The best pillows for neck pain of 2025

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When sleeping, you want your spine to remain supported and neutral. This helps you get a good night's sleep and reduces the chance of joint pain or muscle soreness. The best pillows for neck pain protect your spine from twisting or overextending. However, since every body is different, the ideal for one person may be a nightmare for another. We outline options for all sleeping styles and recommend pillows with lengthy home trial periods.

I interviewed four experts and enlisted the help of six colleagues to test 17 of the best pillows for this guide. Our top pick is the Layla Kapok Pillow because you can easily achieve a custom feel by removing or adding fill and molding the pillow to cradle your head and neck. If you also experience back pain, the Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow is a smart choice. It's $37 cheaper than our top pick and it's fully adjustable, though it has a shorter trial period, and I didn't find it as comfortable.

Top picks for pillows for neck pain

Best overall: Layla Kapok Pillow - See at Amazon

Best for side sleepers: Eli & Elm Cotton Side Sleeper Pillow - See at Amazon

Best for stomach sleepers: Belly Sleep Gel Infused Memory Foam Pillow - See at Amazon

Best for back sleepers: Brooklinen Marlow Pillow - See at Brooklinen

Best for neck and back pain: Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow - See at Amazon

Best overall

The Layla Kapok Pillow was the best pillow we tested by far. It's filled with CertiPUR-US certified shredded memory foam and fibers from the Kapok tree. The fibers are light, buoyant, and commonly used as a down alternative.

To adjust the pillow, you unzip the machine-washable cover and internal case and remove as much fill as you need to achieve your preferred loft. You'll want to remove a little fill at a time; otherwise, you may end up with shreds of fill all over your bedroom.

I switched to the Layla pillow when I awoke with neck pain, and it did a great job of assuaging the pain. The loft was exactly what I needed for side sleeping without removing any fill.

Sally Kaplan, executive editor and a more petite side sleeper than me, also tested the Layla Kapok and loved it. She prefers flat and moldable pillows, so she removed two-thirds of the fill. This made it easy to manipulate the remaining fill to support her head and neck. Kaplan said it took a couple of nights to get the adjustments just right, but once it was there, she slept much better than with her old memory foam pillow.

Best for side sleepers

The Eli & Elm Cotton Side Sleeper Pillow and our top pick were the only two pillows in our tests deemed comfortable by multiple testers with neck pain. Your neck and shoulder stay supported thanks to the Eli & Elm pillow's U shape.

The Eli & Elm pillow is filled with latex and polyester that you can remove to customize the feel. We suggest taking out a little fill at a time to avoid a mess. Despite its shape, the pillow fits a standard pillowcase, but you can also purchase it with a case that fits it precisely. I didn't notice a difference in comfort when using the Eli & Elm case versus a standard pillowcase.

I slept better on my first night with the pillow than I had in months. I didn't remove any loft because it was ideal for my side-sleeping needs. I had no neck soreness while testing the Eli & Elm pillow.

Once I was done testing, my wife took the pillow, and she preferred it because the U shape kept her from shifting to an uncomfortable position at night. She sleeps on her side a little bit but mostly likes her back.

Senior reporter Antonio Villas-Boas found the loft and firmness of the pillow were perfect for his multi-positional sleeping. He didn't adjust the fill at all. He had no neck pain during his two months of testing the Eli & Elm pillow. He reported that the shape made it more comfortable than other pillows he's slept on.

Best for stomach sleepers

At 2.5 inches, the Belly Sleep Gel Infused Memory Foam Pillow offers the lowest loft of the pillows we tested, making it ideal for stomach sleepers. While you can't adjust the loft, the gel memory foam is pliable enough to fold in half to get extra lift if you occasionally shift to your side.

Former senior reporter Owen Burke suffered from neck pain and had tested several thin pillows designed for stomach sleepers but was never impressed by them. At times, he'd even give up and rest his head on his shoulder without a pillow. 

Right away, Burke appreciated the Belly Sleeper's ability to gently adapt to the curvature of his head and neck. He also found the machine-washable cover was particularly soothing under his usual pillowcase. "Overall, I'm sleeping far better, longer, and much more comfortably than any other time in recent memory," he said.

I also tested the Belly Sleep pillow. I found it comfortable enough when falling asleep on my stomach, but when I wanted to shift to my preferred side-sleeping position, it did not provide enough loft. When I folded the pillow, it just felt too awkward. You may want to choose a different pillow if you don't primarily sleep on your stomach.

Best for back sleepers

When the Reviews team is chatting about our favorite bedding, Brooklinen always comes up. The brand makes the best overall down pillow in our best down pillow guide and the best sateen sheets in our best sheets guide. The shredded memory foam/polyester blend Marlow Pillow is another impressive product from Brooklinen.  

I slept incredibly well on the pillow. It cradled my head, keeping it aligned with my spine, whether I was on my back or side. During the 10 nights I slept on it, I didn't experience neck pain. 

Though you can't add or remove fill, it features a zipper system for making it more or less firm. If you want a softer feel with a higher loft, you simply unzip the zippers along the lengths of the pillow. Zip it up for a firm feel.  

Unzipping the pillow reveals a mesh gusset that lends a level of breathability to the Marlow. I preferred the softer, cooler feel and added loft of the unzipped pillow. 

The Marlow comes with the longest risk-free trial of any pillows we tested.

The biggest negative is that the pillow doesn't have a removable cover and is spot clean only. You may want to spring for a pillowcase protector to help it last longer.

Best for neck and back pain

The Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow has much in common with our top pick, the Layla Kapok. Both are on the firmer side and have adjustable shredded memory foam fill, so you can get a customized feel to match your sleeping style. The Coop pillow is usually about $40 cheaper. Both come with a five-year warranty.

The Coop pillow is also the top pick in our guide to the best pillows. For this guide, it's not our top pick because I didn't sleep nearly as well on it. I slept on both pillows for over 70 nights, and according to data collected on my Garmin smartwatch, I slept much better on the Layla Kapok.

A few mornings, I awoke with neck pain after sleeping on the Coop pillow, even after adjusting the loft. However, I didn't experience back pain while testing it, a rarity.

Executive deputy editor Lauren Savoie slept on the Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow for several weeks and didn't experience any back or neck strain. She removed a third of the fill to accommodate her back sleeping preference.

Read our full Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow review.

What to look for in a neck pain pillow

Here are the primary factors you should consider when shopping for the best pillow for neck pain:

Adjustability and loft: For comfortable support, you need a pillow that fits your head, neck, and shoulder contours. It should be supportive and the right firmness for your sleep style. We like adjustable pillows because you can customize the fill to fit your body. The right loft is achieved when your head and neck aligned with your spine in your preferred sleeping position. 

Materials: Consider a material that's supportive yet adaptable. In general, we recommend opting for pillows made of synthetic materials, like foam or polyester. Bedding filled with down or other animal products is more likely to cause an allergic reaction. Currently, there is no certification process that a manufacturer must go through in order to call its pillows hypoallergenic.

Return policy: A good return policy is vital if the pillow isn't right for you. We only recommend purchasing from a brand that still allows you to return the product even after sleeping on it for several weeks.

CertiPUR-US certification: This is a standard for polyurethane foams, including memory foam. Pillows that are CertiPUR-US certified are made without heavy metals, flame retardants, ozone depleters, phthalates, and formaldehyde. They also have low VOC emissions.

How we test pillows for neck pain

We put each of the pillows in this guide through several tests, including sleeping on each for at least three nights. When shopping for a pillow, the most important factors to consider are comfort, return policy, and adjustability.

Here are the main attributes we look for and how we test them:

Comfort: I tested each of the pillows for at least three nights. For reference, I'm 6 feet tall and 215 pounds. I mainly sleep on my side but can find comfort in any position. Each morning, I would record how comfortable I felt on the pillow, if I experienced any neck pain, and how well I slept. Since several factors play into pillow comfort, including your body type and sleeping style, the firmness of your bed, personal preferences and more, I also enlisted the help of six neck-pain sufferers on the Insider Reviews team to help me test.

Return policy: The only way to find out if a pillow is truly right for you is to sleep on it for several nights. We gave preference to pillows that had a trial period of at least 60 days and a return policy free of loopholes, like requiring the customer pay return shipping.

Adjustability: Adjustable pillows are great if you don't want to deal with the hassle of returning a pillow or if your comfort preferences change over time. An adjustable pillow will help ensure your neck gets the precise support you need. Pillows with loose fill that you can add or remove scored higher in our testing since they allow you to achieve a more-precise customization. Models with inserts were less helpful since customization was limited. Pillows that weren't adjustable at all lost points.

Cleaning: I cleaned all of the pillows according to the manufacturers' directions. Many had removable machine-washable covers. A few, including the MyPillow pillows, were entirely machine-washable. However, it was hard to gauge when they were completely dry. I rated each pillow on how easy it was to clean and how cleaning impacted the feel.

Neck pain pillow FAQs

Can a pillow cause neck pain?

Yes. If a pillow has too much loft, your head will bend forward too much when sleeping on your back, overstretching the back of your neck. If there's too little loft, your head tilts back and overstretches the front of your neck. You want to keep your neck in a neutral position.

How should I sleep to avoid neck pain?

Colleen Louw, a physical therapist and spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association, discourages people from sleeping on their stomaches because sleeping with your head turned can lead to neck pain. Instead, sleep on your back or side with your spine aligned.