Best pillows for every kind of sleeper in 2025, tried and tested

After weeks of testing, Simba’s hybrid pillow emerged as the most adaptable, consistently comfortable pillow on test. What makes it a winner is its “nanocube” fill – instead of vague “adjustable” claims, you can genuinely fine-tune loft and firmness to your liking, by adding or removing the small foam cubes.

You can then store the overflow in the pouch provided. As a side sleeper, my sweet spot came after I removed a couple of handfuls, which eliminated the slight neck stiffness I’ve experienced when testing denser pillows.

The cooling promise is legitimate, providing a subtle, instant chill as air is kept moving through the mesh perimeter. I found that I flipped it less on warm nights, and it stayed a comfortable temperature whether put in a cotton case or used as is. The quality is also thoughtful, with smooth fabric on one side and cool tech on the other. The cover is also fully machine-washable and comes out good as new. The only downsides are the price, and it needs regular fluffing to avoid feeling a little segmented.

Read the full Simba hybrid pillow review

After sleeping on Slumberdown’s memory plus pillow for a few nights, the single-block viscoelastic core proved to have a consistent medium-firm feel that contoured gradually rather than engulfing my head. When on my side or back, it kept my neck neutral, and I woke up without feeling stiff, though it might be a little high for front sleepers.

Heat management is the expected trade-off at this budget, as there are no gel infusions or perforation channels to keep you cool. This means it runs warmer than ventilated premium foams, but it stayed a comfortable temperature during testing rather than feeling clammy or needing constant flipping.

Resilience is better than the price suggests, and minor impressions bounced back within a couple of minutes. There weren’t any midnight dips that some cheaper foams can develop, either.

While it’s not adjustable and lacks the floating contour feel of high-end Tempur-style pillows, it’s a smart upgrade from lumpy hollowfibre for budget-conscious sleepers. It’s great value, and you can get a two-pack (£34.05, Amazon.co.uk) for less than half the price of some of the pillows on this list.

If you want true, unyielding support, Panda’s hybrid bamboo pillow should become your new go-to. The bamboo-derived viscose cover is genuinely cool and feels silky to the touch – during the warmest nights, I flipped it far less than some other memory foam options. Inside, Panda’s open-cell, charcoal-infused foam and ventilation channels move air better than single-slab designs, and temperature regulation felt steady all night.

Support is the main selling point. The pillow measures 13cm high, which is apparently a sweet spot for side sleepers, and the medium-firm (more towards the firm end of the scale in my experience) cradles your head and neck without collapsing. It takes a night or two to get used to, though, and it would suit back sleepers more than front sleepers.

Resilience and build are super-strong, with minor impressions vanishing quickly; the seams and zip remaining tidy even without a secondary pillowcase; and the faint new-foam smell airing out before I tested it the night of unboxing. Just be aware that the loft isn’t adjustable, and it’s heavier and pricier than fibre fills.

On top of that, though the marketing makes a lot of this pillow being ‘natural’, it’s made of bamboo-derived viscose, not fibres of bamboo. It’s an excellent pillow, but it’s worth bearing in mind that “bamboo” is ultimately a synthetic fabric in this context.

Read the full Panda hybrid bamboo pillow review

If you’re looking for the best pillow for pressure relief, I’d recommend Tempur’s cloud smartcool pillow. The headline here is comfort under pressure. When lying down, I felt a slow, even sink that dispersed weight and eased hotspots at my ear, jaw, and neck. When lying on my back, my neck stayed neutral, and the jaw-clenching that sometimes plagues my nights during stressful periods was markedly improved.

There’s a low-to-medium loft and soft feel, and I think even some front sleepers will be pleased with it. Cooling isn’t a world-beater, but good enough, considering the dense foam, and the knit fabric feels cool on contact and stays that way. It’s built incredibly well overall, with a removable, washable cover.

Even with this pillow’s versatility and pressure relief performance, there are some downsides. It’s not adjustable, so those with broader frames may not get along with it, and like many Tempur products, the expense could put it out of reach for some.

If you’re someone who prefers a lofty, hotel feel, I’d recommend EarthKind’s sustainable feather and down support pillow, which I found to be the best down pillow when testing. It’s filled with recycled natural materials (around 85 per cent feather, 15 per cent down) and has a noticeable, supportive, springy profile, in contrast to down-heavy options. The pillow on its own kept my neck neutral, and I was equally comfortable on my side and my back.

It’s incredibly breathable, running cooler than dense foams and never getting clammy on warm nights, despite the lack of cooling tech. The tightly woven cotton cover feels robust, and no quills poked through the cover by the end of testing.

Of course, natural fills often need a quick daily plump, so the EarthKind is higher-maintenance than some other pillows on this list. It’s also not suitable for vegans or anyone with a feather allergy. Still, for back and side sleepers who want comfort and support, it’s an easy win.

If you overheat, I found the Dreams therapur memory foam ice pillow the best cooling pillow. When researching for this guide, I found lots of pillows claimed to be “cool to the touch,” but it’s actually true in this case. The knitted “ice” cover feels genuinely cold, and it stays pleasantly temperate for hours.

I flipped it far less often than other foam pillows I’ve tested, and there was none of that midnight clamminess as the core warmed up. It didn’t feel artificially cold by morning, either, as the heat build-up is well managed throughout the night.

Support feels structured, and the dense, evenly cut foam contours gradually before holding you in a way that will suit back sleepers especially well. As a side sleeper, I felt well-aligned, though it felt a touch shallow with a fully tucked shoulder (though, of course, this will vary from sleeper to sleeper). Front sleepers will likely find it too firm and too high.

The build quality is great, with a smooth zip, tidy seams, and a quick rebound. The reassuring weight also stops drift. However, it’s not perfect. One of the trade-offs is that it has a fixed loft, single-piece feel. It’s not very adjustable, and you can’t really plump it up or smooth it out. It’s also a lot heavier than hollowfibre pillows, so it’s a little unwieldy to adjust in the night.

Panda’s memory foam bamboo pillow has earned a permanent place in my home (though as a chronic back-pain saver on my sofa, rather than my bed), and I’d recommend it for back sleepers. The bamboo-derived viscose cover is the star, and it feels cool and smooth on contact. It isn’t ice cold, but it stayed fresher than typical one-piece foams.

Inside, the single slab of slow-rebound foam delivers a consistent medium-firm feel, and at roughly 12cm in loft, it’s compact and dialled in to back sleeping. It may be a touch shallow for broader frames, of course, but resilience is solid, and shallow impressions vanish quickly.

The build quality is also impressive for the price, with tidy seams, a smooth zip, and a breathable mesh inner protector. The tradeoffs are that, like other memory foam pillows, it has a fixed loft and slightly warmer feel than the hybrid alternatives, but this is a great option for back sleepers who run warm and want dependable support and alignment.

Read the full Panda memory foam bamboo pillow review

Woolroom’s deluxe washable wool pillow is naturally dust-mite resistant, so those who would normally wake up with the sniffles are safe to invest in this case. I tested this pillow during peak hayfever season, and though it’s admittedly anecdotal evidence, it seemed to help with my allergies.

Thermoregulation is excellent, and far better than you’d immediately expect from a wool pillow. The filling wicks moisture and balances your temperature, avoiding clammy patches that are somewhat inevitable with memory foam or synthetic materials. Of course, it’s also bound to be cosy on cold winter nights.

Unlike many examples on this list, this pillow is also adjustable. It arrives generously filled with loose, carded clusters, which gave me a medium-firm loft. But it’s easy to remove as much or as little of the filling as you’d like. It’ll need a quick daily plump, as wool doesn’t react well to neglect, but this is a great alternative for those who aren’t convinced by memory foam.