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8 of the best pillows for an energising sleep
Wake up refreshed and raring to go with these tried and tested pillows
Readying yourself for race day is no mean feat. There’s a lot to consider in the quest for that glorious PB, from choosing your running shoes to deciding what to eat for breakfast, but kip on the wrong pillow and you can forget about shaving those all-important seconds off your 10K time. Waking up with neck pain won’t do you any fitness favours either.
On the flipside, it’s a well-known fact that getting a good night’s sleep improves performance and aids recovery. The right pillow holds the key to an energising eight hours, so let’s help you find yours.
What is the best pillow on the market?
We swapped our regular pillows for 22 market-leading products. These were our eight favourites:
- Best pillow and best for side sleepers: REM-Fit 500 Cool Gel Pillow
- Best for recovery: Scooms Hungarian Goose Down Pillow
- Best for neck and back pain: Simba Hybrid Pillow
- Best for back and stomach sleepers: Mammoth Ultimate Slim Pillow
- Best budget buy: Kally Sleep Adjustable Pillow
- Best for allergies: Loaf Dust Buster Hypoallergenic Pillow
- Best for temperature regulation: Brook + Wilde The Everdene Cooling Pillow
- Best eco credentials: Panda Luxury Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow
How do I pick the right pillow?
There are five main types of pillow: memory foam, feather and down, microfibre, wool and latex. Each filling has different pros and cons, but your choice should largely come down to your sleeping style (the position you tend to lie in).
Side sleepers: Plump for a thick, firm pillow to support your head and prevent neck pain. Try memory foam, which moulds to your shape, but beware its infamous lack of airflow. Latex is a more breathable version, but it’s rarer and therefore more expensive.
Back sleepers: Pick a slim, supportive pillow to keep your spine aligned. Once again, memory foam is the way to go, but you could also consider wool. It’s firm without being rigidly thick, meaning your neck won’t be pushed uncomfortably forwards. It’s a great temperature regulator, but it often has a slightly sheepy smell.
Front sleepers: Look for a flat pillow that won’t push your neck uncomfortably upwards. Feather and down is naturally soft, fluffy and long-lasting, but it can be noisy and it comes with a luxury price tag. Lightweight and man-made microfibre is a smart substitute, but it’s known to flatten quickly.
Combination sleepers: No one pillow can perfectly cater for all sleeping styles, sorry! If you tend to move about a lot, opt for medium firmness and height. Microfibre pillows come in a range of thicknesses to suit everyone, while adjustable pillows let you add or remove filling to meet your needs.
How we test
Our Runner’s World Lab testers trialled 22 pillows at home before submitting a detailed feedback form. They rated each pillow on its comfort, support, breathability and overall design. We washed each pillow in the lab too, before assessing whether its filling and performance had been affected.
Time to recharge your batteries for a max-power race.
There may be no one-size-fits-all pillow, but our winner comes close to achieving the impossible. Our panel of back, side and stomach sleepers all said it moulded well to their necks, providing plenty of support.
In fact, they slept so well that everybody gave it full marks, which bodes well for marathon day! Their only niggle was that, despite its lofty promise, it didn’t keep them cool overnight. It’s fairly pricey, too.
Key specs
Support: Medium/firm
Height: 12cm (medium)
Filling: Viscoelastic polyurethane foam with gel powders
Cover: 40% lyocell from Tencel, 60% polyester
Weight: 2.5kg
Adjustable: No
Machine washable: Outer cover only
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: 5 years
This pillow offers all the comfort and luxury associated with down, without its usual drawbacks. Nobody reported pointy feathers poking through the cotton casing and there was no rustling when they rolled over. Its firmer feather core offered a welcome dose of support, leaving all testers feeling rejuvenated enough to tackle an early morning workout. It’s also anti-allergy - a rarity for a down pillow.
Key specs
Support: Medium
Height: 20cm (thick)
Filling: Inner: 15% down, 85% feather; outer: 90% down, 10% feather
Cover: 100% cotton
Weight: 1.1kg
Adjustable: No
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: 3 years
This adjustable pillow features removable foam nanocubes, allowing for easy tweaking of its thickness and optimum support. It earned a perfect score for fluffiness and retained its shape well, affording all testers a restful night’s sleep and nobody a stiff neck.
Testers noticed a plasticky smell at first, but it dissipated quickly. It could have been more breathable, and we’d have appreciated a trial offer, but we’re being picky.
Key specs
Support: Adjustable
Height: Up to 17cm (adjustable)
Filling: Open-cell foam nanocubes and a microfibre layer
Cover: 100% cotton
Weight: 1.3kg
Adjustable: Yes
Machine washable: Outer cover only
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: No
Mammoth Ultimate Slim Pillow
This pillow’s slim profile won’t distort your neck if you lie face down in bed, and it's also the ideal thickness for back sleepers. It offered the comfort and support we’ve come to expect from memory foam, and its Tencel cover kept our entire panel cool. It didn’t smell funny or leave dips where they’d been sleeping, but its smaller than average size left their standard pillowcases looking a bit baggy.
Key specs
Support: Soft/medium
Height: 15cm (medium)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: Tencel
Weight: 1.8kg
Adjustable: No
Machine washable: Outer cover only
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: 2 years
An adjustable, anti-allergy pillow for less than £40 is a good deal in anyone’s book. Four removable pads let you taper its firmness and height to fit your favoured sleeping style.
It provided a decent level of support, but some testers said it felt too rigid and wouldn’t mould to their necks when filled with all four layers. Still, it’s a breathable bargain that looked as good as new after a spin in the washing machine.
Key specs
Support: Adjustable
Height: Up to 22cm (adjustable)
Filling: 100% polyester hollowfibre
Cover: 100% cotton with polyester mesh sides
Weight: Up to 1.3kg
Adjustable: Yes
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offering: 14-night sleep trial
Guarantee: No
Bedding that sets off your allergies is a surefire ticket to an unsatisfactory sleep and a disappointing training session. This hypoallergenic pillow successfully stopped any nightly reactions, while still feeling supportive and luxurious to sleep on.
Some testers found it too dense to mould to their necks, but most agreed that it’s a great, reasonably priced alternative to down. They loved its eco-friendly bamboo and cotton casing, too.
Key specs
Support: Soft/medium
Height: 17cm (medium/thick)
Filling: 100% microfibre
Cover: 60% organic bamboo, 40% cotton
Weight: 1.2kg
Adjustable: No
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: No
This breathable, high-end pillow did exactly what it said on the tin and helped our testers keep a cool head all night long. Front or back sleepers can remove some filling to make it thinner, while still enjoying adequate support.
Everybody felt ready to hit the gym after a series of uninterrupted sleeps, but a trial offer wouldn’t have gone amiss for the price. It proved just as supportive after washing, if a little lumpier.
Key specs
Support: Adjustable
Height: 20cm (thick)
Filling: Thermofill Plus, 100% polyester hollow fibre balls
Cover: 100% Egyptian long staple cotton with Outlast interliner
Weight: 1kg
Adjustable: Yes
Machine washable: Yes
Trial offering: No
Guarantee: No
Panda Luxury Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow
This memory foam pillow’s cover is partly made from organically grown bamboo, making it a more sustainable buy than most. It impressed many testers by keeping them relatively cool and not showing any signs of dipping after use.
It moulded well to their necks, providing strong support, but proved too thin to satisfy side sleepers. It’s a shame the filling can’t be adjusted, but back sleepers will welcome its slimness.
Key specs
Support: Medium/firm
Height: 12cm (thin)
Filling: Memory foam
Cover: 40% bamboo and 60% polyester
Weight: 1.2kg
Adjustable: No
Machine washable: Yes, but only the cover
Trial offering: 30 nights
Guarantee: 10 years
Harry’s news reporting has been published in over 70 newspapers across the UK. Now, he specialises in home appliances, health and fitness, bringing you reliable reviews on the best homes, sports and nutrition products on the market to help you upgrade your home and training routine.
Outside the office, he has dedicated countless hours to learning about different physical training methods, experimenting with everything from CrossFit to powerlifting.
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