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The Spruce / Chloe Jeong
If you shift from sleeping on your side to your stomach and your back throughout the night, you'll want a pillow that supports you in every position. Over the past four years, we've spent hours researching and testing the best pillows for every type of sleeper, evaluating loft, firmness, versatility, and quality.
Our top pick for most combination sleepers, the Coop Home Goods Eden Adjustable Pillow, features a breathable blend of gel-infused foam and microfiber fill, has an adjustable design to suit every position, and is CertiPUR-US certified.
Here are the best pillows for combination sleepers.
Best Overall: Coop Home Goods Eden Adjustable Pillow
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Courtesy of Coop Home Goods
Easy to add or remove filling
Gel-infused shredded memory foam fill
Breathable and machine-washable cover
A bit pricey
Slight odor when unpackaged
Who else recommends it? The Strategist, Reviewed, and Bob Vila all picked the Coop Home Goods Eden Adjustable Pillow.
What do buyers say? 88% of 13,500 Amazon reviewers rated this product 4 stars or above.
For combination sleepers battling warm temperatures, night sweats, or hot flashes, the perfect cooling pillow may be Coop Home Good's Eden Pillow.
This pillow is filled with gel memory foam, allowing better disbursement of heat as you sleep. Additionally, the foam is shredded, which promotes airflow and circulation. If you're a pillow-flipper and restless sleeper, you'll be happy to know this pillow stays cool all night long and doesn't become stuffy and hot.
To make this cooling pillow more comfortable for combination sleepers, a zipper on the side of the pillow allows you to adjust the fill according to your sleeping needs. You can also request more filling from the company if the pillow is too soft—you may find it only needs a simple adjustment to create a perfect pillow for any sleeping position. Note, it may take a few nights to adjust the pillow perfectly.
The gusseted sides of this pillow also set it apart from many other combination sleeper pillows since the gusset helps the filling stay in place and avoid the dreaded "pillow pinch."
Best Budget: Live and Sleep Memory Foam Pillow
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Courtesy of Amazon
Adequate support at a reasonable price
Open-cell memory foam for better airflow
CertiPUR-US-certified
May be too firm for some
A medium-firm pillow is considered to be the standard choice for combination sleepers. That's because it doesn't offer too much or too little support for most sleeping positions.
The Live and Sleep Memory Foam Pillow offers comfort and adequate support at a reasonable price point, an acceptable alternative to higher-priced pillows for combination sleepers. While memory foam can get hot, this pillow features open-cell memory foam for better airflow, and the soft knit cover is breathable and machine washable. Also great: The memory foam is CertiPUR-US certified, so you can be sure it's free from heavy metals and other potentially harmful substances.
Best Adjustable: Snuggle-Pedic Ultra-Luxury Bamboo Shredded Memory Foam Pillow
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Courtesy of Amazon
Impressive 20-year warranty
120-night sleep trial
Eco-friendly and made in the USA
Messy to remove shredded fill
Initial odor when unpackaged
Pricier compared to similar options
If you're a combination sleeper looking for a pillow that will keep you slumbering soundly all night long, the Snuggle-Pedic Ultra Luxury Pillow is one of the best options around.
The Snuggle-Pedic pillow is made of shredded memory foam, and it's a perfect choice for combination sleepers because of the adjustability of the foam. Whether you are a side, stomach, or back sleeper, you can add or reduce the quantity of shredded memory foam to meet your support needs. Unlike some other "adjustable" pillows, Snuggle-Pedic includes a convenient zipper on the edge to make adding or subtracting foam a breeze. The memory foam is also hypoallergenic and dust mite resistant—a major plus for anyone with allergies.
Another plus? If you're not happy with the support, you can send the pillow back for a free, custom adjustment from Snuggle-Pedic. While this service involves an extra step, it's complimentary. With adjustable support and free customization from the manufacturer, this pillow will accommodate just about any combination sleeper.
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The Spruce / Michelle Hainer
"Though it compresses when you lay down, it pops right back into place the moment you get up. The pillow itself feels almost like jumping into a foam pit: soft, yet with enough spring to support your weight."—Michelle Hainer, Product Tester
Best Down Filling: Luxuredown Goose Down Pillow
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Courtesy of Amazon
Firm enough to satisfy most combination sleepers
Pricey
If you're a fan of feather pillows but want to find one that is perfect for a combination sleeper, check out the Luxuredown Goose Down Pillow.
Many feather-filled pillows are too soft to support a variety of sleeping positions. However, with a fill power of 650, the Luxuredown Goose Down Pillow is classified as medium-firm. It's substantially firmer than many competing down pillows and is enough to satisfy most combination sleepers.
Keep in mind, goose-down pillows are on the pricey side. If this factor isn't a concern, then the Luxuredown Goose Down Pillow is soft enough for stomach sleepers and supportive enough for back and side snoozers.
Best Contour: UTTU Sandwich Pillow
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Adjustable loft
Ergonomic design
Takes time to expand after opening
Contour pillows offer specialized support for various sleeping positions, and the UTTU Sandwich Pillow is our top pick for a contour pillow for combination sleepers.
This contour pillow is made from the company’s proprietary Dynamic Foam, which stays supportive and comfortable all year. Other memory foam products become soft in warmer temperatures and stiffer in cold weather. Instead, the UTTU pillow stays consistent in all weather.
What makes this pillow perfect for combination sleepers is the removable middle layer of foam. Just unzip the cover and remove the center piece to lower the height of the pillow. Whether you are a side, stomach, or back sleeper, this pillow has a side and a height that will give you the right level of loft.
If you're a combination sleeper, the Coop Home Goods Eden Adjustable Pillow (view at Amazon) is our top choice because it's adjustable and comfortable for all sleeping positions. For a budget-friendly option, we recommend the medium-firm Live and Sleep Memory Foam Pillow (view at Live and Sleep), which features breathable open-cell foam that's CertiPUR-US certified.
What to Look for in Pillows for Combination Sleepers
Loft
Loft refers to the pillow's height, and sleep position determines what height you need: Side sleepers are usually comfortable with high loft, stomach sleepers prefer low loft, and back sleepers fall somewhere in the middle. As a combination sleeper, you'll probably want a loftier pillow that can be adjusted and compressed to provide comfort for every sleep position.
Firmness
Medium-firm pillows are usually best for combination sleepers because they provide the right amount of support for side and back sleepers. If you often sleep on your stomach, too, you might want a softer pillow that will give you a comfortable lower loft when needed.
Fill
Pillows for combination sleepers are filled with several different materials, and they’ll each offer a different feel. Memory foam molds and contours to your head and neck, and some options use shredded foam that you can adjust to the most comfortable loft. Down and down alternative pillows are fluffy and moldable to support you where you need them most.
Standout Features
Third-party certifications
Since you'll be resting your head on your new pillow every night, you may want one that's been third-party tested for consumer safety. For example, a foam pillow with CertiPUR-US certification is free of heavy metals, ozone depleters, and other potentially harmful chemicals. Similarly, pillows with a Greenguard Gold label are certified to have low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions.
Adjustable filling
Some pillows allow you to add or remove the filling for customized comfort to find the ideal loft for your sleeping style. If you think you'll want a loftier pillow, choose one that comes with extra filling that's easy to add as needed.
Breathability
Down pillows are an excellent choice for breathability, but if you prefer down alternative or foam pillows, a few features enhance airflow. With foam pillows, look for options made with shredded foam. And no matter what type of filling you prefer, it's always good to choose a pillow with a breathable cover made from cotton or bamboo for added comfort.
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How do you properly sleep on a pillow?
To sleep properly on a pillow, make sure that your head and neck are aligned in a neutral position and that your spine is straight. The way that you achieve this will depend on the type of pillow you are using and your habitual sleep positions. Be sure to choose a pillow that is designed to help you sleep comfortably, whether you tend to sleep on your side, stomach, back, or a combination of positions.
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What are combination sleeper pillows made of?
Combination sleeper pillows may be made from solid or shredded memory foam; goose down; or a polyester fill down alternative. Combination sleeper pillows may have adjustable stuffing so that you can add or subtract filling to make it the right density and height for your comfort and to support your neck and spine while you sleep. A combination sleeper pillow filled with shredded gel memory foam to disperse heat as you sleep and promote airflow and circulation is designed to keep you cooler at night.
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How do you sleep on a side sleeper pillow?
Designed for people who like to sleep on their sides, side sleeper pillows have a medium firm construction that will help side sleepers keep their head and neck aligned while they sleep. Side sleeper pillows are designed to support your head and to fill the space between your neck and shoulders that is created when you sleep on your side. You can also bend your knees and place a pillow between them to help keep your spine straight while you sleep.
Why Trust The Spruce?
This article was edited and researched by Cristina Sanza, a lifestyle writer specializing in home products and organization hacks. To keep our product picks current and help you choose the most comfortable pillow, she consulted dozens of customer reviews, third-party articles, and brand websites. In her search, she considered factors like loft, breathability, and pricepoint.