Best Memory Foam Pillows From Consumer Reports' Tests
CR tested foam pillows from Comfort Revolution, Coop Home Goods, GhostBed, Sleep Number, and Tempur-Pedic
By Consumer Reports
For some people, a memory foam pillow is the perfect sleep companion.
Memory foam curves and contours to your body based on the pressure you apply to it, providing ergonomic support to your head and neck while you snooze. But before you start shopping for a memory foam pillow, know that there’s a wide variety to choose from—in different shapes, sizes, and densities. Also know that memory foam pillows may be better suited to people who sleep on their side.
“We’ve found that pillows that contain slabs of memory foam generally support side sleepers better than back sleepers due to their increased height,” says Chris Regan, who oversees pillow testing at Consumer Reports.
We currently rate about 30 pillows from widely available brands. Each one is poked, prodded, and pounded by machines in our lab. We assess how well each pillow supports the head and neck of people of all sizes—petite, average, and large/tall—whether they sleep on their side or their back. And we use a pressure mat to analyze roughly 1,600 pressure points, focusing on the contact area between the head and the pillow.
Below, in alphabetical order, we highlight the five highest-rated memory foam pillows in CR’s tests. Some are adjustable, and some contain foam slabs (and some even allow you to adjust foam slabs). Which one to choose comes down to how firm or soft you like your pillow and whether that pillow supports your sleep style.
For more on how we test pillows, see our pillow buying guide. You can also check our comprehensive pillow ratings to see how well all the pillows we’ve tested perform in each of CR’s tests.
Top 5 Memory Foam Pillows
Comfort Revolution Blue Bubble Gel
CR’s take: Comfort Revolution’s Blue Bubble Gel marries the cooling properties of a gel pad with polyurethane foam. It’s less than ideal for back sleepers, but it receives Excellent ratings for supporting for those who sleep on their side. Our testers find the resiliency of the pillow to be top-notch. Its breathability, however, is below average, meaning it might make your head a little sweaty during the night.
Coop Home Goods Premium Adjustable Loft
CR’s take: The Coop Home Goods Premium Adjustable Loft pillow is made of shredded memory foam and earns an Excellent rating in our tests for support—no matter your size and whether you sleep on your side or back. It’s quite versatile, in part because it comes with a kit of extra foam so that you can adjust the filling to your liking. The pillow also keeps its shape well, showing little to no change in height or fluffiness in our resilience tests. Our panel of testers likes the look and feel, too. The only test where this pillow falls a tad short is in how well it allows air to circulate: It sleeps slightly warm, so your head might feel a little sweaty at night.
GhostBed Shredded (2pk)
CR’s take: Made of shredded memory foam pieces with a polyester fiber cover, the two-pack GhostBed Shredded is a great option if you sleep on your side or back. Sleepers can customize their level of support by removing some of the shredded foam pieces and polyester gel fibers in the pillow. In our testing, removing filling for back sleepers improved support. Smaller sleepers will probably need to remove more filling than larger sleepers. Side sleepers, both petite and larger, will find that removing a small amount of filling might improve support. It receives just middling marks in our resilience test but aces our breathability test.
Sleep Number ComfortFit Ultimate
CR’s take: The Sleep Number ComfortFit Ultimate is a pillow made of a blend of memory foam pieces and down alternative fibers. Inside the pillow casing are three layers that can be added or removed to tailor the pillow to the level you need. It earns top support ratings for both side and back sleepers in CR’s tests, and our testers find it to be very breathable. It’s not as resilient as some other options on this list, though, and might not hold its shape as well over time.
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling
CR’s take: Tempur-Pedic’s Tempur-Cloud Breeze Dual Cooling pillow has its share of pros and cons. Made of two layers of gel memory foam, it’s the most expensive pillow we’ve tested. It earns an Excellent rating in our tests for side-sleeper support. But for supporting those who sleep on their backs, it earns only a Good rating. In our resilience test, this pillow successfully maintains its shape. Although it has “breeze” in its name, our testers find that it doesn’t allow for much airflow, so you could get sweaty sleeping on it. Another drawback: This pillow is not washable—only its cover can be cleaned.
More from Consumer Reports:
Top pick tires for 2016
Best used cars for $25,000 and less
7 best mattresses for couples
Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Copyright © 2022, Consumer Reports, Inc.
