Our Pillow Recommendations
Waking up with neck pain, shoulder pain, stiffness, or headaches is something we hear about from patients all the time. One of the most common contributors is something many people don’t think much about: their pillow.
A pillow that is too high, too flat, or that loses its shape overnight can put the neck into an awkward position for hours at a time. Over time, that strain can contribute to muscle tension, joint irritation, and poor sleep quality.
A good pillow should help keep your head, neck, and spine in a neutral position while you sleep. That means your neck isn’t bending too far forward, backward, or to the side. The “right” pillow can vary depending on your sleeping position, body size, and personal comfort, which is why there isn’t a single pillow that works for everyone.
Over the years, we’ve had many patients ask about our pillow recommendations. Below are a few types and specific options that our staff use and recommend to patients. These are in no particular order!
Affiliate Disclosure: Our clinic participates in the Amazon Associates Program. Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them, at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products that we believe may be helpful for our patients’ health and wellness, and have compiled them here for easy reference. Please let us know if you have any questions about our participation in this program, or the products listed. As always, we’re here to help!
Pillow #1 : The Purple Harmony Pillow
The Purple Harmony pillow is an upfront investment, but our receptionist Paula swears it’s one of the best investments she’s ever made. The pillow is supportive and comfortable due to its special design.
The outer shell is a gel-like mesh grid. Purple calls it the “Honeycomb GelFlex Grid” and it does more than just sound fancy. The open honeycomb structure flexes under heavier areas like the head, but stays supportive under lighter areas like the neck. Instead of slowly collapsing like memory foam, the grid collapses when weight is applied, but springs back up immediately. And Paula’s favorite part of the grid: it keeps you cool all night. Imagine, the cool side of the pillow is no longer the flip side. Instead, it’s the side you’re asleep on!
The core of the pillow is made of Talalay latex. This is part of why it has such a high price tag (the process of making this material is expensive). Most lower-cost ergonomic pillows are made of memory foam, and while those can be great, they don’t work for everyone.
Talalay latex is a specific way of producing latex foam that makes it springy, responsive, and more breathable than memory foam. It’s also durable (“The pillow holds its shape ALL night,” says Paula). It provides a “bouncy” or “buoyant” feel while simultaneously letting you “sink” into it. Purple describes it as feeling like your head is floating, and this is a spot on description.
The pillow comes two sizes (standard or king) and three heights (low, standard, and tall). According to the product page, “Low 5.5 in for stomach and back sleepers, Medium 6.5 in and Tall 7.5 in often chosen as side sleeper pillow lofts.”
Supposedly Talalay latex is safe to use for folks with latex allergies, but if you do have an allergy to latex and prefer to play it safe, we have more options for you! Unfortunately, we could only find other blog posts to support the allergen-safety claim, and… Well, not to put shade on blogs [because that would be awkward] but without the ability to check peer-reviewed information, we don’t want to assure you about something as critical as latex allergy safety.
Pillow #2: Three Geese Adjustable Pillow
This pillow is for those of us that love the soft, fluffy feeling of a feather pillow. It can be difficult to find a pillow with the right height for your particular body and your favored sleep style. Enter stage left: this ADJUSTABLE pillow. It’s technically three pillows in one, so you can adjust it to fit your needs.
Three pillows in one… What does that even mean? Basically, this pillow consists of three thinner goose feather pillows inside one zippered and padded pillowcase. The pillowcase feels more substantial than a regular pillowcase, and helps add extra overall form. You can keep all three goose feather inserts inside for maximum fluff and height, or remove 1-2 to lower the height. Plus, you can always add the height back if your sleep style changes, so this is a pillow that adapts with you.
The outer part of the pillowcase is made with 100% cotton, so it feels breathable against your skin. The padded portion of the zippered pillowcase is made of polyester.
Polyester might be a dealbreaker for some, since it can feel stifling and less breathable than other materials. However, based on the experiences of our staff member that uses this pillow nightly, the polyester portion doesn’t cause her to run hot. This is likely because of that 100% cotton outer case, and the fluffy, breathable goose feather inserts.
This staff member is a side sleeper that sleeps with her arms under her head, and finds the height is just right when she uses 2 of the 3 inserts. She uses the extra insert as a bonus side pillow. Bonus pillow? In this economy?! Now that’s a win.
Pillow #3: Core Products Tri-Core Pillow
This pillow comes recommended by Dr. Thompson. She loves that is is great for someone who is a side and back sleeper. It’s segmented into 4 sections that cradle your head and support your neck.
The sections on the top and bottom of the pillow are described as “rolls.” The larger roll provides maximum support for back sleepers. The smaller roll provides medium to firm support for back sleepers. Regardless of which side you choose to sleep on, your head is cradled by the divot in the center.
The left and right sections of the pillow are designed for side sleeping, and help support spinal alignment, reducing strain on the head and neck.
The pillow comes in three different sizes: full size, midsize, and petite.
The sizing recommendation is based on height as follows: Petite = under 4’10” | midsize = 4’10″–5’6″ | full size = 5’6″ and taller. However, this is only a general guideline, and you’ll want to take your neck length into account when choosing your pillow size. If, say, you’re 4’8″ but you have a long neck, you may need the mid or full size.
Additionally, Core Products points out that your body may need a few weeks to adjust to the pillow. You may notice more tension at first as your neck gets used to the “corrected” positioning. If that’s the case for you, alternate between the Tri-Core and your current pillow as your body adjusts. Dr. Thompson has seen this in several patients over the years and many have gone on to loving their Tri-Core pillow.
However, this potential adjustment period isn’t unique to the Tri-Core; it can happen with any new pillow if it’s vastly different from your current set up. I suppose it’s like this with other products too, like trying a new shampoo or face cream. We may experience the opposite end goal until our body adjusts (see: my face when I first tried the beef tallow trend).
Last thing to mention about the Tri-core: this pillow is a blend of virgin fiber polyester fill and cotton.
Pillow #4: CUSHION LAB Deep Sleep Pillow
This is another pillow that’s on the pricier side, but it’s much-loved by our massage therapist Alison, as well as the countless folks she’s recommended this pillow to over the years.
The outer cover of the Cushion Lab pillow is made of nylon & spandex, while the inner cover is made of recycled polyester & spandex. The core is made of an extra-dense memory foam.
The memory foam has 2 different densities: the top layer is softer and cloud-like and the base layer is firm and supportive. It sounds impossible, yet folks describe it as feeling soft and firm at the same time— but it makes sense given the dual-layer foam build.
The pillow has a slight dip in the center to cradle your head and neck. The four corners of the pillow are slightly raised to act as a shoulder bolster for side-sleeping. Gone are the days of scrunching up your pillow just-so in order to get your shoulder feeling supported; instead, the support is thoughtfully designed into the pillow.
Cushion Lab says this pillow is made for all sleep styles (side, stomach, and back) so this should be a one-and-done situation.
Again, it’s more about making sure you get the right size, and that the materials work best with your preferences. People that love this pillow say it helped relieve neck and shoulder pain, and that it was comfortable from day 1.
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And that’s all we have for today! We hope one of these pillows gives you your very own Cinderella and her slipper moment (aka when you lay your head down on your new pillow, may it fit as perfectly as the slipper fit Cinderella).
We get it. Finding the perfect pillow can be daunting. There are so many options out there! Our intention was to narrow it down to a few of our favorites to make it easy for you. If you end up getting one of these pillows, please let us know what you think. Tell us everything! The good and the not-so-good— we want to know it all. But if this post has done its job well, you shouldn’t have any not-so-good things to tell us.
Also, if none of these options seem right for you, we’d be happy to look into some more options. Just send us an email at schedule@divisionchiro.com
Or schedule an appointment today with one of our chiropractors! They’re happy to help your body feel better whether you’re sleeping or dancing to the latest TikTok dance (that’s still a thing, right?).
Check out another product recommendation post here
(The information on this blog is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.)
