Sleep is important, which is probably why we’re willing to throw cash at anything that makes our bedroom a more comfortable place to be. It’s a sound investment.
After sourcing the perfect mattress, duvet and bedding, your attention may zone in on another crucial element: the pillow.
Resting your head on the wrong kind of pillow can quite literally be a pain in the neck. We each prefer different levels of support, from soft fluffy cushions so cloud-like there may as well be angels playing harps on them, to solid, super stuffed models that keep your neck aligned with the spine.
Memory foam has been big news in mattresses for quite a while, but they’re also a pretty comfortable place to rest your head after a long day too.
How do you know if a memory foam pillow is for you?
Find yourself waking with a crick in your neck or pain in the shoulders? Like switching sleep positions in the middle of the night? Get sneezy with feather-filled pillows? And above all, are you fed up of the excitement of a new pillow zapped in a few weeks when it adopts the flatness of a Shrove Tuesday pancake? If you answered yes to any of the above, a memory foam pillow could be the last pillow you ever need to buy.
The soft yet firm nature of memory foam means it contours to your shape, in this case your head and neck, and keeps it supported rather than sinking under its weight. When you consider the average adult head weighs 5kg, it’s easy to understand why memory foam is so celebrated.
Not only that, they offer incredible bounce-back and regain their shape almost instantly, which means no more punching pillows to even out lumpy filling. With your head fully supported, your body gets the signal that you can properly relax, getting you on your way to the land of nod quicker. It’s even thought that a memory foam pillow, which keeps your head static, can help snorers ease their nightly din.
To help you shop, we’ve rounded up the best memory foam pillows to buy now.
Shop below
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Emma Original Pillow
There are three memory foam layers in Emma’s Original Pillow to ensure you get the rest you deserve: simply add or remove them to get the right combination for you. Each pillow contains a pressure-relieving viscoelastic memory foam; a supportive HRX hyper-soft cold foam (one for the hot sleepers amongst you); and a ultra-breathable Airgocell memory foam. It will keep its shape over time and the cover can be put in the washing machine when it’s time for a clean.
Buy now £49.50, Emma
TEMPUR Original Support Large Queen Pillow
Don’t dismiss the unusual shape of this Tempur pillow - it’s carefully contoured to slide under that nook between your head and neck to support the area perfectly. It’s on the hard side, but the soft cover, which can be removed for washing, keeps it feeling comfortable. Made from visco-elastic and comes with a three-year guarantee.
Buy now £95.00, John Lewis
BedStory Memory Foam Pillow
Memory foam has a bad rep for overheating, which can be offputting for many shoppers. However, this pillow does everything it can to alter that perception. Each side is different with one covered in Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam and the other in Gel Memory Foam.
While each offers slightly different experiences, the thing they share is that they’re both cooling. Then there’s ventilation hopes and vented mesh to keep air circulating around the design, leaving you to sleep undisturbed.
Ideal for all style of sleepers, whether you prefer front, back or side, it comes in an anti-mite and hypoallergenic cover that is removable and machine washable too.
Buy now £33.99, Amazon
Simba Hybrid Pillow
If you’re forever searching for the cold side of the pillow, relegate middle-of-the-night flipping to the past thanks to Simba’s astronaut-inspired temperature-regulating design.
Measuring the standard 50 x 70cm, traditional filling has been swapped for lightweight open-cell nanocubes (to stop that tedious bunching) and there’s a mesh strip to encourage airflow too.
Buy now £109.00, Simba
Octaspring TrueEvolution Anatomic Pillow
Pillows have a habit of becoming misshapen over time, but this design incorporates a supportive memory foam layer that bounces back, night after night. It also comes with Octaspring’s trademarked technology, a set of pressure-relieving memory foam springs that are eight times more breathable than traditional memory foam, helping you stay cool as a cucumber through the night. The cover is also washable.
Buy now £59.95, Mattress Online
Memory Foam Bamboo Pillow
Get comfortable and ready for a good night’s sleep with Panda’s Memory Foam pillow under your head. The super supportive third-generation memory foam is covered with a soft-touch cover made of bamboo fibres, helping to keep the design breathable as well as antibacterial. Comes with a 10 year guarantee.
Buy now £44.95, My Panda Life
M&S Outlast Medium Memory Foam Pillow
If you’re looking for a more budget-friendly option, old faithful M&S has this memory foam pillow for under £40 - a drop of an investment in the sea of your wellbeing. The large 48 x 78cm pillow uses the retailer’s outlast filling to keep your head, neck and shoulders supported, allowing you to drift into a peaceful slumber. Made from 100 per cent polyester, just wipe to clean.
Buy now £39.50, M&S
TEMPUR Original Large Medium/ Firm Pillow
Tempur has built its reputation on memory foam sleep products, and many loyal customers won’t sleep on anything else. As well as mattresses, the brand also offers this medium firm pillow specifically designed to conform to the natural curvature of your spine, allowing you to drift into slumber without any distractions.
The unusual shape can take some getting used to, but once you have, you’ll wonder how you managed without it. Ideal for side sleepers, but be warned, as is the case with memory foam, it can feel too warm. Something to note in the summer months. Medium and XL sizes are also available.
Buy now £95.00, Argos
Sealy Dual Comfort Memory Foam Pillow
Memory foam pillows, while wonderfully functional, don’t always look like the nicest thing to have sitting at the head of your bed. Sealy appears to have taken some style lessons out of hotelier’s playbooks with this design, that could have come from a five-star resort.
It’s full of thoughtful features, from a soft side and a firm reverse allowing you to switch between the two with a quick flip. The memory foam and DuPont hollowfibre are encased in a smooth cotton cover, a fabric that has naturally cooling and sweat-wicking qualities. It’s finished with black edge piping, in keeping with the tasteful theme.
Buy now £45.00, Very
ComfyCozy Luxury Memory Foam Pillow And Silk Eye Mask
Sweet dreams are all but guaranteed with this purchase, which not only includes a shaped memory foam pillow but a silk eye mask too. Close your eyes and feel completely supported by this orthopaedic pillow which comes with two layers to help keep it feeling fresh and comfortable night after night.
Buy now £24.99, Amazon
