The Right Pillow Height for Side, Back and Stomach Sleepers (We Measured Eight)
Loft under a 10 lb head-weight for every pillow in our ranking, and the range each sleep position needs.
Free-to-use photo via Pexels (cottonbro studio); no attribution required by license, credited here as courtesy.
The number on the box is the loft with nothing on it. What matters is the loft with your head on it. We measured every pillow under a 10 lb weight.
Side sleepers: 4–6 inches compressed
Layla Kapok 5.1, Purple Harmony 4.9, Coop Original 4.8 (adjustable), Saatva Latex 4.7. Add fill or choose the high-loft option if your shoulders are broad.
Back sleepers: 3–5 inches
Coop with fill removed, Casper Original 3.6, TEMPUR-Cloud 3.6. The TEMPUR kept our tester's neck level best.
Stomach sleepers: under 3 inches
Brooklinen Plush 2.8, Beckham 2.5, or the TEMPUR-Cloud for a slightly higher, supportive option.
Neck pain
Usually a height problem. Try an adjustable pillow first (Coop, Layla) and change the fill by a handful at a time for three nights each.
» See the full rankings: Best Pillows for Side Sleepers, Best Pillows for Back Sleepers, Best Pillows for Stomach Sleepers, Best Pillows for Neck Pain .