Best Firm Pillows

Many people associate pillows with softness. But some sleepers want or need more than plushness from their pillows. For side sleepers or those who just want a pillow with a bit more support, a firm pillow can promote proper spinal alignment and provide comfort.

We’ll compare and contrast some of the best firm pillows on the market and explain how to choose a firm pillow that meets your unique needs.

In-Depth Reviews

Best Firm Pillows Video

Our product experts get hands-on with some of our firm pillow picks, offering a closer look at how each pillow performed in our test lab.

How to Choose a Firm Pillow

Some sleepers enjoy the supportive, sturdy feel of a firm pillow. But finding the best firm pillow for you means considering more than just its comfort rating.

What to Consider When Purchasing a Firm Pillow

To find the right pillow, you’ll need to take into account a wide range of factors, such as sleep position, loft, and support.

Sleep Position
Sleep position refers to sleeping on your back, your side, your stomach, or a combination of those three. Your preferred sleep position has a significant impact on how much pressure you exert on your pillow and what parts of your head and neck have contact with it. That’s why it’s important to consider your favorite sleep position when choosing a firm pillow. For example, side sleepers tend to need firm support, while stomach sleepers usually prefer a softer pillow.

Loft
Loft describes the thickness of a pillow. Together, loft and firmness are two of the most crucial factors that determine a pillow’s relative comfort. Pillows typically have either a low loft (less than 3 inches thick), a medium loft (3 to 5 inches thick), or a high loft (more than 5 inches thick). When choosing a loft, remember that your pillow’s loft will compress when you lie down. However, the firmer your pillow is, the less it compresses under your weight.

Support
Support refers to how well a pillow can bear the weight of your head without flattening. This is an important quality for maintaining proper spinal alignment and avoiding neck pain. Generally, firm pillows offer more support.

Firmness Level
Pillow manufacturers typically rate their pillows on a scale of soft to firm. Pillow firmness indicates how well a pillow maintains its shape when bearing weight. The right firmness level for you will depend on your body weight, preferred sleep position, and personal preferences.

Pressure Relief
This metric describes how well a pillow contours to the shape of your head, neck, and shoulders. Firmer pillows generally offer less pressure relief. However, certain materials, especially memory foam and latex, provide a good balance between firm support and pressure relief.

Shape
Most firm pillows are rectangles available in common sizes: standard, queen, and king. Some brands also offer nonstandard firm pillows shaped ergonomically to provide better neck support. Extra long body pillows are another nonstandard but fairly popular pillow shape.

Price
Pillows vary widely in quality, construction, and price. Firm pillows tend to be more dense and durable, often containing materials like latex, buckwheat, or memory foam. As a result, expect to pay more than the average price for a high-quality firm pillow.

Quality Materials
Higher-quality materials means better performance and durability. To get the most from your firm pillow, choose the highest quality material that fits within your budget.

Moldability
If you change positions frequently during the night or often use your pillow as a support bolster, it’s important to find a pillow that’s moldable. This means you can easily manipulate the pillow’s shape to suit your needs. Firm pillows aren’t always moldable, especially those with a solid foam core. Shredded foam fill, down, and down alternative provide a good balance between firm support and moldability.

Temperature Regulation
Temperature regulation refers to how well a pillow disperses your body heat and stays cool as you sleep. This factor may be particularly important to those who sleep hot or live in a warm climate. Because firm pillows tend to be denser, they may also be more likely to retain heat. If you’re a hot sleeper, consider a latex or buckwheat-based firm pillow. These materials are known to provide firm support and help keep sleepers cool.

Who Is Best Suited to a Firm Pillow?

A firm pillow offers ample support with less compressibility than a softer pillow. Certain types of sleepers may be more inclined to enjoy the feel of a firm pillow.

• Side Sleepers: Sleeping on your side props your head and neck higher above your mattress than either back or stomach sleeping do. This creates a need for extra support to maintain proper spinal alignment between the head, neck, and back. As a result, side sleepers often prefer a firmer pillow.
• Sleepers Who Weigh More than 230 Pounds: If you weigh over 230 pounds, you’re more likely to significantly compress your pillow when you lie down. A pillow that isn’t firm enough may flatten too far and put your neck at an awkward angle.
• Sleepers Who Prefer a Firm Pillow: Some sleepers simply enjoy a more solid surface for their head, neck, and shoulders regardless of their sleep position and size.

A firm pillow isn’t for everyone, though. In fact, for certain types of sleepers, a firm pillow may do more harm than good.

• Stomach Sleepers: When you sleep on your stomach, your head and neck sit closer to the mattress than they do in any other sleep position. Because of this, stomach sleepers may want to avoid using a firm pillow, which offers less compression and cushioning and may cause issues with neck alignment.
• Sleepers Who Weigh Less Than 130 Pounds: Sleepers who weigh under 130 pounds don’t compress their pillows as much as heavier sleepers and therefore don’t require as much support.

What Types of Pillows Are There?

Pillows come in a wide range of materials. A pillow’s outer cover is typically made from cotton, polyester, or a blend of the two. However, the interior fill material has a much greater impact on a pillow’s overall comfort level and performance.

Polyfoam
You can find this is a type of synthetic foam in both mattresses and pillows. Polyfoam formulations vary significantly in terms of density, firmness, and quality. Polyfoam pillows typically feature shredded polyfoam fill, but solid core designs may be better suited to a sleeper looking for a firm pillow. Pillows made with polyfoam also tend to be less expensive than pillows made from memory foam.

Memory Foam
Known for their responsiveness, high point elasticity, and significant contouring, memory foam pillows may feature either shredded foam fill or a solid foam core. Available in medium soft to medium firm, solid core memory foam pillows provide an excellent balance between pressure relief and firm support.

Down
Down is an animal product derived from the underside of goose or duck feathers. This material is incredibly soft and insulating, which is why you’ll often find it in products like comforters. As a fill material for pillows, down is highly malleable and durable. However, because down is so lightweight, finding firm, down-based pillows can be difficult.

Down Alternative
Some sleepers enjoy the cozy feeling of a down pillow but want to avoid an animal-based product that could aggravate their allergies. Down alternative represents an excellent compromise. Most pillows labeled as down alternative contain polyester fibers that mimic the plush, lightweight feel of down. They are usually soft to medium firm.

Latex
Latex is a material similar in feel to foam. It can be either natural or synthetic, but most bedding companies use natural latex in their mattresses and pillows. Firm latex pillows are typically made with a solid core of latex, which is known for its durability, moderate contouring, and shape retention.

Feather
Unlike down pillows, which use the fluffy, close-to-the-skin plumage of geese and ducks, feather pillows are made using feathers from other parts of the birds. Feather pillows are typically lower loft and highly durable. However, they require frequent fluffing to avoid flattening. Soft to medium feather pillows are a good option for stomach sleepers looking for a low loft pillow. Just be careful of the pointy quills that can sometimes poke through a feather pillow’s outer cover.

Buckwheat
If you’re looking for an extra firm pillow, buckwheat is an excellent choice. Made from the hulls of buckwheat kernels, buckwheat pillows are dense and heavy, offering a high level of firm support. Despite their heft, buckwheat pillows remain fairly breathable and sleep cool. You can often find buckwheat pillows with an adjustable design that allows you to remove or add additional fill to customize the loft of your pillow.

Wool
Wool is a fibrous material most commonly made from sheep. As a bedding material, wool is warm and soft, yet also naturally breathable. Wool is not a widely popular pillow material, but it is possible to find soft to medium firm wool pillows. A common complaint for wool pillows is a noticeable odor.

Water
Water pillows contain a reservoir that you can fill with water to adjust the loft of your pillow. While some water pillows are entirely water-based, others have a core of down, polyester fiber, or memory foam with a thinner outer pouch for water. Water pillows can be anywhere from soft to medium firm.

Pillow Firmness and Sleeping Position

There’s no one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to finding the best type of pillow. Your preferred sleep position, as well as your subjective preferences, dictate what is the best firm pillow for you.

Side Sleepers and Pillow Firmness

Side sleepers tend to prefer firmer pillows that provide adequate contouring. A pillow with medium firm or firm support will help keep the head and neck aligned with the spine, preventing neck pain in the morning. A pillow that’s too soft may provide initial comfort but is more likely to lose loft throughout the night and disrupt the alignment between your head, neck, and back.

Additionally, contouring helps cradle the head and neck to avoid the painful pressure points that can sometimes occur with overly firm sleep surfaces. Firm solid core memory foam or latex pillows typically have the best range of features for side sleepers.

Back Sleepers and Pillow Firmness

Back sleepers don’t usually have trouble achieving optimal spinal alignment. A medium firm pillow provides just the right amount of cushion and support to keep back sleepers comfortable.

Many brands provide a moderate firmness option for their most popular pillow models. But not everyone’s head or body is the same size, and different back sleepers require different levels of loft or thickness. Back sleepers should consider looking for a medium firm pillow with an adjustable loft.

Stomach Sleepers and Pillow Firmness

Stomach sleepers tend to sleep most comfortably on softer, flatter pillows. Soft pillows provide a good cushion between you and your mattress while ensuring that your neck is supported at a comfortable angle. Even a medium or medium firm pillow may lift your head up too high and create painful misalignment between your neck and the rest of your spine.

Stomach sleeping is the least common sleep position for adults, and many popular pillow models aren’t designed with the needs of stomach sleepers in mind. As a result, finding the right pillow can be tricky. Stomach sleepers should look for pillows that are soft or plush, with down or down alternative fills. In addition to the firmness, a thinner pillow with a lower loft could be a good fit. Alternatively, look for an adjustable loft pillow that allows you to remove some of the interior fill to create a flatter pillow.

What Is Pillow Loft?

Pillow loft describes the height or thickness of a pillow. Loft is typically divided into three categories, based on a pillow’s thickness:

• Low Loft: Pillows less than 3 inches thick
• Medium Loft: Pillows 3 to 5 inches thick
• High Loft: Pillows over 5 inches thick

Loft can have a significant impact on comfort, particularly when combined with other factors like sleep position and body weight.

Sleep Position
Your preferred sleep position is the most significant factor to consider when choosing the right pillow thickness. To maintain proper spinal alignment, you’ll need to find a pillow that’s the right height for your sleep position. Generally, side sleepers prefer a pillow with high loft, back sleepers prefer a pillow with medium loft, and stomach sleepers prefer a pillow with low or medium loft. If you’re a combination sleeper, consider using a pillow that’s highly moldable to accommodate your varied sleep positions.

Head Size
Your pillow’s loft will change when you lie down, and the weight of your head compresses the fill. The amount of compression depends on the size of your head, which means a sleeper with a larger head requires a higher loft pillow that can support their weight. On the other hand, a sleeper with a smaller head might be more comfortable with a pillow that has a low to medium loft.

Body Weight
Overall body weight should also play a role in your choice of pillow loft. Sleepers who weigh over 230 pounds exert greater pressure on their mattresses and may sink into their sleep surface more deeply. If you experience greater sinkage, your head rests closer to the surface of the mattress, and you won’t require significant loft to keep your head and neck in line with the rest of your spine. The reverse is true for sleepers who weigh less than 130 pounds.

Mattress Firmness
Like body weight, the firmness of your mattress also dictates how deeply you sink into it. A soft mattress causes sleepers to sink more deeply, while a firm mattress prevents significant sinking. Less sinkage keeps your body higher up, which means you may need a higher loft pillow to maintain proper spinal alignment through the head and neck.

What Pillow Sizes Are Available?

Pillow sizes are generally standardized across manufacturers.

Standard
One of the most common pillow sizes, a standard pillow measures 20 inches wide by 26 inches long, making it a good choice for most sleep positions. One standard pillow fits nicely on a twin mattress, while two can fit side by side on a full or queen mattress.

Super Standard 
A super standard pillow is slightly longer than a standard pillow, typically measuring 20 inches wide by 28 inches long. Despite being slightly larger than a standard pillow, it still fits nicely on a twin or full mattress.

Queen 
Designed for queen-sized mattresses, queen pillows are 20 inches wide by 30 inches long and can fit in a standard pillowcase. The added length is ideal for active sleepers as well as side sleepers who roll over often throughout the night.

King 
A king pillow measures 20 inches wide by 36 inches long. Made for sleepers with a king or California king mattress, a king pillow also works well for back sleepers with broad shoulders or sleepers looking for a more compact version of a body pillow.

Body Pillow
Not all sleep brands offer the body pillow size, but it’s still quite popular. Body pillows typically measure 20 inches wide by at least 48 inches long, and some body pillows can be up to 72 inches in length. When placed between the legs, this style of pillow can improve spinal alignment for side sleepers. Body pillows can also help pregnant women support their backs, hips, and stomachs.