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Hugging a pillow may be the secret to your best sleep yet.
Finding the right pillow for your sleep style can be life-changing. Picture it: You finally wake up without a sore neck and are well-rested and ready to take on the day. But if you've tried everything and no pillow seems to be doing the trick, the secret to your best sleep ever may not be the pillow behind your head, but a body pillow instead. Body pillows "may help to promote a neutral spinal alignment and prevent excessive pressure on certain parts of the body," says Jonathan S. Kirschner, MD, RMSK, physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). While anyone can benefit from a body pillow, Dr. Kirschner says that "some studies show they allow patients to lay longer in a side-lying position, which may be helpful for pregnant individuals or those with sleep apnea." Finally, we can all catch some much-needed ZZZs!
The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab is comprised of pillow experts who have tested over a hundred different pillows in our Lab, including body pillows, down pillows, down alternative pillows, memory foam pillows, latex pillows and more. In the Lab, GH analysts washed each body pillow according to its care label and evaluated how easy it was to get the cover on and off. Consumer testers then tried out each body pillow in their daily lives to give feedback on comfort, support, temperature regulation and more to help us find the best body pillows.
Continuing reading to learn more about our top tested picks. At the end of this article, you'll find a body pillow buying guide from GH fiber scientists and answers to your most pressing body pillow questions.
Pluto PUFF body pillow was a coveted Good Housekeeping Bedding Awards 2022 winner, impressing both Lab analysts and testers with its fluffy down-alternative fill for a soft, snuggly feel. Testers appreciated that the fill wasn't overstuffed, so you could easily adjust it as you move during the night. The cool-to-the-touch cover was popular among hot sleepers. One tester raved that as "a longtime body pillow user, this one is well constructed," and she liked that this pillow is heavier than others at 12 pounds, saying it almost felt like a weighted blanket. After multiple wash cycles, though, GH analysts did notice some signs of wear on the cover.
The Coop Home Goods' best-selling Original Pillow is our pick for the best pillow we've ever tried, and Coop's body pillow uses a similar fill — a plush memory foam and polyester blend that's on the less firm side compared to other body pillows. One tester especially liked that "the fill is adjustable, so I can remove the fill if I find the pillow is too tall." If you prefer a firmer pillow, you can purchase extra fill to add to your pillow. GH analysts love that, unlike all the other body pillows we tested, this pick is entirely machine washable — cover and fill. After laundering, analysts noticed slight fuzziness on the outer cover.
While most body pillows are the same thickness throughout, this Casper body pillow is thicker on top and thinner on the bottom to be the ideal shape to hug while sleeping on your side. "As a side sleeper, I really felt an improvement in my posture while sleeping with this pillow," said one tester. GH analysts appreciated that the cover was easy to take on and off and showed no signs of wear after laundering. Note that because of this pillow's unique shape, you cannot use a different cover for it.
Stefani Sassos, deputy director of the Good Housekeeping Nutrition Lab and mom to her infant daughter, raves that a C-shaped body pillow is the key to restful sleep while pregnant. Sassos says, "A pregnancy pillow can reduce strain and pain while also keeping the body aligned. It may alleviate other issues like heartburn too — at least it did for me." This body pillow from PharMeDoc cinched the number one spot in our best pregnancy pillows round-up for offering full body support, including your knees, hips, back, neck, head and of course your bump. Over 50,000 rave Amazon reviewers agree with GH analysts that this pregnancy body pillow can help support side sleeping with a bump. Note that this pick will take up substantial space on your bed.
For support without all the bulk, this sleek C-shaped body pillow from Bedgear is ideal. The cover has two sides that are both made with synthetic materials — one has a cool-to-the-touch feel while the other is a soft knit, feeling like your favorite T-shirt. Testers rave that it's "soft enough to be comfortable, while still offering support." The cover is very snug to the pillow, which made it sleek to snuggle but it was more challenging for GH analysts to zip the cover closed after washing it. The curve of the pillow makes this a great option for support as a pregnancy pillow, but it's versatile for anyone to use.
If you prefer a firmer pillow without the feeling of memory foam, this body pillow from Parachute is ideal at a pretty affordable price point. One tester said she liked that the down alternative polyester saying, "the filling of the pillow molded to my body and then returned its shape when I woke up." GH pros love that the brand offers a chic linen body pillow cover, making this a great style to use on your bed or couch. Testers gave it high marks for support and maintaining its shape, but felt that it ran hot compared to other body pillows they've used.
If most body pillows you've tried are too short, this extra long body pillow from Buffy has a unique, skinny shape, so you can use it in a variety of ways: behind your neck, between your legs, under your knees, etc. This pick comes with a washable removable cover, but the brand also offers stylish Sherpa covers too. Both styles washed beautifully in our Lab evaluations. One tester said, "I'm almost 6 feet tall, and it was long enough for me to hug between my arms and wrap between my legs. I was impressed!" Because of its long size, GH analysts found the cover tougher to get back on the pillow after washing.
A hot sleeper's best defense against overheating at night is to outfit their bed with cooling bedding like cooling sheets, cooling comforters and cooling pillows. This cooling body pillow from Sleep Number uses a cool-to-the-touch outer material made with polyethylene and polyester, which proved to be moisture wicking in our moisture management tester in Lab. One tester liked that this pillow was longer than her previous body pillow, so she could put her legs around it when sleeping. The pillow comes with a very lightweight, breathable polyester case that testers reported was easy to wash. The case was easy to put on the pillow because of its extra-long zipper around three of the sides.
If you have back pain, this body pillow was specifically designed to help alleviate it. This J-shaped body pillow from MedCline has a memory foam fill for a firm, supportive feel. It offers more full-body support than other picks with testers giving high marks in that area. One tester said, "The arched shape is perfect to hug and place between my legs." The brand notes that it may have an initial smell out of the box that will dissipate with time. Testers found that it takes "a while for the smell to fade." The cover has a fuzzy feel that GH analysts found "a bit scratchy."
While most body pillows are tubular, this innovative pillow from Noble is triangle shaped. It's designed to go between your legs if you're a side sleeper and underneath them if you're a back sleeper. GH analysts were impressed with the brand's use of quality materials, including GOLS-certified latex, GOTS-certified wool and GOTS-certified cotton. Testers raved that they woke up without feeling sore, including pregnant users.
The Good Housekeeping Institute Textiles Lab has tested hundreds of pillows and recruited hundreds of consumer testers to evaluate pillows in their homes. In Lab, GH fiber scientists evaluate each pillow's care label, appearance after laundering, pillowcase fit and ability to maintain its shape after weights are applied. We assign pillows to testers based on sleep position and fill preferences. Testers give feedback on each pillow's comfort, support, temperature regulation and more. For the most recent body pillow test, we tested nine body pillows in the Lab and with consumer testers, leading to dozens of data points to analyze to make these picks.
While there are tons of different body pillow styles, there isn't just one shape, size, fill or firmness that's universally preferable. Dr. Kirschner says, "It is mainly personal preference when it comes to selecting a body pillow." GH fiber scientists explain what to look for when shopping to find the best body pillow for you:
✔️ Shape: Body pillows come in a variety of shapes and sizes to best suit different body types and sleeping preferences. Here are the most common body pillow shapes:
✔️ Fill: Just like regular pillows, body pillows are available in a variety of different fills. The most common fills are memory foam, down alternative (usually polyester) and a combination of the two. Memory foam has a more supportive, responsive feel while polyester clusters offer a fluffier texture.
✔️ Size: Many pros recommend hugging a body pillow and placing it between your legs. Therefore, you'll need a pillow that's long enough for your height. Make sure to note the dimensions before buying to avoid any surprises. Some body pillows are substantially bigger than others.
✔️ Firmness: Some may prefer a squishier pillow and others a stiffer one. Simply choose a body pillow firmness level that feels comfortable to you.
✔️ Cover: Because you use your body pillow every night, you'll need to be able to clean it easily. Most body pillows come with a removable cover that you can wash separately. The larger fill will usually be spot-clean only. Generally, body pillows only come with white or grey covers, but some brands offer fashion covers at an additional cost or you can find a variety of different body pillow covers online for a more stylish look. Make sure to match up dimensions for a proper fit.
"The most important thing is finding a pillow and position that are comfortable to you," says Dr. Kirschner. There are many different ways to use a body pillow that may help you sleep more peacefully. Many like to hug body pillows, place them between their legs or use them under their knees. Dr. Kirschner says, "For patients with hip issues like arthritis or bursitis, we typically recommend placing the pillow between the legs. For patients with back pain, we often recommend a pillow under the knees."
Emma Seymour is the senior textiles analyst at the Good Housekeeping Institute. She has rigorously tested more than 100 pillows in the Textiles Lab in the past two years, and she has coordinated pillow sleep testing with hundreds of at-home reviewers. She has tested the majority of the above body pillows in the Lab. Emma has a Bachelor of Science in Fiber Science from Cornell University and has been testing bedding for more than three years at Good Housekeeping.
Jonathan S. Kirschner, MD, RMSK is a physiatrist at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City.