Best Pillow for Side Sleepers: An Australian Buying Guide

The best pillow for side sleepers is medium-firm to firm and tall enough to fill the space between your ear and the mattress. For many adults that's around 10 to 15 centimetres once your head is resting on it. Contoured memory foam and adjustable shredded foam pillows suit most side sleepers. If your lower back or hips are what hurt, the pillow under your head is only part of the answer. A pillow between your knees and a mattress that lets your hip sink a little matter just as much.

Why side sleeping is hard on pillows

When you lie on your side, your shoulder holds your upper body off the mattress. That leaves a gap under your head about as wide as your shoulder. A thin pillow lets your head drop toward the mattress, which stretches the muscles on the upper side of your neck for hours at a time. Too tall, and your head tips up the other way.

You want a straight line from your forehead down through your neck and along your spine. If someone looked at you from behind while you slept, your neck shouldn't bend up or down.

What to look for

Height

Shoulder width decides most of it. Broad shoulders need more height than narrow ones. A rough guide: measure from the side of your neck to the outer edge of your shoulder. The pillow should hold about that height with your head on it, not just when it's sitting plump on the shelf.

Firmness

Aim for medium-firm to firm. A soft pillow can look tall in the shop and then flatten under the weight of your head, so by 3 am you're back to a tilted neck.

How it works with your mattress

A soft mattress lets your shoulder sink in, which shrinks the gap, so you may need a slightly lower pillow. A firm mattress keeps your shoulder up and you'll need more height. If you change your mattress or add a topper, check your pillow height again.

Heat

Side sleepers spend the night with one cheek pressed into the pillow, and on a humid January night in Brisbane or Sydney that gets sticky fast. Solid memory foam holds more warmth than latex, buckwheat or shredded foam. A breathable cover makes a difference whatever the fill.

A cover you can wash

Your face sits in the same spot for hours, every night. A removable cover that goes in the washing machine is much easier to live with than a pillow you can only spot clean.

Pillow types compared

Contoured foam

A contoured pillow has a raised edge that sits under your neck and a dip for your head. Because the shape does the work, you don't have to bunch or fold it to get support. Physiotherapists often suggest this style for people with recurring neck stiffness. The first few nights can feel odd if you're used to a squashy pillow.

Shredded foam and latex

These are the ones to try if fixed pillows have always felt slightly wrong. With shredded fill you can pull handfuls out until the height is right. Latex pushes back rather than letting you sink, which some people like when they change position a lot. (It's also heavier than you'd expect.)

Polyester, down and buckwheat

Soft polyester and down pillows are the cheapest and most common in Australian homes, but most lose too much height for side sleeping unless you double them up. Buckwheat is the opposite: firm and cool, but noisy enough to bother a partner.

Side sleepers with lower back or hip pain

When your top knee slides forward and drops onto the mattress, your upper hip rolls with it and twists your lower back. A firm pillow between your knees keeps your legs stacked and your pelvis level. A long body pillow does the same job and gives you something to hug, but it takes up a lot of room in a queen bed.

Hip pain from side sleeping often comes from the mattress pushing back hard against the hip bone. Changing your head pillow won't fix that. If your mattress feels hard under your hip and shoulder, a topper is cheaper than replacing the mattress. We make the DreamAlign Side Sleeper Mattress Topper for people who sleep in this position, and the DreamAlign Pressure Point Relief Mattress Topper for those who feel pressure at the hips and shoulders. Remember that a softer surface lowers your shoulder, so recheck your pillow height after adding one.

Bedding helps with comfort. If pain is sharp, getting worse or keeps you awake, see a GP or physio.

Where Dosaze fits, and where it doesn't

The Dosaze Contoured Orthopaedic Pillow is a contoured memory foam pillow shaped to cradle the curve of your neck. It's designed to promote proper spinal alignment and is suitable for side, back and stomach sleepers, which helps if you start the night on your side and end up on your back. The fabric is naturally cooling and anti-microbial, the cover comes off for washing, and the memory foam is CertiPUR-US certified. It ships locally across Australia.

It's a good match if you wake with a stiff neck or sore shoulders and want a pillow that holds its shape without folding or stacking.

It's a less good match in a few cases:

• You want to adjust the height yourself. The pillow has a fixed shape, so a shredded fill pillow may suit you better if fixed pillows always feel too high or too low.
• You love a soft, sink-in pillow. Memory foam feels firmer, and some people never warm to it.
• Your main problem is lower back or hip pain. A knee pillow or a change to your mattress surface will likely do more, and we don't sell knee or body pillows.

Signs your current pillow is wrong for side sleeping

• You wake with stiffness on one side of your neck
• You fold the pillow in half or tuck your arm under it to get enough height
• Your bottom shoulder is numb or tingling in the morning
• The pillow no longer springs back when you press it

Any of these suggests the pillow is too low, too soft or worn out.

Frequently asked questions

How high should a pillow be for a side sleeper?

High enough to keep your head level with your spine, which for many adults is around 10 to 15 centimetres with your head resting on it. Broad shoulders need more height, and a soft mattress needs a little less because your shoulder sinks in. Check the height the pillow holds under your head, not how tall it looks new.

Should side sleepers use a firm or soft pillow?

Most side sleepers do better on a medium-firm to firm pillow. Soft pillows tend to flatten under the weight of your head during the night, letting your neck tilt down. If you prefer a softer feel, an adjustable shredded foam pillow lets you add fill for height while keeping some give.

What is the best pillow for side sleepers with lower back pain?

Your head pillow matters less for lower back pain than a pillow between your knees. Keeping your knees stacked stops your top hip rolling forward and twisting your lower back. A mattress surface that lets your hip sink slightly can also help, and persistent pain is worth seeing a GP or physio about.

Is memory foam too hot for Australian summers?

Solid memory foam does hold more warmth than latex, buckwheat or shredded foam, which some people notice on humid nights. A breathable or cooling cover helps, as does keeping the bedroom well ventilated. If you run very hot, shredded foam or buckwheat let more air through.

How often should I replace my pillow?

Replace it when it no longer springs back, has gone lumpy, or you find yourself folding it to get enough height. Polyester and down pillows usually flatten sooner than memory foam or latex. Waking with a stiff neck that wasn't there before is another sign.