In Honor of National Sleep Month, We’ve Rounded Up the Best Down Pillows to Help You Sleep Like a Baby
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You may have noticed that you tend to sleep much better when staying at a five-star hotel. That’s due—in part—to the well-appointed hotel bedding lineup, which usually includes down pillows for a luxurious sleeping experience. In honor of March being National Sleep Month, we decided to get the lowdown on down pillows and ask some sleep experts for tips on choosing the best one.
“Down pillows tend to be a much softer, fluffier pillow choice, and the down feathers within the pillow allow for easy flexibility and high comfort for a comfortable sleep,” explains Parima Ijaz, founder of Pure Parima. But that’s not the only reason that down pillows reign supreme in the category. “Down pillows are much better at repelling bacteria build-up, so you are less likely to come into contact with germs each time you go to sleep.”
Choosing the Right Down Pillow:
There are different types of down pillows, and not all are created equal. “Choosing a pillow is a very individual thing since people have different body types and sleeping positions,” says Casper Sleep Advisor Dr. Michael Grandner. “The wrong pillow can make a difference [in your sleep quality]. Our research showed that people who rate their own pillows as uncomfortable also reported worse sleep quality overall, insomnia symptoms, and daytime sleepiness symptoms.”
Ijaz believes the best of the various down types is white goose down. “It’s the softest and warmest down fill,” she says, adding that the level of fill, or fill power, is different in each type of down. “The higher the fill power, the firmer the pillow will be over time because it can retain that firmness better than those with low fill power.” But she admits that fill power and warmth are ultimately a personal preference when choosing a down pillow.
Stephen Light, CEO and co-owner at Nolah Technologies, notes that goose and duck-down pillows are similar in feel, temperature, and durability. “However, because geese are larger, their down clusters are bigger, so they tend to be fluffier and have a higher fill power than their duck down counterparts.” (He says duck down also tends to have a more pungent odor than goose down.)
Light provides a cheat sheet for determining the best type of down pillow for your needs.
Fill Power
Fill power measures how much space one ounce of down fills. In other words, it measures the loft or fluffiness of the filling. “The higher the fill power, the loftier the pillow. For pillows, 600 or higher is generally considered high quality,” Light says.
Fill Weight
The quantity of down filling. “The higher the fill weight, the denser and firmer the pillow.”
As a general rule of thumb, if you’re a side sleeper, Light says you’ll need the tallest and firmest pillows to support your neck.
On the other hand, he says stomach sleepers tend to prefer flatter, softer options. “And back sleepers are somewhere in between.” Ijaz agrees and adds, “If you are a back sleeper, you would probably prefer a medium-firm pillow that helps your spine and head align more comfortably through a bit more conformity.” And if you are a stomach sleeper, she says a softer, fluffier pillow would be best: “It will allow your head to rest on the pillow as you wish without straining your neck and back.”
Other Things to Consider
Here’s something else to keep in mind: If you get a down pillow, the feathers will move around a lot, and Ijaz says that’s a good thing because this allows you to position the pillow to the exact shape and firmness that you desire. “If you find that the spread of the feathers bothers you, we recommend using a pillow protector, which will help keep the feathers more clustered, while still allowing you to experience the softness that down provides.”
Also, Grandner points out that pillows change over time. “It is not unusual to need to replace pillows after one or two years, or even more frequently depending on how you use them.” So, if you start waking up with undue pressure on your head, neck, or back, the pillow may be at the end of its lifespan.
We researched several down pillows and put them to the test to help you recreate that five-star hotel experience in your own bedroom. Scroll through below to check out the best down pillows for luxurious comfort.
Quince Luxe Goose Down Pillow
We’re already in love with Quince’s new Mongolian Cashmere and Cotton Bedding Collection, but the Quince Luxe Goose Down Pillow is another one of our favorites. With 700 power-fill European white goose down, the ethically-sourced premium pillow is equally plush and supportive. It’s available in two densities: soft/medium and medium firm. The cover is made of 100% cotton sateen with double-stitched edges.
Buy Quince Luxe Goose Down Pillow at Quince, $139
Parachute Down Pillow
The Parachute Down Pillow is a universal favorite—and for a good reason. The 750 fill power pillow is made of 85% natural European white down, combined with 15% down and feather fibers, for a plush feel. It also has a 100% sateen cotton shell, which is reinforced with a double-stitched piping seam. The pillow is available in a standard size and a king size. It’s also available in three densities: soft for stomach sleepers, medium for combination sleepers, and firm for back sleepers.
Buy Parachute Down Pillow at Parachute, $129
Brooklinen Down PillowDown from $109
Although Brooklinen has a new home fragrance collection to refresh your home, it’s hard to pull us away from the company’s bedding items—especially the Brooklinen Down Pillow, which comes in three levels of support. The plush firm model is the softest and is only filled with down clusters. The mid-plush model is the most versatile, filled with both down clusters and feathers, and it has a soft dual-core.
Buy Brooklinen Down Pillow at Brooklinen, $87
Casper Down Pillow
The Casper Down Pillow is made with ethically-sourced down, and the five-chamber design consists of an outer chamber that’s 80% white duck down with a 20% feather, while the inner chamber consists of 60% white duck down and 40% feather. The result is a fluffy, cloud-like pillow that’s also supportive. The pillow is available in standard and king sizes, but there is only one model. However, since it has a two-inch gusset, the pillow is considered a mid-loft pillow, so it’s ideal for combination sleepers.
Buy Casper Down Pillow at Casper, $139
Buy Casper Down Pillow at Amazon, $140
Pure Parima Goose Down Pillow
Packed with 600+ fill power European white goose down, the Pure Parima Down Pillow is soft, fluffy, and designed to keep you warm and comfortable on those cold nights. It has a medium firmness (16-ounce fill weight), so it’s neither too soft nor too firm. Also, the 100% cotton cambric cover is cooling (so the pillow can be used in any season) and has double-stitched seams. The hypoallergenic pillow is available in standard and king sizes.
Buy Pure Parima Goose Down Pillow at Amazon, $179
Sobel Westex Soft Back & Stomach Sleeper Down Pillow
One way to get hotel-quality down pillows is to purchase them from a company that supplies pillows to hotels. The Sobel Westex Hotel Bellazure Duo Down Soft Pillow has grey duck feathers in the inner chamber, and both grey duck down and white down in the outer section. The pillow also has a 300 thread count, 100% enclosure with an antimicrobial finish, and double stitch edge. Size options include standard, queen, and king.
Buy Sobel Westex Soft Back & Stomach Sleeper Down Pillow at Amazon, $78
Coyuchi Down Pillow
The Coyuchi Down Pillow is filled with 100% down from ducks raised ethically on an Indiana duck farm—and the fill is double-washed. Coyuchi packs so much fill into the pillow that the queen-size version arrives packed so tightly that it’s unmistakably a high-loft pillow. However, after a month or two, it will flatten a bit.
Buy Coyuchi Down Pillow at Coyuchi, $198
GhostBed GhostPillow Faux Down PillowDown from $109
If you love the idea of a down pillow but may be allergic to duck or goose down filling, the GhostPillow Faux Down Pillow is designed to produce a comparable experience. The hypoallergenic pillow has microfiber gel fill, which mimics the feel of traditional down fill, so it’s luxuriously soft and supportive but breathable.
Buy GhostBed GhostPillow Faux Down Pillow at GhostBed, $76
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