Best Memory Foam Pillows 2024

Editors' Choice: Coop Home Goods Shredded Memory Foam Pillow

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The Coop Home Goods pillow is ideal for everyone, no matter how you sleep. This is because the pillow’s construction is such that it is meant to work in any position and it is thanks to its sized and the innards of the pillow being a propositional thickness and heft that they afford you a supremely comfortable way to sleep.

That is, the pillow is nearly a singular no-roll zone on which the lightest part of your body can rest. At the same time, the pillow is not a bobblehead, offering you much more resistance than you’d imagine while still being comfortable. The pillow is GIANT, too, and that’s also another reason why it’s good and why it’s bad. It’s because it’s deliciously dream-invoking and part of the 3:52 a.m. dialogue when you’re trying to figure out if you want to go sleep on the goddamn floor or not.

Coop Home Goods Pros

• Adjustable stuffing: You can add or remove filling to increase or decrease the height.
• Hypoallergenic materials: This pillow is perfect for those who suffer from allergies. The materials are hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant.
• Malleable design: You can mold the pillow to your preferences.
• Return policy: The company offers a 100-night trial. If you don’t like it, you can return the pillow.
• Warranty period: The pillow has a five-year warranty.

Coop Home Goods Cons

• Foam smell: Memory foam has an initial smell. It tends to dissipate within two weeks, but some people can’t use the pillow until the smell goes away.
• Hot design: Some people report the pillow sleeps too hot.

The Company Store Dual Memory Foam and Gel Fiber Pillow

The Company Store Dual Memory Foam and Gel Fiber Pillow is a standout product for those seeking the ultimate sleeping experience. This pillow uniquely combines memory foam’s supportive features with gel fiber’s softness and comfort, creating a perfect balance that caters to various sleeping preferences. The memory foam side offers firm support, ideal for side sleepers or anyone who needs extra neck and shoulder support. In contrast, the gel fiber side provides a softer, plush feel, akin to a traditional down pillow, perfect for those who prefer a gentler cushioning.

The Company Store Dual Memory Foam and Gel Fiber Pillow Pros:

1. Dual-Sided Design: The pillow features one side with memory foam for support and the other side with gel fiber for a softer feel, offering versatility in comfort options.
2. Suitable for Various Sleep Preferences: Its dual-sided nature makes it suitable for a wide range of sleepers, catering to both those who prefer firm support and those who like a softer pillow.
3. Quality Materials: Both the memory foam and gel fiber are of high quality, ensuring durability and a comfortable sleep experience.
4. Temperature Regulation: The gel fiber side offers a cooling effect, which is beneficial for sleepers who tend to overheat at night.

The Company Store Dual Memory Foam and Gel Fiber Pillow Cons:

1. Adjustment Period: Some users may need time to adjust to the unique feel of the dual-sided pillow, especially if they are accustomed to traditional single-material pillows.
2. Weight and Bulk: The combination of memory foam and gel fiber can make the pillow heavier and bulkier than standard pillows, potentially affecting ease of handling or changing pillowcases.
3. Price Point: Compared to standard pillows, this pillow may be on the higher end of the price spectrum, which might only fit some budgets.
4. Maintenance: While the gel fiber side is generally low maintenance, the memory foam side may require more careful handling and cannot be machine washed, which could be a drawback for some users.

Best Value: Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow

This budget-friendly memory foam pillow features a gel-infused memory foam fill that provides a cool and comfortable sleep experience. It is available in multiple sizes and is machine washable for easy maintenance.

Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow Pros:

1. Cooling Gel Infusion: The pillow is infused with cooling gel, which helps regulate temperature and keep the sleeping surface cool, making it ideal for hot sleepers.
2. Supportive Memory Foam: It offers the supportive and contouring benefits of memory foam, which can help alleviate neck and shoulder pain by maintaining proper spinal alignment.
3. Versatile Firmness: The medium firmness of the pillow makes it suitable for various sleeping positions, including side, back, and stomach sleepers.
4. Easy Maintenance: The removable and machine-washable cover adds to the convenience of maintaining the pillow, ensuring hygiene and durability.

Weekender Gel Memory Foam Pillow Cons:

1. Initial Odor: Like many memory foam products, there might be an initial off-gassing smell when unpacked, although this typically dissipates over time.
2. Potential Firmness Issues: Some users might find the pillow either too firm or not firm enough, as personal preferences for pillow firmness can vary widely.
3. Heat Retention: Despite the cooling gel, some users may still experience heat retention, as memory foam tends to retain body heat.
4. Weight and Density: The pillow can be heavier and denser than traditional pillows, which might not be preferable for those who like to move their pillow around throughout the night.

Best for Side Sleepers: Brooklyn Bedding Premium Shredded Foam Pillow

Brooklyn Bedding

Brooklyn Bedding is a mattress manufacturer that entered the memory foam pillow space not too long ago.

The company prides itself on offering a pillow with “cloud-like comfort with contoured support.” It’s perfect for both side and stomach sleepers.

The pillow is stuffed with shredded memory foam and features a side zipper so you can remove or add foam if you need to.

Pros

• Breathable design: The ventilation design promotes air circulation for a cooler night’s sleep.
• Cooling features: This pillow contains a cooling gel foam to draw heat out and away from the head and neck.
• Hypoallergenic materials: The materials are antimicrobial and resistant to allergens, mold, bacteria, and dust mites.
• Low price: The price makes this pillow affordable for most people.
• Return policy: The 120-night trial period helps you know if this pillow is the right one for you.
• Warranty period: Your pillow will have protection for three years.

Cons

• Not for back sleepers: Customers say this pillow does not offer enough support for back sleepers.
• Odor problems: This pillow has an initial chemical smell. It goes away after a few weeks.

Best for Neck Pain: The Purple Pillow

Purple

Purple mattress is a memory foam mattress an aerospace engineer designed. The mattress helps alleviates joint and shoulder pain.

Thankfully, the company now offers pillows that provide the same pressure relief and joint-pain combatting benefits.

The purple pillow offers three layers: a top layer providing reinforced neck support, a middle Smart Comfort Grid™, and a cooling cover.

The Smart Comfort Grid™ provides optimal neck support while comfortably cradling your head. It promotes airflow to help you sleep cooler.

Overall, this pillow is our favorite option for people with bad backs and neck pain.

Purple Pillow Pros

• Adjustable firmness: This pillow offers easily-adjustable firmness options.
• Free shipping: If you live in the contiguous U.S., the pillow will ship for free.
• Return policy: This pillow has a 100-night trial.
• Sleeps cool: The Smart Comfort Grid™ allows for optimal airflow to keep you from getting too hot while you sleep.

Purple Pillow Cons

• Short warranty: The warranty is only one year, which is much lower than other memory foam pillows.

Best Cooling: Tempur-Pedic Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling Pillow

Amazon

If you sleep hot, you may not like most memory foam pillows because they generally sleep hotter than cotton or down-filled pillows. But if you love memory foam pillows, companies like Tempur-Pedic have come up with a few solutions.

The Tempur-Pedic TCloud Breeze pillow is our top choice for people who sleep hot. It has cooling gel and a breathable cover to keep you comfortable.

Both sides of the pillow have a layer of  Tempur-Breeze gel, which is designed to keep you cool throughout the night. The pillow has a soft, breathable quilted cotton cover.

Tempur-Pedic Cloud Breeze Pros

• Breathable cover: The pillow is also encased in a soft, breathable quilted cotton cover to help keep you cool.
• Cooling gel: Both sides are lined with a layer of Tempur-Breeze gel to help keep you cool throughout the night.
• Warranty period: Your pillow is under warranty for five years.

Tempur-Pedic Cloud Breeze Cons

• High price: These pillows are more expensive than competitors’ options
• Return policy: This pillow does not have a trial period.

What Memory Foam Is

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Memory foam is technically known as Viscoelastic polyurethane foam. NASA invented it in 1966 as a means of keeping astronauts comfortable and safe during space launches.

In the early 1980s, NASA shared memory foam with the public, and in 1991, the first memory foam mattress hit the market: the Tempur-Pedic Swedish Mattress.

Memory foam is dense yet elastic. It softens when you lie on it and forms to your body and bounces back to its original shape when you stand back up.

The material is also cooling. Thus, it’s great for people with joint pain, bad backs, or those who sleep hot.

Memory Foam Pros

• Eliminates motion transfer: If you sleep with a partner who tosses and turns, memory foam can help. While this is more beneficial for mattresses, it’s worth noting for pillows as well. Because memory foam is so dense, you sink in, and the memory foam absorbs movement instead of transferring it.
• Forms to your exact shape: Memory foam uses your body heat and body pressure to form to your build. Your body heat softens the foam and makes it more viscous, allowing you to sink further into it. This creates a natural curve, which provides excellent lumbar support and helps your spine.
• Reduces allergies: If you have allergies, check out a memory foam mattress and memory foam pillow. Because memory foam is so dense, it reduces the number of allergens such as dust and mold that can build up over time.
• Relieves pressure: Memory foam relieves pressure, and as a result, can help reduce joint pain.

Memory Foam Cons

• Difficult to clean: Because memory foam is not waterproof, it can be challenging to clean.
• Heavy materials: Memory foam is heavy — much heavier than cotton or down-filled pillows or mattresses. While this can be a problem with mattresses, it’s typically not an issue with pillows.
• Higher price: Memory foam is typically more expensive than cotton or down or other materials.
• Hot materials: Memory foam doesn’t allow airflow like other materials do and can retain body heat. As such, it can get hot. If you sleep hot, a memory foam pillow may not be the best option for you.
• Initial smell: Memory foam tends to smell like chemicals when it’s new. Typically, the smell will go away after a few days, but sensitive noses may have a problem with the smell for weeks.
• Not waterproof: If you like to drink coffee (or wine) in bed, you shouldn’t if you have a memory foam pillow or mattresses. If memory foam gets wet, it will retain the moisture, which can not only lead to a foul odor but also degenerate the foam. Tend to drool a lot in your sleep? You may want to avoid memory foam pillows too.

In our opinion, the pros of memory foam outweigh the cons.

Types of Memory Foam Pillows

Tempur-Pedic

Contrary to what you may have thought, there’s more than one type of memory foam pillow.

There are typically two types of memory foam pillows: one-piece (or traditional memory foam pillows) and shredded.

If you’re in the market for a new pillow, learn the differences between the types so that you can decide which you’d prefer.

Traditional

Purple

Traditional memory foam pillows have one large piece of memory foam.

The shapes of traditional memory foam pillows can vary. The most common are flat, contoured, and wedge:

• Flat: Flat memory foam pillows are rectangular and resemble traditional pillows. These are the most basic form of memory foam pillows and perfect for back sleepers, stomach sleepers, and those without joint problems or other ailments.
• Contoured: Contoured memory foam pillows create a more supportive shape and surface for the neck, head, and shoulder. These are the best memory foam pillow for side sleepers.
• Wedge: Wedge-shaped pillows are the best pillows for people who have joint problems, are pregnant, have gastrointestinal ailments, snoring issues, or other esophageal problems. The foam wedge allows users to rest their heads (or shoulders, legs, or knees) in an elevated position to promote blood flow and alleviate pressure. This can also help reduce snoring caused by sleep apnea or acid reflux.

Traditional memory foam pillows work great for people who don’t need to adjust their pillows.

Shredded

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Adjustable shredded memory foam pillows have shredded memory foam. An outer shell (typically cotton or polyester) has tiny chunks of torn memory foam.

These pieces can move around and allow you to mold and sculpt your pillow much like you would a down pillow.

If you’re a non-committal sleeper – sometimes you like a flat pillow, sometimes you want a mounded pillow, sometimes you like a lumpy pillow – the shredded open may be the best option pillow for you.

The other benefit of shredded memory foam is that it’s more breathable than traditional memory foam. This feature makes the material cooler.

Memory Foam Pillow Buyer’s Guide

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Because they aren’t the same, you should get familiar with different memory foam features to help you decide what pillow will be best for your needs.

Here are the most important things to consider when you buy one.

Cleaning

If a memory foam pillow isn’t waterproof, how do you clean it?

The covers are machine washable, but you have to clean the pillows differently.

For starters, you should vacuum it every time you change your sheets. You may want to spot clean the pillow every two weeks to remove dirt and sweat buildup that may have broken through the case.

When the time does come to wash it, here are the steps to follow:

1. Fill a bathtub with warm water and a small amount of gentle detergent or soap.
2. Submerge your memory foam pillow in the soapy water slowly, squeezing it to allow the water to penetrate it. Repeat two times.
3. Remove the pillow from soapy water. Dump the water and fill the tub with clean water. Submerge the pillow in clean water, squeezing several times.
4. Air dry the memory foam in direct sunlight.

Comfort

Pillows should be comfortable.

Size and thickness are two factors of comfort. If you can, test a few memory foam pillows in person before purchasing to decide which is the most comfortable option.

If you choose to buy online, check the return policy. Some offer trial periods so that you can test the pillow for a few nights before making your final decision.

Cooling Properties

While memory foam is comfortable and helps alleviate joint pain, it does have one major downfall: it’s not breathable and thus can get hot.

Thankfully, some memory foam pillows come with cooling properties.

Copper-infused covers and bamboo covers are some of the ways memory foam pillows can keep you cool.

Another is cooling gel. Some memory foam pillows have layers of cooling gel built into their sides, which can prevent you from overheating at night. A gel pillow can also be more comfortable.

Other have mesh panels on their sides.

If you tend to sleep hot, we recommend looking for a memory foam pillow that promotes cooling.

Cover Material

Memory foam pillows are not machine washable, but most come with removable, machine washable covers.

Check the cover materials before you buy. Many include additional comfort features.

Common cover materials include:

• Copper-infused covers to promote cooling and prevent you from overheating in your sleep
• Polyester blend covers that are easy to wash
• Bamboo covers to increase airflow and keep you cool
• Quilted cotton covers that are easy to wash

Returns Policy

If you’re purchasing a memory foam pillow online, you can’t test the pillow before you buy it. If you are buying in-store, you can test it out to an extent. But you still won’t know for sure if you like it until you try sleeping on it.

Thankfully, most memory foam pillows come with generous return policies.

Good return policies can range from 30 days to 120 days or more. We recommend finding a return policy that’s at least 30 days because it can take a month to adjust to a new pillow.

Size and Thickness

Memory foam pillows are similar to regular pillows in size and come in the following sizes:

• Standard: Standard is the most common pillow size. It’s typically the cheapest option. It’s the shortest and uses a regular-sized pillowcase.
• Queen: Queen pillows are about four inches longer than standard pillows. This size is perfect for those who tend to toss and turn.
• King: King pillows are six inches larger than standard pillows. They’re excellent for people who toss and turn and people who like to sit in bed to read, watch tv, or drink coffee.
• Body: Body pillows are long and wide. They’re great for pregnant women or those who like to cuddle with pillows while they sleep.

In terms of thickness, memory foam pillows vary. Some are thin, while others can be five inches or more.

If you like a consistent thickness, you’ll want to go with a traditional memory foam pillow. If you prefer to customize the thickness, try a shredded memory foam pillow.

Warranty

We like companies that believe in their products, which is why we like good warranties.

Memory foam pillow warranties vary. We found some that only offered one year and others that were five years or more.

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One of the best memory foam pillows can help you sleep better at night. Use our buying guide and our top picks to help you make your decision.