If you suffer from fibromyalgia, you know how difficult it can be to get a good night’s sleep. Thankfully, a fix as simple as changing the pillow you use can make a huge difference in your sleep quality. In this guide, we’ll review the ten best pillows for fibromyalgia to help you find the one that’s right for you.
In evaluating pillows, we considered important features like what they’re made of and how much they compress. Firmness was also a big factor in our review, since some people prefer sinking into their pillow while others want it to feel rock-solid. We also looked for extra features, like adjustable filling and sleep trials. With all that in mind, let’s take a closer look at our ten top-rated pillows for fibromyalgia.
More features: removable support insert layer with polyester cover; 100-night sleep trial
The Helix Adjustable Pillow is one of the top pillows for fibromyalgia because it’s so easy to adjust. You can add or remove a support insert layer to get the pillow height just right and take pressure off your neck. The gel microfiber filling is a nice medium-firmness, as it cushions your head and neck but doesn’t sink like memory foam.
We also liked that this pillow keeps you cool. The cotton cover doesn’t retain heat at all, and the gel infusion in the microfiber helps dissipate heat throughout the night.
More features: cooling cover; cover fabric filled with a thin layer of shredded foam; machine washable
If you’re looking for a pillow that can keep you cool throughout the night, we think this offering from Nectar is worth a look. It is filled with shredded memory foam, which allows for much more air circulation compared to a standard memory foam pillow. It also comes with a cooling Tencel cover that moves heat efficiently away from your body.
The pillow comes overstuffed with memory foam shreds and you can easily pull stuffing out or add more to suit your comfort. It also comes with a two-year warranty, which is nice since memory foam isn’t always as durable as we’d like.
What we liked: Nectar made sure that this pillow is easy to clean. Just pull out the memory foam stuffing, and the whole cover can be thrown in the washing machine.
What could be better: Nectar doesn’t offer a sleep trial for this pillow, which is disappointing considering that it’s somewhat expensive.
More features: sleeps cool; a thin layer of memory foam for additional comfort; washable cover
This adjustable pillow from WinkBeds comes with hundreds of small gel-infused memory foam cubes. You can easily open a zipper on the side of the pillow and add or remove cubes as needed. Since the cubes are small, you have extremely granular control over how the pillow feels.
The pillow also sleeps very cool, which is a plus. It features a polyester knit cover that wicks moisture and eliminates heat. Plus, air flows relatively freely between the memory foam cubes, which helps whisk away heat throughout the night.
What we liked: This pillow includes a thin layer of memory foam right under the cover, which is very soft and comfortable even for people who don’t ordinarily like memory foam. The polyester cover is also machine washable, which is nice.
What could be better: The memory foam cubes inside the pillow can bunch up. So you’ll need to fluff up this pillow frequently to keep them dispersed throughout the pillow.
More features: shoulder recess designed specifically for side sleepers; 6-inch loft; Zoned Technology; scent of lavender
This unique pillow from PlushBeds is designed with side sleepers in mind. The recess at the front of the pillow offers a place for your shoulder, helping to keep your head, neck, and spin aligned while you sleep. Users also liked the zoned support technology, which offers more support in the center of the pillow compared to the sides.
The pillow comes with a Tencel cover and has holes that help with ventilation. It’s also lavender-scented, although some users found that the scent was too strong for their liking.
More features: 101-night sleep trial
A body pillow can add comfort to a mattress that’s too hard or soft as well as help keep your whole body in alignment. This body pillow from Puffy uses shredded memory foam, which ensures that you won’t develop pressure points anywhere along the length of the pillow.
The pillow uses a mix of standard memory foam and gel-infused memory foam, which helps with heat transfer away from your body. The fact that the foam is shredded also increases air circulation. Still, the pillow can sleep on the warm side since your body will sink into the foam to some extent.
More features: washable cover; 30-night trial
This inexpensive pillow from Brooklyn Bedding offers a chance to upgrade your sleep without spending a lot of money. The pillow is made from shredded latex and gel-infused memory foam. The latex makes it more responsive than fully memory foam pillows, but it can cause problems for anyone with a latex allergy.
The bamboo cover is naturally antimicrobial and moisture-wicking, although it’s not as cooling as Tencel. Brooklyn Bedding designed the cover to be removable so that you can add or remove foam filling and easily machine wash the pillow.
What we liked: It’s hard not to love the price tag on this pillow. For less than half what you’d pay for a competing model, it offers adjustable firmness, a machine-washable cover, and a 30-night sleep trial.
What could be better: The latex and foam filling won’t be a hit with everyone. Even after adjusting the firmness, the pillow can feel overly springy and firm.
More features: 120-night sleep trial; adjustable loft
This unique pillow from Layla Sleep is filled with a mix of kapok fibers and shredded memory foam. Kapok fibers are a natural material that’s softer than cotton or wool, so the pillow can sink a lot when you lay down on it.
Layla delivers the pillow overstuffed, so you can adjust the firmness simply by opening the cover and removing some material. It also comes with a 120-night sleep trial, so you have plenty of time to dial in the firmness before deciding if the pillow is right for you.
More features: cooling cover; 30-night trial
The Easy Breather Pillow from Nest Bedding is a well-built pillow that caters to sleepers of all types. It features a memory foam and polyester filling that’s soft but supportive. We also like that it comes with a cooling cover that mixes Lyocell and Tencel.
The pillow’s firmness is adjustable, although don’t expect it to get more than medium-firm at the most. The pillow comes with a 30-day sleep trial, which isn’t a ton of time to dial in the perfect firmness.
What we liked: The Tencel and Lyocell blended cover on this pillow is extremely comfortable and breathable. It also feels good against your skin, which is a big plus.
What could be better: The pillow isn’t designed to be machine washable, so it can be hard to clean. We’d also like to see a longer sleep trial.
More features: Responsible Down Standard certified; 30-night trial
The Allswell Supreme pillow is essentially a nicer version of a standard rectangular pillow. The filling is half polyester, the same material that you’d find in any pillow from your local store, and half down feathers. The down is sustainably sourced and certified to Responsible Down standards.
The pillow is surprisingly firm and has a lot of loft, which makes it good for broad-shouldered side sleepers. Back sleepers noted that the pillow had too much loft and craned their necks upward. Unfortunately, the pillow’s firmness isn’t adjustable, but you can try it out for 30 nights before committing to it.
What we liked: The down filling and cotton cover make for a fresh-feeling pillow that’s much more firm than anything filled with memory foam. The extra loft is perfect for side sleepers who want a tall pillow.
What could be better: This pillow is rather expensive considering that half the filling is polyester. Users also found that the down can sleep relatively warm.
More features: double-stitched seams for durability; zippered, machine-washable cover; travel and storage bag included
This pregnancy pillow from PharMeDoc has a unique mustache shape that works just as well for sleepers who suffer from fibromyalgia as it does for pregnant women. The polyfill blend filling is extremely support and more firm than memory foam, but it’s not so firm as to be uncomfortable.
The pillow comes with a cotton cover, although it’s not the breathable cotton we’re used to seeing on pillows. The upside of this is that it’s machine washable, which makes this pillow easier to clean.
What we liked: The pillow comes with a travel and storage bag, which is nice. The fact that it’s easily machine washed is a plus, too, especially since your whole body is in contact with the pillow every night.
What could be better: It would be great to see different firmness levels on each end of the pillow. That way, you could decide which firmness level is more comfortable for you.
Now that you know more about our ten favorite pillows for getting a good night’s sleep with fibromyalgia, how do you decide which one is best for you? In our Buying Guide, we’ll explain everything you need to know about how swapping your pillow can help you sleep better and cover the features you need to think about when selecting a new pillow.
If your pillow isn’t a good fit for your body, it could be inflaming your fibromyalgia symptoms. That means you’re not only losing sleep, but also potentially waking up the next day with muscle aches or a headache.
The good news is that switching your pillow really can help you reduce your fibromyalgia symptoms. The closer you can get your body to a comfortable position overnight, the less likely you are to cause inflammation. That means both a better night’s sleep and waking up without pain in the morning.
Choosing a new pillow can be difficult, especially if you don’t know exactly what you need. There are a surprising number of features that go into a high-quality pillow. Here, we’ll take a closer look at the features you need to know about and explain how they can affect your sleep.
You’re probably used to sleeping on a standard rectangular pillow. However, that’s not necessarily the best type of pillow for fibromyalgia. You may be able to get a better night’s sleep by trying a body pillow like the one from Puffy or something with a more unusual shape like the pillow from PharMeDoc.
These different pillow shapes offer multiple ways to rest your head and take pressure off your neck. While they won’t be right for everyone, they could be worth a try if traditional pillows haven’t worked for you.
The filling material is another important thing to consider when choosing a pillow for fibromyalgia. Many of the pillows we reviewed use memory foam, which contours to your neck and head to eliminate pressure points. If you do opt for memory foam, look for gel infusions as this helps to dissipate heat throughout the night.
Some pillows like the Allswell Supreme pillows achieve pressure reduction by mixing traditional polyester with softer materials like down. Alternatively, the Brooklyn Bedding pillow includes latex, which is more responsive as you move around during the night.
The cover material can matter, too. Look for a Tencel cover like that on the PlushBeds and Nectar pillows, as this material provides both cooling and muscle relaxation during the night.
There’s no standard pillow firmness that works for everyone. Side and stomach sleepers tend to prefer firm pillows that keep your head from sinking. Many back sleepers prefer a softer pillow that cushions your head and keeps your spine and neck in alignment.
If you’re not sure what firmness of pillow is right for you, look for a pillow that features adjustable firmness. For example, the Helix pillow and Layla pillow each offer mechanisms for adding or removing filling so that you can customize how firm your pillow feels. This gives you the most control over your comfort and the quality of your sleep.
Many of the pillows we reviewed are available in standard as well as queen or king sizes. Pillow sizes are usually measured so that two king-sized pillows will fit across a king-sized bed. That said, your pillow size doesn’t need to match the size of your bed – for example, you can put a king-sized pillow on a full-sized bed.
Choosing a pillow can feel a little bit risky, which is why many manufacturers now offer sleep trials. Helix and Layla each offer sleep trials that are over three months, giving you plenty of time to adjust to your new pillow to see if it helps you sleep better. If you find that the pillow isn’t right for you, you can return it for a full refund with no questions asked.
Having a warranty on your pillow can also be nice for your peace of mind. That way, you know your pillow should last for years to come without worrying that the filling will go flat.
Our three overall favorite pillows for fibromyalgia sufferers are the Helix Adjustable Pillow, the Nectar Lush Pillow, and the WinkBeds Adjust-a-Cube Pillow. The WinkBeds pillow gives you extremely granular control over adjusting the firmness of your pillow since you can simply add or remove gel-infused memory foam cubes. The gel infusion and cube design also help to keep the pillow cool throughout the night. The Nectar Lush Pillow does an extremely good job of keeping you cool while you sleep. It features a cooling Tencel cover and the shredded memory foam filling allows air to flow freely through the pillow. We think the Helix Adjustable Pillow is the overall best pillow for fibromyalgia. It offers a lot of adjustability thanks to the supportive insert, which you can easily put inside the cover with a simple zip pocket. We also liked that this pillow comes with a 100-night sleep trial and a cooling cotton cover.
