Best Pillow for Back Sleepers

Jake Comfort | Updated: August 2023
Jake Comfort | Updated: August 2023
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Back sleepers are one of the most common forms of sleepers. If you’re someone who constantly sleeps on their back, you probably have a certain pillow that you prefer to use. But if you don’t know much about pillows or mattresses, you might be missing out on some great sleep due to ignorance.
The pillow you use plays a much larger role in your ability to sleep than you might think. You can spend thousands on a high-end mattress, but if the pillows aren’t able to provide you with support and comfort, you’ll still have a horrible sleep. For this reason, you should put just as much thought into your pillows as you put into your mattress.
Everyone has their favorite sleeping position, and each of these positions needs to be approached differently. There are different pillows for different sleeping positions. It’s important that your pillow caters to your sleeping style – it needs to be able to keep your neck in the right positions.
In this article, we’ll explore the different characteristics you should be looking for in your next pillow if you’re someone who sleeps on their back. If you’re a back sleeper, make sure to read on!
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What to Look For
When you sleep on your back, you need to be certain that your neck is in a straight position – it should align with your spine. Unlike side sleeper, people who sleep on their back have relatively little room between their neck and the mattress. This means that you won’t need as full of a pillow to keep your neck straight.
Regardless, it’s very important to choose the right pillow if you want to get a good rest throughout the night. We highly recommend that our readers compare a variety of different pillow options to help determine the best product for their style of sleeping.
Company | Pillow | Notes | Feel | Price | Rating |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Handmade Wool | All natural cool wool feeling | Soft | $89 | A+ | |
Live and Sleep Pillow | Responsive open-cell memory foam technology enhances sleep for all sleep types | Medium-firm | $60 | A | |
Puffy Pillow | Adjustable design so you can customize it to your needs. Cooling cover and great materials | Adjustable | $75 | A |
Below we’re going to take a deeper look at the two primary characteristics that should be present in a pillow for a back sleeper. If you want to get the best pillow for back sleepers, make sure consider these two factors carefully.
Neck Support
This is the most important factor when considering a new pillow if you’re a back sleeper. Back sleepers should always make sure they have the neck support they need to have a decent sleep. You don’t want to purchase a pillow where you head sinks through the entire thing, this will cause you neck pain and potential issues in the long-term. You should be looking for a pillow with medium firmness and support. This is the best way to ensure you get a good, healthy sleep every night of the week.
The best pillow for neck support will typically have quite a bit of resistance. For this reason, latex and hybrid foam pillows are often considered quite good choices when it comes to neck support.
Comfort
After you determine the amount of support you need, it’s time to consider comfort. With the amount of choice you have on the pillow market, it’s important that you find a pillow that has plenty of comforts. The new foam pillows available on the market tend to provide a great level of comfort at a very affordable price. Ten years ago, these pillows would have been unaffordable to traditional consumers.
Fortunately, you’re able to access some of the best sleeping products without having to break the bank. In some cases, some of the most comfortable mattress producers also provide pillows to customers wanting similar products.
Other Features to Consider
While the features mentioned above are the primary determinants of what type of pillow you should purchase, there are also some other components that are worth considering. Below, let’s explore some of the finer details that often set different pillow products apart.
Heat Retention
Heat retention is one of the most important components to consider when you’re purchasing a new pillow. Unfortunately, heat retention can be the downfall of many comfortable pillow options. Just because a pillow feels good when you first go to sleep, doesn’t mean it will help you get good rest throughout the night.
If your pillow or mattress retains too much heat, you’ll struggle to get a good night’s sleep — especially if you’re someone who regularly overheats when they sleep. The problem is that many modern sleeping products have dense foams or latexes that don’t do a great job of dissipating heat.
If you’re going to purchase a modern pillow, it’s critical to make sure that you’re not buying something that retains too much heat. When you’re overviewing a product, take a look at the cooling features that help keep the temperature down during the night.
Fortunately, plenty of the top pillow producers offer free trials, which can help you avoid investing in a pillow that isn’t suitable.
Materials
This topic was glossed over in the above section, but it’s important to take a deeper look the materials that are used to create many of the pillows on our list. As mentioned previously, there are a variety of different foams and materials used to create modern pillows and mattresses. These materials have allowed producers to make bedding products that are much more comfortable than previous designs.
Latex, memory foam, down, and a range of other pillow-types are available. There are even hybrid options that seek the benefits of multiple materials at the same time. Each material offers its own advantages and disadvantages — make sure to choose the one that is best suited to your sleeping preferences.
Off Gassing
If you’ve never heard of the term ‘off gassing’ before, it’s critical to get a deeper understanding of this topic before you purchase a pillow. As different materials are now used to make bedding products, there are sometimes consequences from the chemicals inside modern pillows. Over time, unstable chemicals can be released from the pillows — this can create a variety of problems. It’s thought that it could be extremely bad for your health.
Off gassing has made it popular to purchase pillows or bedding materials that are made from organic materials. There are also some inorganic materials that don’t have as many off gassing issues. If you want to protect the health of you and your family, it’s critical to consider if a pillow has issues with off gassing.
Promotional Offers
Price is always an important component to consider. Fortunately, there are a range of producers that now offer excellent promotional offers to those who want to save money when they purchase new pillows for their beds. If you’re planning on purchasing more than one pillow for your bed, you may be able to find some excellent deals on the market.
This is another reason it’s important to compare and contrast different pillow producers before you commit to a single option. Promotions are often seasonal — it’s critical to check current offers before you make a purchasing decision.
Personal Preferences
You should also factor in other personal preferences that you might have. For example, if you don’t want to expose yourself to chemicals often found in foams, you might want to look at pillows that use organic or natural materials. This is the best way to avoid exposure and reduce the impact your pillow has on the environment after you throw it away — this issue has come further into focus in recent years.
Where to Buy the Best Pillows for Back Sleepers
There’s no ‘best’ place to buy pillows – there are hundreds of different spots that you can choose if you’re in the market for a new pillow. Many people still prefer to head in-store and try the pillow out themselves, but you don’t need to do this if the producer you purchase through has a free trial period.
Online stores have a much larger selection. In addition, there are several online pillow and mattress producers that don’t offer any in-store services. This allows them to cut down on overheads and provide you with a luxury item for a much lower cost. We suggest you consider purchasing pillows online if you’re looking to save time and money.
Online commerce has changed the bedding industry for the better. You can now access hundreds of different mattresses and pillows without having to venture out of your home. Best of all, the market is no longer dominated by the same expensive companies that formerly shared the entire industry between themselves.
Value Your Pillow
Many people make the mistake of putting too much emphasis on their mattresses. While your mattress is critical if you want to get a good night’s sleep, it’s not the only factor to consider if you’re trying to improve your bedroom. For this reason, a pillow is a very worthwhile investment if you’re trying to improve your current sleeping situation.
Luckily, pillows are much more affordable — it’s easy to fix a problem if your pillow is the cause of the issue.
Poor sleep can lead to a range of serious issues, including heart disease. For this reason, it’s critical to get as good of sleep as possible. Make sure you have the right pillows can be one of the cheapest ways to invest in your health.
Things to Keep in Mind
You should always be aiming to work with a company that values your business. There are plenty of great pillow manufacturers, so don’t waste time with ones that don’t offer standard features. If you’re shopping online, you should make sure there is a free trial period included – this way you can try out the pillow for a few days prior to keeping it.
Even if you’re purchasing your pillow through a traditional provider, a free trial is always advisable. You’ll typically have to pay for the pillow upfront, but you’ll be able to return it for a full refund if you’re not satisfied with the quality of the pillow.
You should also make sure there is a warranty that lasts at least 1-5 years. If you want to protect yourself from manufacturing problems, a warranty is typically your best option.
Make sure to read the details of the warranty before your purchase the pillow. In some cases, a company may advertise a warranty, but the finer print will show that it covers basically nothing. It’s also important to note that a warranty is only as good as the company that offers it — if a company goes out of business, it will no longer be valid. For this reason, it’s sometimes better to work with well-established firms.
Verdict
If you’ve taken in all the information in this article, you now have everything you need to get the perfect pillow if you’re a back sleeper. Make sure you read the best pillow reviews you can find online – it’s important to see what other customers think of the pillow that you’re ordering. This is especially easy if you’re ordering through Amazon or another e-commerce site – most have public reviews listed on each product.
You can easily find the best pillows on the market if you do a few hours of research prior to making your purchase. Don’t get stressed about the process – you’ll find that you get a much better sleep if you have a pillow that’s perfect for the way that you sleep. Each sleeping position requires a different pillow, so don’t believe that ‘one fits all’ scenario people try to sell you.
If you need additional help finding information on pillows or mattresses, this entire site is dedicated to the subject. We have a range of different resources you can utilize, as well as some awesome reviews that you can use to compare and contrast products. Don’t waste another night sleeping on a bad pillow – it’s time to find the best pillow for back sleepers today!
If you have a loved one or family member that sleeps in a different position, we also have review articles for side sleepers and stomach sleepers. You can find them at the dropdown menu at the top of our site.