How eachnight Tests Pillows

eachnight tests pillows with the same hands-on approach we apply to mattresses. Dr. Jordan Burns, DC, MS, has tested 14 pillows for these guides, and every one of them was filmed. Each pillow is scored in four categories: value, cooling, shape retention, and care and cleaning. Five more areas are evaluated on every pillow without carrying a score of their own: adjustability, support and neck alignment, loft and height, pressure relief, and construction. Those five decide which sleepers a pillow suits rather than how good it is, which is why they shape our fit guidance instead of a number.

Why Trust eachnight's Recommendations?

Every mattress featured on eachnight is evaluated using the same testing framework for support, pressure relief, cooling, motion isolation, edge support, responsiveness, and value. Learn How We Test Mattresses.

Finding the right pillow should not mean guessing which marketing claims are real. eachnight uses one consistent hands-on process for every pillow we recommend, and 14 have been through it so far. Every pillow named in our guides has been tested by our team. We do not rank a pillow nobody here has slept on.

How eachnight Tests Pillows

Our process scores four categories: value, cooling, shape retention, and care and cleaning. We evaluate five more on every pillow without scoring them: adjustability, support and neck alignment, loft and height, pressure relief, and construction. Those five decide which sleepers a pillow suits rather than how good the pillow is, which is why they inform our fit guidance instead of carrying a number.

Dr. Burns tested all 14 pillows personally, in every sleeping position, comparing each one against the others in the same testing session. Three of those sessions were run with a second named tester alongside him, and the videos for all 14 are published on our channel so you can watch the testing rather than take our word for it.

Testing observations come first. We check the manufacturer specifications afterward, and where a spec and what we observed disagree, we say so rather than repeating the spec. We revisit findings as products change and as long term owner feedback accumulates.

Meet the eachnight Pillow Testing Team

Our pillow recommendations come from hands-on testing, filmed, by named clinicians.

Dr. Jordan Burns, DC, MS
Lead Pillow Tester and Medical Reviewer

Dr. Burns is a chiropractor and the owner of ProWellness Chiropractic in Fishers, Indiana. He tested all 14 pillows in these guides, scoring each on value, cooling, shape retention, and care and cleaning, and evaluating support, loft, adjustability, and pressure relief position by position to decide which sleepers each one suits. He also carries the medical reviewer byline on every eachnight guide.

Dr. Nilong Vyas, MD, MPH
Co-Tester, Amerisleep Comfort Classic and Amerisleep Flex

Dr. Vyas is a board-certified pediatrician and the founder of Sleepless in NOLA, a sleep consulting practice. She tested the Amerisleep Comfort Classic and the Amerisleep Flex alongside Dr. Burns and appears in the video sessions for both.

Dr. Jennifer Miller, PT, DPT
Co-Tester, Amerisleep Dual Comfort Low Loft and Zoma Pillow

Dr. Miller is an outpatient physical therapist specializing in neurological, geriatric, and vestibular physical therapy. She tested the Amerisleep Dual Comfort at its low loft and the Zoma Pillow alongside Dr. Burns and appears in the video sessions for both.

How Our Testing Process Works

Step 1: Arrival and initial inspection. We record construction, fill, loft out of the bag, firmness, adjustability, and anything unusual about the build before anyone lies on it.

Step 2: Construction and materials review. We open the pillow where it opens, handle the fill, and check what is actually inside against what the brand states.

Step 3: Hands-on testing. Dr. Burns tests each pillow in the side, back, and stomach positions, and the session is filmed.

Step 4: Scoring. Each pillow is scored from 1 to 10 in the four scored categories.

Step 5: Side-by-side comparison. Every pillow is compared directly against the others tested in the same session rather than against a claim on the box.

Step 6: Category winner selection. We decide which pillow performed best for each specific sleeper need.

Step 7: Publication and updates. Findings publish, then get revisited as products change and as the pillows we own continue to age.

Our Pillow Testing Categories

Support and Neck Alignment

A pillow's main job is to hold the head and neck in line with the rest of the spine, and we test that position by position. On the side, Dr. Burns checks whether the head stays level with the spine or tips down toward the shoulder. On the back, whether the chin is pushed toward the chest by too much loft or the head falls backward from too little. On the stomach, whether the neck is lifted out of line.

Why it matters. Loft that is wrong for a sleeping position changes the angle of the head and neck, and that is the most common reason a pillow feels wrong within the first few minutes.

What we look for

• Where the head sits in the side, back, and stomach positions
• Whether the head stays level with the spine or tilts out of line
• How far the surface collapses under the weight of the head
• Whether that support holds after the head has rested in one place for several minutes
• How the pillow behaves through a position change mid test

Loft and Height

Loft is the height of the pillow, and we measure it twice: once uncompressed out of the bag, and again under the full weight of the head, because the second number is the one that decides how a pillow actually feels. Different sleeping positions need different loft, so both numbers are recorded against each position rather than reported as a single figure.

Why it matters. The gap between the head and the mattress is wider for a side sleeper than for a stomach sleeper, so the same pillow can work well in one position and badly in another. Loft is usually the reason a pillow that suits one sleeper does not suit their partner.

What we look for

• Uncompressed loft measured against loft under head weight
• Which sleeping positions the measured loft actually suits
• Whether the loft suits a sleeper as delivered, before any adjustment
• How evenly the loft sits across the pillow rather than only at the center
• Whether the height holds after weeks of use

Adjustability

Adjustability is whether a pillow can be changed to fit you, and how far it will actually go. We open every pillow that opens, remove fill, put it back, and measure the loft at each stage. A pillow that claims to adjust but moves half an inch is not adjustable in any way that matters to a sleeper whose neck needs a different height.

We report adjustability as a stated trait rather than a score, because a fixed pillow is not a worse pillow. It is a different kind of pillow, and the trait that makes it fixed is usually the same trait that helps it hold its shape.

Why it matters. Loft is the single thing most likely to make a pillow wrong for a given sleeper, and an adjustable pillow is the only kind that can be corrected after it arrives.

What we look for

• Whether fill can be removed and added, or only pushed around inside
• How much the measured loft moves between the fullest and emptiest settings
• Whether the brand supplies somewhere to store fill that has been taken out
• How long an adjustment takes and how messy it is
• Whether the pillow holds the setting or drifts back over the following nights

Pressure Relief

We check how the surface responds to concentrated weight at the ear, the jaw, and the back of the head, and whether the shoulder finds room when side sleeping. Firm foam that does not give at the ear tends to show up within a few minutes. Overly soft fill tends to show up as the head bottoming out onto the mattress underneath.

Why it matters. The head is heavy and rests on a small contact area, so a surface that will not yield at the ear, or that collapses entirely under the head, is noticeable quickly.

What we look for

• How the surface gives at the ear and jaw when side sleeping
• Whether the head bottoms out and contacts the mattress underneath
• How much room the shoulder has alongside the pillow
• How the fill distributes weight across the contact area rather than bunching
• How the surface responds when the head is moved to a fresh spot

Cooling and Temperature

We compare surface temperature by touch at first contact, then again after the head has rested in one spot, always against the other pillows tested in the same session rather than against a claim on the box. Solid foam, shredded fill, down, and latex behave differently here, and testing them back to back is the only way to say which one held less heat.

Across the 14 pillows tested so far, that comparison produced a result worth stating plainly. None of them ran hot, and the differences between them were too small to separate honestly. They all carry the same cooling score as a result. We would rather publish that than invent a ranking we did not observe.

Why it matters. Heat builds faster at the pillow than almost anywhere else on the bed, because the head has a small contact area and stays in one place.

What we look for

• How the cover feels to the touch on first contact
• How much warmer the same spot feels after extended contact
• How that compares against the other pillows tested in the same session
• Whether the fill lets air move through it or holds heat in place
• Whether cooling covers and ventilation channels change anything we can actually feel

Shape Retention

We compress each pillow by hand and under head weight and watch how it comes back, then check the same pillow again after extended use to see whether the loft it started with is the loft it kept. Shredded fill, solid foam, latex, and down each fail differently: shredded fill migrates and clumps, down flattens, foam softens.

Why it matters. A pillow that loses its shape loses the loft that made it work for a sleeping position in the first place. This is usually what people mean when they say a pillow went flat.

What we look for

• How quickly the surface returns after compression
• Whether fill migrates toward the edges or clumps in the center
• Whether fluffing restores the original loft or only part of it
• How much loft the pillow has lost after extended use
• Whether the fill can be redistributed by hand or has permanently shifted

Construction and Materials

Before testing performance, we open the pillow up. We unzip the cover where it unzips, handle the fill, and note what is actually inside against what the brand says is inside. The point is not to catalogue the materials. It is to have an explanation ready for whatever the pillow does later in testing.

Why it matters. Fill type is the strongest predictor of how a pillow behaves under the head and how it holds up, so knowing what is inside makes the results easier to interpret.

What we look for

• Fill type, and whether it matches what the brand states
• Cover fabric and how much stretch it has under the head
• Zipper, seam, and stitching quality at the points that take stress
• Whether the fill is accessible for adjustment
• Certifications held, and what those certifications actually cover

Care and Cleaning

We read the care label on every pillow and check it against how the pillow is built. Three things decide the score: whether the whole pillow can go in a washing machine, whether only the cover can, or whether it is spot clean only. Very few pillows are fully washable, and the difference matters more over a few years than most shoppers expect at the point of purchase.

Why it matters. A pillow absorbs sweat, oils, and hair every night, and it sits directly under your face. A pillow that cannot be washed depends entirely on a pillowcase and a protector, and it usually gets replaced sooner than one that can be cleaned properly.

What we look for

• Whether the entire pillow is machine washable, or only the cover, or neither
• How easily the cover comes off and goes back on
• Whether the care instructions rule out a dryer
• Whether the fill recovers its loft after washing or comes back clumped
• Whether the brand requires a protector to keep the warranty intact

Value

Value on a pillow is a durability question. We combine what we observe during extended use with the fill type, the warranty terms as written, and the length of the sleep trial, because a pillow that holds its loft for a decade behind a ten year warranty is a different proposition from one that flattens inside a year behind a six month term.

Why it matters. Fill type and warranty length are the two things that separate these products most, and both are knowable before you buy. How long a pillow keeps doing its job is the thing that decides whether it was worth owning.

What we look for

• Warranty length and what the terms actually cover
• Whether a sleep trial is offered, how long it runs, and whether returns are free
• How long the fill type is likely to hold its loft
• Long term owner feedback where a meaningful volume of it exists
• Whether the pillow is sold in more than one size

How We Score Pillows

After testing is finished, each pillow is scored from 1 to 10 in four categories. The overall score is the average of those four. Every pillow is scored the same way, which is what makes the numbers comparable from one guide to the next.

Categories we score

• Value
• Cooling
• Shape Retention
• Care and Cleaning

We deliberately do not score adjustability, support, loft, pressure relief, or construction. Most are questions of fit rather than quality. A low loft pillow is excellent for a stomach sleeper and wrong for a side sleeper, and collapsing that into one number would hide the thing a shopper most needs to know.

Adjustability sits in the same bucket for a different reason. A pillow with a fixed core cannot be adjusted precisely because it is solid, and that same solidity is what helps it hold its shape, which we already score. Counting it twice would penalize a pillow for the trait we just credited. Construction is examined on every pillow because it explains the scores rather than being one of them.

You will notice every pillow carries the same cooling score. That is deliberate. None of the pillows we tested ran hot, and the differences between them were too small to rank honestly, so we report them as equal rather than manufacturing a spread. Cooling is not the thing to shop on with these pillows, and we would rather say so.

Scores are set by what the pillow did in testing. We do not adjust a score to justify a ranking, and we do not move a number because a pillow is popular or because a brand is an advertiser. Where a pillow scores poorly in a category, that score stays on the page alongside the recommendation.

How We Report Fit

Support, loft, and pressure relief are not scored, because they are questions of fit rather than quality. A five inch pillow is excellent for a stomach sleeper and wrong for most side sleepers, and there is no honest way to turn that into a single number. Adjustability sits alongside them for the same reason.

So we report fit directly instead. Every pillow is rated in all three sleeping positions, based on where the head sat relative to the spine in each one. Excellent means the pillow held the head in line without adjustment. Good means it worked, with a caveat or an adjustment. Not Recommended means the loft pushed the head out of line in that position, and a different pillow is the better answer.

Two things this table makes obvious. An adjustable pillow is rarely wrong for anyone, because the loft can be corrected after it arrives. And a fixed pillow that is excellent in one position is often the wrong pillow in another, which is why the same product can top one of our guides and be absent from the next.

This is also why our category winners are not simply the pillows with the highest overall scores. A stomach sleeper needs low loft far more than a high average, and the table above is what decides that, not the number.

How We Choose Category Winners

Different sleepers need different things, so we name a winner for each of them rather than a single pillow for everyone.

The pillow that wins a category is the one that performed best for that specific need, not automatically the one with the highest overall score. The four scored categories measure how good a pillow is. They do not measure who it is for. A pillow can win our side sleeper guide on loft and shoulder room while another pillow on the same page carries a higher average, because fit is decided by what we observed position by position rather than by an average. When that happens we say so on the page and name the observations that decided it. We never move a score to make a ranking look tidier.

Best Pillow Overall

The pillow with the strongest performance across all four scoring categories, with no serious weakness in any of them.

Best Pillow for Side Sleepers

Pillows whose loft held the head level with the spine on the side, with room for the shoulder alongside.

Best Pillow for Back Sleepers

Pillows whose loft kept the chin neutral on the back rather than tipped toward the chest or dropped backward.

Best Memory Foam Pillow

Memory foam pillows, solid and shredded, judged on how the surface gave at the ear and how well the loft held up over weeks of use.

Best Cooling Pillow

Pillows built with the fills and covers that move heat best, chosen for hot sleepers on construction and fit rather than on a cooling ranking, since none of the pillows we tested ran hot.

Best Pillow for Neck Pain

Pillows that held the head in line with the spine without collapsing under its weight or pushing the chin out of position. If you have persistent neck symptoms, speak with your doctor or a chiropractor about them rather than treating a pillow as the answer.

No single pillow wins every category, and any guide that tells you otherwise is not testing. Every pillow we recommend carries a stated limitation alongside its strengths, and a named alternative on the same page for the sleepers it does not suit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How does eachnight test pillows?

Every pillow is tested in the side, back, and stomach positions and scored in four categories: value, cooling, shape retention, and care and cleaning. We also evaluate adjustability, support, loft, pressure relief, and construction without scoring them, because those decide which sleepers a pillow suits rather than how good it is. We measure loft both uncompressed and under head weight, compare surface temperature against the other pillows tested in the same session, and check shape retention after extended use rather than only on the first night.

Who actually tests the pillows?

Dr. Jordan Burns, DC, MS, tested all 14 pillows personally, and every session was filmed. Dr. Nilong Vyas, MD, MPH, co-tested the Amerisleep Comfort Classic and the Amerisleep Flex. Dr. Jennifer Miller, PT, DPT, co-tested the Amerisleep Dual Comfort at its low loft and the Zoma Pillow. Dr. Burns also carries the medical reviewer byline on every eachnight guide, named directly under the author byline.

Do you recommend pillows you have not tested?

No. Every pillow ranked in an eachnight guide has been tested hands-on by our team. Our guides may explain fill types or pillow shapes we have not tested as background information, but a pillow does not appear as a ranked recommendation unless it has been through the full process and scored.

How are pillows scored?

Each pillow is scored from 1 to 10 in each of the four scored categories, and the overall score is the average of those four. The same framework is applied to every pillow, which is what makes the scores comparable across guides. Scores reflect what happened in testing and are never adjusted to support a ranking or a brand relationship.

What makes a pillow win a category?

A category winner is the pillow that performed best for that specific need, not automatically the one with the highest overall score. A side sleeper guide is decided mostly by whether the loft held the head level with the spine and left room for the shoulder, which we assess position by position rather than score. A cooling guide is decided on construction and fit rather than a temperature ranking, because none of the pillows we tested ran hot. When a lower ranked pillow carries a higher average, we explain what we observed that decided the category.

How often are rankings updated?

We revisit rankings as brands change their products, as we test new pillows, and as long term owner feedback accumulates on the ones we have already tested. Shape retention and durability findings in particular are updated as the pillows we own continue to age, since those are the two categories that cannot be judged on a first impression.

Do brand relationships affect your rankings?

No. eachnight earns commission when readers buy through links on our guides, and that is disclosed at the top of every page. Commission does not determine which pillows are tested, what they score, or where they rank. Pillows that scored poorly in a category keep that score on the page, and every recommendation carries a stated limitation alongside its strengths.

Do cooling pillows actually sleep cooler?

Less than the marketing suggests. Across the 14 pillows tested, none ran hot, and the gap between the best and worst on temperature was too small to rank honestly, so they all carry the same cooling score. Fill and cover materials do change how a pillow handles heat, and latex, wool, and shredded fills under breathable covers move air better than a solid foam core. But for a shopper choosing between well-made modern pillows, loft and fit will affect your sleep far more than cooling claims will.

Built on Testing, Not Marketing

Every pillow recommendation on eachnight comes from a pillow our team tested, scored against the same four categories, and compared directly against the others in its guide. Where a pillow fell short, we say where, and we name the pillow on the same page that suits those sleepers better.

That is the whole method. No pillow ranked from a spec sheet, no score moved to fit a ranking, and no recommendation we would not stand behind if you bought it.