Waking up with a sore neck is a rotten way to start the day. The best pillows for neck pain offer support in all the right places, ensuring that your shoulders and muscles are positioned properly all night long. No more waking up with sore shoulders, neck stiffness and headaches.
Our necks and backs need more careful attention than ever, now that so many of us work from home and spend our down time staring at our phones. "In my 20 years of clinical experience, I've never treated so many younger people with neck pain," says Gary Jones, physiotherapist at Physio 206. "That's got to be something to do with the mobile screen generation. It's a big problem and it's not going away."
The right supportive pillow could make all the difference - but instead we sleep on the same saggy old pillow for years on end. "Think about how many hours you sleep each week," says Gary. "Your car has an annual MOT, but how often do you do an MOT of your pillow? It's literally, let's wait until it's gone threadbare!"
So in this buying guide, we'll reveal how to choose a pillow that offers the correct support, alleviating not just neck pain but also back ache and headaches. We'll also reveal our pick of the best pillows currently available.
READ NEXT: The best mattresses to buy |The best beds to buy |The best duvets to buy
Best pillow for neck pain: At a glance
- Best memory foam pillow for neck pain: Tempur Original Large Pillow
- Best cooling neck pillow: BedStory Memory Foam and Microfibre Pillow
- Best firm memory foam pillow: Eve Memory Foam Pillow
- Best deep pillow for neck pain: Silentnight Eco Comfort Pillow
- Best ergonomic pillow: Groove pillow
- Best V-shaped pillow: Argos Home Orthopaedic V Shape Pillow
How to buy the best pillow for you
What type of pillow is best for solving neck pain?
Moulded support pillows are supremely comfortable for your neck because they support its natural curve, says Gary Jones. "Your neck naturally curves slightly inwards, and contoured pillows help maintain that," says Gary. "Over the years, that inward curve tends to flatten, especially if you spend too long stooped over your desk. So a moulded pillow with a high bit for your neck lets your body rest in a more natural and healthy position."
Memory foam is especially well suited to providing the support your neck needs, so we've included several memory foam pillows in our rundown. Foam tends to feel quite soft at first, but it firms up as it moulds to fit the natural posture of your body, creating a cradle that supports your unique pressure points while you're in the land of nod. On the downside, memory foam can feel a little too warm in summer, so some pillows include special cooling layers to offset clamminess.
If you’re considering a memory foam pillow, then be sure to check out our dedicated memory foam roundup next.
Natural latex also feels buoyant and supportive, and is a more natural and sustainable option than memory foam. However its eco credentials can push the price up - especially if you go for organic and other certifications. However, given how many hours you spend sleeping on your pillow and the life-changing impact of neck pain, a good pillow is worth investing in.
Feather and down pillows are soft but versatile, giving you the freedom to make them more and less puffy in different areas to lend exactly the support you want. However they quickly lose their "loft" (pillow jargon for height), and feathers can easily become displaced while you sleep, failing to give your head and neck consistent support through the night.
Does it matter what position you sleep in?
Side sleepers need higher pillow height than back sleepers, to accommodate your shoulder and support the inward curve of your neck. A too-flat pillow can lead to the dreaded "shoulder crunch", stressing and straining the muscles in your neck as you sleep. Go for a memory foam or latex pillow that's dense enough to maintain its depth throughout the night.
Back sleepers don't need as much pillow depth. A pillow that's too big will push your head upwards and lose this natural curve, causing neck and shoulder pain.
Front sleepers also need a flatter pillow than side sleepers. However in the longer run, you should switch to sleeping on your side. "Sleeping on your front is not a natural position for your neck to be in," says Gary Jones. If you're starting to experience symptoms, say you're waking up with neck pain or headaches, then it may be time to change your pillow or even the position you're lying in."
READ NEXT: The best pillows for side sleepers
The best pillows to prevent and soothe neck pain
1. Tempur Original Large Pillow: Best memory foam pillow for neck pain
Price: £109 |
Buy now from
Tempur
Contoured memory foam is the pillow type of choice for people seeking relief from neck pain, and Tempur is the king of memory foam pillows. This classic robust pillow is pricey, but it's a superb investment if you want to sleep better and wake in comfort.
The raised section supports your neck and helps your head, neck and shoulder muscles to fully relax in their natural posture while you sleep. The Large size is 11.5cm at its highest, which is not actually that high, so while it's perfect for back sleepers you may need a bit of extra height to accommodate your shoulder if you're a side sleeper. Luckily the Tempur Original also comes in X Large with 13cm of support, which is ideal for side sleepers. However it's also worth noting that the pillow will compress and firm up over your first few nights of sleep.
Key specs – Filling: Memory foam; Cover: 100% cotton cover (machine washable 60C); Sizes: Large is 61cm x 31cm (11.5cm max height); also available in Medium (10cm height) and X Large (13cm height)
2. BedStory Memory Foam and Microfibre Pillow: Best cooling pillow for neck pain and headaches
Price: £37 |
Buy now from Amazon
Memory foam is great for providing neck support, but it can feel rather clammy in warm weather. So pillow specialist BedStory has found a solution: infuse memory foam with cooling gel to regulate temperature, disperse heat and allow the air to move around. The result is a wonderfully supportive pillow that responds to your body's temperature to help you drift off and wake up in comfort.
The pillow isn't contoured, and it is quite firm even when you first use it. However the foam moulds beautifully to the contours of your neck and head, whether you're a side or back sleeper, and then springs satisfyingly back to shape. We also like its super-soft, breathable cover, which you can supplement with a standard pillow case.
Key specs – Filling: Memory foam; Cover: Microfibre and tencel (machine washable); Sizes: 1 (60 x 40cm; 13cm height)
3. The Moon by Rested: Best memory foam pillow that feels like down
Price: £65 | Buy now from Rested
Down pillows feel luxuriously soft, but that sinking feeling isn't so great for your neck and shoulder muscles, which need more support. This pillow's visco-elastic memory foam does a brilliant job of mimicking the softness and give of down, but it also offers superb bounce-back and enough support to avoid shoulder crunch and a stiff neck.
We also love the way one of the long edges curves inwards, creating a nook for your shoulder to fit into. However if you have a long neck or shoulders you may find this pillow just a little too flat (12cm) for comfortable side-sleeping.
Key specs – Filling: Memory foam (visco elastic polymer); Cover: 'Sleepsoft' outer cover (machine washable); Sizes: 1 (40 x 60cm; 12cm height)
Buy now from Rested
4. Eve Memory Foam Pillow: Best firm memory foam pillow
Price: £69 | Buy now from Eve
Eve’s pillow hasn’t got an ergonomic shape like some of the other options in this roundup, but it is one of the best memory foam pillows, particularly if you’re after something with a firmer feel. Indeed, it ranks much higher on the firmness scale compared to some of the other memory foam pillows we’ve tested. Not only that, but it’s quick to regain its shape once you lift your head and, much like The Moon by Rested featured above, offers great bounce-back.
It’s this level of support that makes the Eve memory foam pillow a decent choice for sleepers who might be struggling with neck pain and shoulder crunch. And if, by chance, you don’t notice an improvement in your sleep, Eve offers a 30-night trial period at the end of which you can return your pillow for a full refund if you’re not happy.
Read our full review of the Eve Memory Foam Pillow
Key specs – Filling: Memory foam; Cover: Polyester (machine washable); Sizes: 1 (42 x 66cm, 13cm height)
Buy now from Eve
5. Silentnight Eco Comfort Pillow: Best deep pillow for neck pain
Price: From £18 | Buy now from
Amazon
If you’d prefer a more traditional shaped pillow to alleviate neck pain, Silentnight’s Eco Comfort pillow is a great choice. A sustainable alternative to memory foam, it’s filled with the brand’s “Eco Comfort fibres” which are made from 100% recycled materials (including 17 plastic bottles for each pillow).
Both soft and firm options can help alleviate pressure on the neck, though we’d recommend side sleepers opt for the latter. The Eco Comfort is also designed, much like memory foam, to spring back into shape when not in use, though we’d argue that it still benefits from a plumping up from time to time.
Key specs – Filling: “Eco Comfort Fibres” made from recycled plastic; Cover: Unspecified; Sizes: 1 (74 x 45cm; height not given)
6. Groove Pillow: Best ergonomic pillow
Price: £30 |
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Groove
Originally called the EasySleeper pillow, the Groove Pillow is a contoured memory foam pillow with a little dip in the middle to cradle your head and neck. This is designed to ensure proper spinal alignment for both side and back sleepers. We found it comfortable and supportive, if ever so slightly on the thin side, and we never woke up with a sore or stiff neck during testing.
The memory foam inner is infused with bamboo and charcoal, which is far from an uncommon feature in today’s bedding market (the materials are lauded for their antibacterial, hypoallergenic and supposed cooling properties), and the cover is machine washable. Importantly, the pillow also comes with a 100-night trial period, at the end of which you can return it for a full refund if you’re unhappy. It’s already a reasonably priced pillow at £30, but having this trial period certainly doesn’t hurt when it comes to buying with confidence.
It’s also worth mentioning that we tested the pillow with a standard 50 x 75cm pillow case, which had a slightly loose fit. Given the unique shape of the pillow, you might get a better fit from one of Groove’s pillow cases (measuring 69 x 43cm): these start at £15, and are available in a range of materials including cotton, bamboo and linen.
Key features – Filling: Memory foam; Cover: Quilted scuba (neoprene) (machine washable); Sizes: 1 (60 x 35cm, 11/6cm height)
Buy now from Groove
7. Argos Home Orthopaedic V Shape Firm Support Pillow: Best V-shaped pillow for neck and back pain
Price:
£14 | Buy now from
Argos
A V-shaped pillow is a great choice if you suffer from back and neck pain, and struggle to get comfy on standard pillows. Buyers report that it's more medium than firm, and ideal for side-sleepers who want to hug the pillow and sleep with one knee resting on it – a position which soothes your back while the other branch of the V supports your neck and head. This pillow does come with a pillowcase, which is handy because you'll struggle to fit it inside your standard cases!
Key specs – Filling: Polyester; Cover: 70% polyester 30% cotton (machine-washable at 40C); Sizes: 1 (75m x 75cm)
Buy now from Argos