A neck pillow should keep the space between your ear and the mattress honest, on the side you actually sleep.
We tried memory foam and latex contours for side and back sleeping. The right height felt like nothing. The wrong height was a morning you felt in the shoulder.
Height and give
Side sleepers need more loft than back sleepers. A contour that only suits one position is a problem if you turn over. Latex pushes back. Memory foam lets you sink and can sleep hot. Both can be the right pillow if the height is right.
- Match the loft to your shoulder, not to a catalog photo.
- A cover you can wash. Necks sweat.
- Enough give that the edge does not shove your jaw.
- A trial window, because one night is not a test.
If you wake with your arm numb, the pillow is the wrong height.
A week of mornings
Use it every night for a week before you decide, and change one thing only. A new pillow and a new mattress topper in the same week will confuse the result.
Keep the pillow that makes the morning ordinary. Ordinary is the goal.
