My Pillow Buying Guide
I bought a regular MYPILLOW and two travel sized pillows a few months ago. They lived up to their name! You can believe it! All the advertising is true. I do not wake up with discomfort in my neck. I wake up rested. When I go to bed and my head hits that pillow, I don't move. I go straight to sleep with no tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable. I have recommended these pillows to several of my friends and they've bought them also. I've asked them how they're doing with their pillows and they love them. The other day I was in a store and a young woman was looking at pillows, one after the other. I waited for a minute and finally said, "Go online and get a MYPILLOW. You'll love it!" She said she would and she looked no further.
my pillow buying guide
Side-sleepers sleep either in a fetal position or a relatively straight one, and they need the most pillow support (roughly 4 to 6 inches). According to this study, most people are side-sleepers.
Stomach-sleepers are a trickier bunch: If you sleep with your head turned to the side and resting on a pillow, you need the least amount of support. If you tuck your arms under your torso, sleep in a half-side and half-stomach position, or have sensitive breasts, you may prefer a pillow with more cushioning.
Some manufacturers market their pillows toward back-, stomach-, or side-sleepers specifically, but there are no industry standards on what, for example, makes one model a side-sleeper pillow and another a back-sleeper pillow. At the end of the day these labels are meaningless.
We personally are not the most diligent about pillow care. But our research found that everyone should wash their pillows a couple of times a year, to zap any crud that sneaks past pillowcases and even pillow protectors. We asked down expert Jack Sukalac, owner of All About Down, and Christian Alexander, chief operating officer at Nest Bedding, how to wash pillows with different kinds of fill.
Sleep Number PlushComfort Pillow ClassicGood for: all sleep positionsWe prefer the adjustability of the PlushComfort Pillow Ultimate, but the PlushComfort Pillow Classic was one of the comfier down-alternative pillows in our 2019 testing. Side-sleepers found it was more supportive than the Snowe Down Alternative pillows and much softer than the Brooklinen Down Alternative. If you like a medium-density pillow, for any sleep position, this is one to consider.
Parachute Down Alternative Pillow (soft)Good for: stomach-sleepersIn our pre-2018 tests, stomach-sleepers who liked a soft pillow with little support appreciated this pillow, but those who wanted more substance found it to be merely flat.
Sleep Number ComfortFit Pillow ClassicGood for: all sleep positionsIn two years of testing (2018 and 2019), side-sleepers have liked this pillow a lot, and it ranked in the middle of the pack for back- and stomach-sleepers. But no one liked it better than the Nest Bedding Easy Breather or the Xtreme Comforts pillows, and we prefer the adjustable Ultimate version for its flexibility.
Xtreme Comforts Slim Sleeper Shredded Memory Foam PillowGood for: stomach-sleepersThis is a version of the Xtreme Comforts we like as a budget pick, just with less fill. We tested it in 2019, but we found that people who preferred a flattish pillow liked down options more, and people who wanted a pillow with more support needed more loft.
Malouf Z Cotton Encased Down Blend Pillow (standard)This was the highest-rated down/feather pillow on Amazon that was under $100 at the time of our testing. Side-sleepers found it comfortable at first, but they ultimately needed more height for proper support throughout the night. Back-sleepers liked its support and extra-long size, but they said it was just too firm and flat to be comfortable over the long haul.
Brooklinen Down Alternative Pillow (plush, mid-plush, and firm)We tried all three densities of this Brooklinen pillow, and we sleep-tested the mid-plush and firm pillows with different sleep positions. All were universally uncomfortable to our sleep panel.
Garnet Hill PrimaLoft Comfort PillowFirst impressions among testers were good for the firm version of this pillow, but after trying better options from Riley and Brooklinen, we passed on testing this one. Its soft density was better than that of others we tried, but it was not comfy enough to test.
The Company Store Company Essentials LoftAire Down Alternative PillowOur first-round side-sleeping tester liked this one, but we passed on testing it in favor of similar-feeling pillows with better owner reviews.
The Company Store Legends Hotel PrimaLoft Black Label Down Alternative PillowThis pillow compressed too much for side- and back-sleepers, though one back-sleeper noted that its softness made it feel more luxurious than most down-alternative options. It received a thumbs-down from all stomach-sleepers, who said it was just too lofty.
Snuggle-Pedic Shredded Memory Foam PillowThe Snuggle-Pedic pillow managed to feel even bigger than the Coop Home Goods pillow, despite weighing less. Side-sleepers wanted more malleability than it offered.
Some experts suggest avoiding stomach sleeping altogether, as it tends to position the upper cervical spine at end-range rotation or extension. However, for stomach sleepers who can't sleep any other way it is recommended you find a pillow with low loft, soft support and a compressible fill like feathers or down alternatives
Answering the questions will generate a suggestion for a fill level that is part of a color-coded system. The smallest pillow, which is recommended for children, is yellow, the medium fill is white, green offers more fill and the blue has the most fill.
MyPillow says that individuals who are used to sleeping on a down or feather pillow should reduce by one level of support. So if someone selected medium firmness he or she will want to go to the yellow option with the least firmness.
MyPillow Premium is made by MyPillow, a well-known pillow brand due in particular to its creative advertising. The CEO of MyPillow is Mike Lindell and after a lifetime of struggling to get comfortable enough to sleep, Lindell reportedly developed the first MyPillow in 2004.
When she moved to her side, the pillow was supportive enough initially, but she did not care for the big chunks of memory foam that could easily be felt through the thin cotton cover. It also flattened out after a few nights of use due to compression, and she would constantly have to keep it super fluffed in order to have enough firmness and loft for it to be comfortable in a side sleeping position. For that reason, we would recommend going with a Blue or Green MyPillow that offers more fill for side sleepers.
MyPillow does have a good amount of hype but for us, the MyPillow Premium fell flat, literally, during the review. The chunks of foam were compressed by the head overnight and after only a few nights of sleep, it became too flat to be comfortable while back sleeping. Sleepers will have to continuously fluff this pillow in the dryer if they want to enjoy it while back or side sleeping.
That's a good question and it's hard to tell the differences between these two options from MyPillow's website. It seems to be that the MyPillow Classic comes in two support levels, while the MyPillow Premium offers four different support level options. Each level corresponds with a different color, so our Medium fill was a White-colored pillow.
Customers must pre-select their firmness level when purchasing a MyPillow. While the MyPillow Classic comes in two firmness levels (medium and firm), the MyPillow Premium offers four tiers:Yellow (least firm)
White (medium fill)
Green (more fill)
Blue (most firm)
The MyPillow website has a guide and questions to answer to help determine the right grade.
While it worked well for Katie back sleeping during the first few nights, the fact that it continued to fall flat and needed consistent re-fluffing makes us feel that the price does not match the value on this pillow. We do believe people can find something very comparable for a price lower than what MyPillow is offering.
The polyfoam inside each MyPillow is shredded in order to enhance the fluffable, foldable qualities. The folks at MyPillow suggest that, if your pillow ever gets a little flat, you can just throw it in the dryer for 10-15 minutes and its fluffiness will soon be restored.
So, I made my way to the laundromat, tossed them all into the dryer for 15 minutes. When they emerged, they felt much fluffier and I could clearly see the difference in fill level. Once the pillows were officially ready to be tested, I had worked up a nap-appetite!
Many stomach sleepers like to stretch their arms out and embrace the pillow from underneath, and I found this to be really comfortable with the yellow MyPillow. As I said, the fill is very soft and foldable so you can kind of prop up the areas you want to be loftier, and flatten the spots that you need to be less elevated.
I did notice, again, that the shredded polyfoam has the potential to divide within the pillow a bit, so I kind of had to fluff it up a few times in order to achieve even pressure relief and get rid of that lumpy feel. I had seen some online reviews complaining about a similar issue with the fill, so I did worry that this might be an ongoing issue.
Sleeping in the lateral position was also pretty cozy, but again, I needed a little extra firmness. So, I folded the side of the pillow between my face and my arm and slipped sweetly into my comfort zone. The fill offered a nice balance between plushness and support. As a side sleeper, I love to be able to get my pillow to the perfect firmness and loft so that I can stay in that position all night.
MyPillow is soft to the touch and the interlocking chambers adjust to your sleep position during the night. MyPillow claims the pillows will maintain their shape for years. Understanding the MyPillow color codes is essential to selecting the appropriate pillow for you. 041b061a72