The Very Best Pillows for Back Sleepers

Fill type: Talalay latex foam | Loft: Multiple loft options | Firmness: Medium

The Purple Harmony pillow is my favorite pillow for back sleepers hands down — and I say this as a back sleeper who has tested dozens of pillows and slept on the Harmony for over a year. You’ve almost definitely seen an online ad for Purple’s mattresses, which have the brand’s signature flexible gel grid as a top layer; this pillow features a thin layer of the same grid within the pillow’s mesh cover. In combination with the Harmony’s bouncy Talalay-latex core, the grid gives the pillow a springy and responsive feel. What I love about this pillow as a back sleeper is that it is sturdy enough to support my neck while still having some squish to it. I also like that the latex core stays fairly cool at night, so I don’t wake up sweaty.

My partner sleeps on this pillow too and likes how the gel grid immediately feels soft when he lies on it — especially compared to many memory-foam pillows, which tend to feel firmer at first, until the foam contours around your head and neck. Even with that more flexible feel, our pillows have held their shape for more than a year of nightly use and are still just as supportive as the day we got them.

The Purple Harmony pillow comes in three loft options: low with a 5.5-inch loft, medium with a 6.5-inch loft, and tall with a 7.5-inch loft. I’m about five-foot-five and sleep on the low-loft version, which works nicely to fill the space between my neck and the mattress without pushing my head too far forward. And even though Purple labels it as “low,” I would actually classify it as more of a medium loft and likely to be a good height for most back sleepers. While back sleepers with larger bodies or broad shoulders may prefer the medium loft, I think the tall version will likely be too tall for most back sleepers (however, it could be a good choice for side sleepers).

My biggest complaint about this pillow is the price — $200 is a lot to spend on a pillow. But I think the combo of Talalay latex and the Purple Grid does provide a uniquely springy, cushioned-yet-supportive, and cooling pillow. There are other latex pillows out there, but no other latex pillow I’ve found has a top layer that competes with Purple’s supercomfortable gel grid.

Fill type: Memory foam | Loft: Low | Firmness: Firm

This flat-on-purpose pillow comes in three loft heights — Super Slim (3.25 inches), Ultra Slim (2.75 inches), and Hyper Slim (2.25 inches) — so you can choose the loft that works best with your body size. Note that all three loft heights are still lower than the Purple Harmony’s “low” option, though the pillow is also affordable enough to stack more than one if needed. The fill in the Bluewave pillow is a single piece of perforated gel-infused memory foam, which gives it a supportive, medium-firm feel, albeit one that’s not quite as buoyant or responsive as the Purple Harmony’s springy latex and flexible gel grid. It comes recommended by Strategist senior editor Crystal Martin, a back sleeper who used to suffer neck pain because her pillow was too thick. She swapped her loftier pillow for the Bluewave Super Slim and after sleeping on it for a year, says it’s plenty supportive despite its lower loft. Martin sleeps with it vertically so it is nestled underneath her shoulder blades and it supports her neck, “so it’s not dipping too far back,” she says.

Fill type: Crosscut memory-foam-and-microfiber blend | Loft: Adjustable | Firmness: Adjustable

The Coop Sleep Goods Original Pillow is unique among the pillows on this list because it’s adjustable — you can unzip it and add or remove filling to your liking. Spinal and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Gbolahan Okubadejo prefers adjustable pillows, which allow you to raise or lower your head’s resting position to help with that all-important alignment. A Strategist reader favorite and our best-overall pick for bed pillows, the pillow is squishy and supportive and can be made to suit any sleep style.

Right out of the box, the Coop pillow is quite lofty and firm — I had to remove a significant amount of the fill to find a firmness and loft that worked for me as a back sleeper. But once I did, I was quite comfortable. Meanwhile, if you prefer a firmer pillow, Coop does include a half-pound bag of extra fill that you can add with additional bags sold separately. The pillow can be easily molded and shaped, and while it has a slightly denser feel than I prefer, I do like how the crosscut foam-and-fiber blend has a more pliant feel than a solid block of memory foam would. This fill also allows for a little more airflow than solid foam.

Fill type: Memory foam | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium soft

The Ostrichpillow Memory Foam Bed Pillow is an oblong pillow, shaped like a pill, with a slight divot in the center to position your head and neck in a neutral position. It doesn’t have the distinctive cutouts and wing shapes that other ergonomic pillows have, but its subtle ergonomic design can still effectively cradle your head while supporting your neck. Strategist senior editor Jen Trolio (who edits all of our sleep coverage) likes this pillow for back-sleeping specifically because the foam feels softer and more plush than other memory-foam pillows she’s tried. She also likes its lower-profile loft, which measures about five inches at the edges and slightly lower in the center. She says most memory-foam pillows are too dense and firm for her taste, but the Ostrichpillow offers a nice balance between supportive foam and a cushiony feel.

Because of this pillow’s shape, you won’t be able to use a standard pillowcase with it — at least not if you want it to fit properly. However, Ostrichpillow does include a pillowcase with purchase, and you can choose from five color options. Just note that this pillow also runs smaller than a standard pillow, at approximately 25 by 15 inches (compared to a “standard” 20 by 26 inches), so if you typically use king-size pillows, you’ll be in for an adjustment.

Fill type: Polyurethane foam and polyester fiber | Loft: Medium | Firmness: Medium

Another option for those who want the plushness and cushioning of foam but don’t love a traditional memory-foam pillow is the Casper Hybrid pillow. Recommended for back sleepers by Dr. Jordan Duncan, a Washington-based chiropractor at Silverdale Sport & Spine, the Casper Hybrid pillow is made with a core of fiber fill surrounded by a foam outer layer. Duncan says the pillow feels soft but supportive. The hybrid design gives the pillow both the contouring feel of foam and the plushness of a down-alternative pillow. The Casper Hybrid’s foam-outside, fiber-inside design is also unique — most “hybrid” pillows tend to be built the other way around: with foam as the core and fiber surrounding it.

Fill type: Polyester fiber | Loft: Varies slightly by density, roughly medium to high | Firmness: Soft, medium, or firm

If you don’t want a foam pillow, this down-alternative one from Boll & Branch is an excellent choice. It’s my favorite down-alternative pillow overall, but as a back sleeper myself, I especially like how it provides plenty of neck support. You can choose between three density options, which basically determines how firm the pillow feels. The dimensions of the pillow are the same across each density, but they’re progressively stuffed with more fill as you go from soft to medium to firm. I tested the medium model, hoping for a mix of softness and support, and the pillow delivered on both. This pillow feels so plush and downlike, I initially thought the brand had mistakenly sent me a real down pillow, but it’s just filled with a super airy, cushy polyester fiber that’s still supportive enough to keep my neck aligned with the rest of my spine — no sinking down and forcing my neck into a strained position.

Fill type: Memory foam and polyurethane foam | Loft: Incline | Firmness: Firm

Back sleepers can be more prone to snoring because your soft tissue and tongue can narrow your airway as you’re lying flat. To combat snoring, Singh suggests a wedge pillow that gradually inclines, starting around your shoulder blades, which “will keep your spine in a neutral position so your chin isn’t to your chest.” This allows air to flow freely and in turn reduces snoring. This wedge pillow from Helix is 24 inches wide and ten inches high at its tallest point. If sleeping with your head elevated doesn’t help your snoring, Dr. Shelby Harris also advises going to a doctor to rule out issues like sleep apnea.