets of solid foam, and it's particularly comfortable if y'all need a lofty, dense pillow to keep the curve of your neck properly aligned.
It'south the only one of our picks that'southward sold widely in stores (the Easy Breather is bachelor in Nest showrooms, but only a handful of them exist nationwide), and because Tempur-Pedic volition accept returns only if the pillow is defective or damaged from aircraft, we call up yous should try it out in person. For this kind of money, it's worth the actress step. It does come with a v-year limited warranty.
The embrace is cool and shine, and it fits the foam inside perfectly, with less bunching and excess textile around the edges than on other pillows we tested. It's ane of the few pillows I've tried with cooling technologies (in this example, the proprietary cover textile) that actually worked through the night. It'due south a big pillow, though—information technology's tall and fat, and information technology comes in only queen and king sizes, dissimilar our other picks. If a lower, squishier pillow works best for your neck and trunk shape, this one is not for you.
A supportive contoured-foam pillow: Ecosa Pillow
Also corking
Ecosa Pillow
Best contoured memory-foam pillow
Height-adaptable and curved to provide targeted neck support, the Ecosa was the best contoured pillow we tested. It'southward pricier than others we recommend, but it's the favorite of our back- and side-sleepers who struggle with pain.
Buying Options
If y'all need focused support for your neck muscles or struggle with any kind of upper-body pain (including headaches), the contoured Ecosa Pillow might help you lot get a better night's sleep. Its raised curves are more rigid than the make full of our other memory-foam picks, and information technology keeps its shape—your head doesn't feel equally molded into the foam as with our other picks—just also stays squishy then you don't feel like you're sleeping on a brick.
Our experts take told u.s. time and fourth dimension again that a practiced pillow should piece of work with the natural contour of your neck, and the Ecosa's shape sits correct against the neck to direct support its arc. We tried three contoured pillows, and the Ecosa was the almost comfortable and supportive of the cervix. I'g a side-sleeper prone to stiff arms and shoulders, and this was my favorite retentiveness-foam pillow (though it did cause me a bit of overheating). I also reached for information technology while battling sinus headaches. In our testing, a back-sleeper with chronic neck problems also preferred the Ecosa to other retention-cream pillows, and she chose it over some other contoured pillow she had been using. It comes with two thin sheets of cream that you can add inside the cover to enhance the acme, and in our tests we found that Ecosa's guidance on the number of layers to apply was fairly accurate.
The breathable, zippered cover of the pillow is nice quality, likewise. It'southward soft to the touch and hugs the contours of the pillow well, and so in that location's no bunching as you shift in the dark. As with all of our picks, the comprehend is removable and washable. Ecosa says the pillow has a layer of activated charcoal to requite it antibacterial properties, but we didn't test for that nor exercise we put a lot of stock into antibacterial claims.
Although the surface has a bumpy texture that split our test panel, it'south less lumpy, and more than uniform, than the shredded foam of the Nest Bedding pillow, then it may require less of a transition if you've previously been sleeping on downward or down alternative. The Ecosa has a 100-night return policy, the longest of any pillow we recommend. Information technology does non come with a warranty, whereas our other picks do.
Care and maintenance
We've talked to some cloth experts who said yous can wash shredded-cream pillows (though non single-slice foam pillows) in a washing automobile without removing their stuffing, but nigh manufacturers practice not recommend information technology. The redesigned 2021 Piece of cake Sabbatical is the only shredded cream pillow we tested that can exist done, due to the new inner pouch that holds all the foam (Nest does not recommend washing older models). Washing them could void the warranty or affect the ability to return pillows you've purchased. Nosotros as well think it's possible that washing foam filling could damage it, crusade mold if information technology'due south not dried thoroughly, or maybe impairment your washer and dryer (if the stuffing leaks). Our safest proposition is to wash cream-pillow covers only.
You lot tin can remove unmarried-slice or shredded foam from its cover (you'll need a large basket or purse to hold the shredded foam, every bit information technology expands quite a bit when you lot scoop it out). Ever check the cleaning instructions on the label, merely more often than not we recommend washing the cover in cold water and drying it on low heat to forbid any damage. Make certain the cover is completely dry out earlier restuffing it.
What to look forrad to
We'll be testing European Sleep Works' Oxygen Pillows this twelvemonth. We similar that you can selection both a custom density and height, giving you lots of different options to customize (unlike our Tempur-Pedic pick, which combines both meridian and density into three options). We still think the Nest Easy Breather gives yous the nigh precise customization, since you lot tin add and remove the fill to find a perfect fit, but we're looking forward to trying out a solid cream option.
The competition
Notable contenders
Shredded cream
The Sleep Number ComfortFit Pillow Ultimate is our upgrade pick for back- and side-sleepers in our main pillows guide, and it's a fantastic option if you lot don't like the mess of removing shredded foam. In this guide we recommend only our top retentiveness-foam pillow selection in each style (shredded, solid, layered, and contoured), but this Sleep Number model is the next-all-time after the Piece of cake Sabbatical. It has iii sealed envelopes of shredded foam within a soft cover, and you can remove these pouches to adjust the loft for your needs.
The Xtreme Comforts Shredded Retentivity Cream Pillow (standard) is our budget choice for side- and dorsum-sleepers in our main pillows guide, and like the Easy Sabbatical it has been a recommendation of ours since 2016. It typically costs more than than twice the price of the Weekender solid-cream pillow, merely information technology'due south loftier and also has adjustable fill—information technology'southward consistently popular amidst testers. Information technology was our old summit choice, but half of our test Xtreme Comforts pillows in 2019 had a strong chemical aroma that didn't dissipate; if you end up with a smelly one, you may take to supervene upon it. We also tried the Xtreme Comforts Slim Sleeper Shredded Memory Foam Pillow, the aforementioned pillow with less fill, but we found that people who preferred a flattish pillow liked down options more, and that people who wanted a pillow with more support needed more loft.
In two years of testing, side-sleepers have liked the Slumber Number ComfortFit Pillow Classic a lot, and it ranked in the centre of the pack for back- and stomach-sleepers. Merely no one in our testing liked it better than the Nest Bedding Like shooting fish in a barrel Breather or the Xtreme Comforts.
Solid cream
The Malouf Z Zoned ActiveDough Pillow is thinner than the other solid-foam pillows we tried, but one of our smaller-framed testers (a side- and dorsum-sleeper who prefers retentiveness foam to other fills) gave it the highest ratings. Information technology's cool to sleep on, and the outer cover is high quality, but the cream is a little more fragile than that of our picks—be careful when taking it out of its cover, considering it tears easily. It's besides smellier than about other memory-foam pillows we tried, and so you demand to air it out for a solar day or 2 earlier using it. But if you lot're looking for a supportive just squishy pillow and need something thinner than most memory-foam options, this pillow is splendid.
The Tuft & Needle Original Foam Pillow was the favorite solid-cream pillow in testing with our breadbasket-sleeper. The company told us it isn't technically fabricated of memory foam (it's an open-cell foam), and maybe that's why our breadbasket-sleeper found it more than supportive than the memory-foam options we tried.
If you similar foam pillows but prefer something with less height, the Leesa Pillow is another option to consider. Similar the Tuft & Needle, information technology isn't fabricated of memory cream but of open-cell foam, simply in testing our stomach-sleeper and our side-back combo-sleeper who preferred low pillows plant the Leesa soft and supportive. One tester noted, "It feels the near like a 'regular' pillow, but with more support."
The rest
Shredded foam
If y'all like the squishy experience of downwards alternative but demand firmer, loftier support, you might like the shredded-latex and downwards-alternative Saatva Pillow. Every bit a side-sleeper who likes a tall, firm pillow, I chose the Saatva as my overall favorite in 2019 testing, as it was softly supportive and cloudlike. The shredded Talalay latex core is surrounded by down-alternative make full, and you tin remove the core—although one of our sleep-testers tried this and institute that the resulting pillow wasn't supportive at all. Nigh of our testers didn't like the texture, which was soft simply not as squishy as a plain down-alternative pillow.
The Langria Luxury Bamboo Zilch Encompass Bed Pillow is the to the lowest degree-expensive shredded-foam pillow we've tested. It was comfy for such an affordable pillow, but it didn't score as high in our tests as the Easy Sabbatical, the Sleep Number ComfortFit Ultimate, and the Xtreme Comforts pillow.
Nest Bedding's Easy Breather Natural Pillow is a version of our favorite pillow, the Easy Sabbatical. Information technology has an organic-cotton embrace and is made with shredded latex foam instead of memory foam. It smelled a bit when it arrived, but that olfactory property faded afterwards a few days. It didn't feel as comfortable as the original Easy Breather during our first circular of testing, so we didn't see a reason to sleep-test both.
Solid foam
The classic Pillow Cube and the Pillow Cube Pro are advertised for side-sleepers only due to their height and shape. The classic version comes in ii thicknesses, v inches and half-dozen inches, whereas the Pro version is also available in a 4-inch height. We tested the Pro, and though one of our sleep testers thought information technology was fine ("I do like that the back up of the pillow starts lower down my neck than information technology would with a traditional pillow, so I'm probably going to stick with it for a while—but information technology definitely hasn't inverse my life"), it gave me a headache after about x minutes of apply. The company explains in a video how to pick the correct pillow top; both of our testers fell betwixt sizes and ordered downward. We call up the addition of half-sizes in the future would assist buyers get a more than accurate fit and prevent pain. One of the experts we interviewed for our upcoming standalone Pillow Cube review, Dr. Akhil Chhatre, director of spine rehabilitation at Johns Hopkins, thought adding a 3-inch size and a seven-inch size would allow this line to fit a wider range of people. Figuring out whether you tin return or exchange this pillow if y'all try it and get the wrong acme is likewise confusing—the FAQ department on the home page has data that differs from what's on the site'south returns and exchanges page. After our picks, the Pillow Cube is the next-best solid-cream pillow we've tried, just information technology'south hard to get the sizing right, and we're not confident you tin hands return your pillow.
We tried the Imperial Pillow, which is made with the same purple, jiggly "Hyper-Elastic Polymer" equally the top layer of the Purple Mattress we tested. Equally with the Regal mattresses, our testers didn't reply well to the awareness of lying on the gel-like foam. The pillow is very apartment and very heavy. Our breadbasket-sleeper thought it was supportive but just couldn't become past the feel.
Contoured
Although the Therapedic TruCool Retentiveness Foam Profile Pillow has the same shape as the Ecosa Pillow, it didn't offer enough support for united states. 1 tester got a headache with information technology during the night, and another woke upwardly with a crick in her neck. The materials also felt much lower quality.
The Epabo Profile Retentivity Foam Pillow has a concave dip in the center for your head and neck and is thinner than the Ecosa and Therapedic contoured pillows we tested, but it didn't give our testers enough support.
This article was edited by Daniela Gorny and Christine Ryan.
Sources
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Jonathan Kirschner, Md, RMSK, physiatrist at New York City's Hospital for Special Surgery, phone interview, March four, 2019, electronic mail interview, April 23, 2019
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Rebecca Robbins, slumber consultant at The Benjamin, phone interview , May 7, 2018
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Sean Bergman, chief marketing officer at PureCare, phone interview , October 27, 2015
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Michael Breus, PhD, psychologist and American Academy of Sleep boyfriend, interview
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Terry Cralle, RN, slumber manufacture consultant, phone interview , Oct 27, 2015
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Shannon Maher, assistant professor of home products evolution at the Fashion Institute of Engineering , phone interview , October 26, 2015
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-memory-foam-pillows/
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