Memory Foam Pillows

Information current as of

Designed to give your head and neck the same cushiony support that the mattresses give your whole body, they are touted as providing the perfect neck-and-spine alignment while gently cradling your head. Some people have found it to cure their snoring habits since it can often open your airways more and make the need for snoring less.

The pillows are definitely less expensive than a full mattress, but this also means they generally don't have a trial period. You just have to buy one and hope it works. The biggest problem with the pillows is their thickness and shape. Some have more obvious curves and one side is designed to be much thicker than another. This can cause a signficant change in your sleep alignment which could take some getting used to. In my case, the odd thickness and firmer foam material actually caused more pain in my neck instead of less.

There is definitely a delicate balance between firm enough and too firm. Foam by its very nature is supposed to cave in a bit and cushion your natural shape. But sometimes it doesn't give enough and your left with a very firm pillow that doesn't move with you as much as it should. The best indicator for which pillow type you're holding is cost and brand. If you buy the cheapie pillow you will almost certainly have lesser quality and lesser support. Be willing to spend a little extra to get the support you need. If you can find a store that allows a test run or takes returns without too much hassle that is also to your benefit. Truly, these things can be hit or miss.

The contour pillow is the memory foam version I used and it was awful. I know others who dearly love theirs, as I said, you just have to try it for yourself.

Something else to consider; you may have better luck with foam pillows if you also have the foam mattress. It occurs to me that having a harder mattress with a cushiony pillow could cause some unusual alignments in your body. If the entire sleep surface was soft memory foam then the support would be more even. To best take advantage of this be sure to get the pillow from the same place as your memory foam mattress. Using different brands could cause a vast difference in firmless levels.