This pillow is the top of the top, crème de la crème. I used to think it was normal to toss and turn in the middle of the night, but the innovative shape and the quality of the materials of the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic pillow stopped that for me. The innovative shape really works wonders to keep my neck and back aligned, and I was so surprised by how much deeper my sleep was with this pillow. When testing this pillow, I woke up so much more well rested.

The Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic Pillow is one of three “contoured orthopedic pillows” that I tried – (I also tried Epabo and Sutera) and Dosaze was by far the best one. The Dosaze pillow distinguishes itself in three ways. First, the contour is the perfect depth (it isn’t too deep or shallow). I found that Sutera was a bit too deep (and I didn’t like the sides of the Sutera pillow, but more on that later) and that Epabo was too shallow. Second, the Dosaze pillow is larger than the others, so there is more room to sleep on it (especially if you are a combination sleeper and roll around). Finally, the Dosaze pillow is CertiPUR-US certified – it’s made of premium, certified memory foam (Sutera and Epabo are not).

This pillow is great if you are a back, side, combination back and side, or stomach sleeper. Because the center of the pillow is a different height (lower) than the sides, you can sleep in the center as a back or stomach sleeper (who usually require lower heights) or on the edges of the pillow (which are higher) as a side sleeper. If you are a combination back and side sleeper, you can sleep on the edges of the pillow when side sleeping or roll to the center of the pillow when sleeping on your back. You cannot do this on the Sutera pillow (due to the “wings”).

It is also provides the perfect combination of comfort and support – the foam isn’t too firm nor is it too soft. I would describe it as firm enough to support my head (so my neck stays aligned and my head doesn’t sink too much into the pillow, but also soft enough so that my ears do not hurt when I use it.

This pillow distinguishes itself from other pillows for neck pain in four ways (1) the quality of the materials (2) the innovative shape (3) the fact that it works for all sleepers and (4) the customer experience.

1. quality materials – the foam in this pillow is CertiPUR-US certified (unlike many other pillows, including Sutera). The cover is also made of bamboo, unlike other pillows which tend to use 100% polyester or other scratchy materials. This memory foam has the perfect ILD (indentation load deflection). The foam is not too firm nor is it too soft.
2. innovative shape – the innovative contour of this pillow is amazing. It does wonders to align your neck and back and keeps your neck in place throughout the night. This reduces neck pain, tension headaches, and even alleviates snoring and sleep apnea (because your airways won’t get blocked). Other pillows have tried to copy this shape, but I found this one to be the best, by far.
3. Actually works for all sleepers – the shape of this pillow is ideal for two reasons: (1) it aligns your head and neck and keeps it in place and (2) if you are a combination sleeper (and sleep on your back and side), you can sleep on the edge of the pillow (which is higher) when you side sleep and you can roll into the middle of the pillow (into the contour) when you sleep on your back. Stomach sleepers (who usually stay on their stomachs) can sleep in the contour.
4. customer experience – I had the best experience purchasing this pillow. The Dosaze team was incredibly responsive when my pillow got lost in the mail, and sent me one free of charge. They also offer a 60 day sleep trial and 3-year-warranty.

This pillow is seriously a case of you get what you pay for – with high quality materials, an innovative shape, and incredible customer service and experience, this pillow is the best option if you want to alleviate neck pain.

And don’t take our word for it, other review sites have come to the same conclusion on the Dosaze pillow being the best pillow for neck pain. You can even check out the Dosaze pillow reviews on the site itself, if you don’t believe us.

The Pillow Cube was a pillow of extremes. On one hand, it was truly incredible how cooling this pillow could be. On the other, it was was incredible how slippery a pillow could be! Still, if someone really prioritizes cooling and wants orthopedic structure as a bonus, the Pillow Cube is for you.

There were two things that I really liked about the Pillow Cube: It’s construction and its cooling. On the flip side, I wasn’t a fan of how slippery it was or how the shape didn’t keep my head on it. As the name suggests, the “cube” portion of it refers to its shape, as well as its “ice cube” temps. When I say this pillow gets cold, it gets frigid. In fact, this was the most cooling pillow I think I’ve ever slept on before. For many, that’s a selling point, but to others, it may not be. My wife, for example, gets too cold simply from using this pillow.

While the cooling was great, the material they covered it in was extremely slippery. It slipped on the bed, my head slipped on it, and it literally slipped out of two sheets I placed on it during the night. Additionally, the cube shape of it was novel, but I don’t think it was the best for keeping my head in the same spot through the night.

If you want a cooling pillow that provides solid support, despite being a bit slick, check out the Pillow Cube.

The Beans72 pillow was, without a doubt, the most interesting pillow I reviewed. This pillow is small and filled to the brim with the hulls of buckwheat seeds! It has a distinct “bean bag” feeling, to the point that I was referring to it as the “bean pillow” each night I used it.

While I was suspicious of sleeping on the Beans72 pillow, I was pleasantly surprised by it. It was extremely supportive, although I wouldn’t necessarily describe it as comfortable. Since it was filled with beans, it was really firm and didn’t flatten out during the night. Overall, it was a solid experience, if a novel one. It’s just important to keep in mind that this option leans more towards the “orthopedic” side of things than the “comfort” one. One perk is that the filling doesn’t hold on to allergens. For people with severe allergies (who aren’t allergic to buckwheat), the Beans72 pillow could be a viable alternative to a traditional pillow.

My real drawbacks in regards to this pillow were the size and the care. I don’t know if it was designed this way, but the pillow itself is very small. It’s roughly the size of a small decorative pillow, but it’s made for sleeping. Additionally, caring for this pillow could be tough. There are special cleaning requirements for it that most other pillows don’t have. Also, the pillow cover it came with was a bit rough and warrants an additional cover. The one it comes with is pretty abrasive on the sensitive skin on a face.

The MyPillow is pretty famous nowadays, although its usage as an orthopedic pillow should be marginal. In my experience, the My Pillow was really quite comfortable, but it isn’t designed for neck pain or real orthopedic use.

Once I opened the package, I tried to sleep with it, only to realize that it needed at leat 15 minutes in the dryer before you could use it. After a quick spin, it had fluffed up significantly and was ready for use. MyPillows have a special fill that “interlocks”, supporting you as you press your head into it. As “markety” as that sounds, it’s actually pretty noticeable! The issue is that you can sink really far into the pillow if the fill isn’t in the right place, and since the pillow isn’t filled all the way, the fill can lump in the wrong spots.

While I did enjoy the pillow’s comfort, it doesn’t keep your head in the right place and is much more like a regular pillow than a real orthopedic pillow. If you bought one of these looking for true neck support and to keep your head in one spot, you may have some troubles. Still, it’s a viable option for some, especially if you sleep on your side or stomach and need a bit of flexibility that comes with the lack of defined support.

The Water Pillow is a strange take on a pillow for neck pain, but not for the reason you are probably thinking. When I first got the pillow, I assumed it would be totally filled with water, similar to a water bed. Strangely, the Water Pillow only has a small compartment for water that sits on the bottom of the pillow. The rest of the pillow is totally normal. You have to prepare the pillow by filling the compartment with a certain amount of water (according to your firmness preference). It isn’t too tricky, but you do have to measure out the water and pour it in through a provided funnel. Additionally, any mistake could result in a rather wet evening.

What is strange about the pillow is that once you fill it, you actually sleep on the regular pillow side, not the water side. The water bladder is flat against the underside of the pillow, with the standard cotton material on top. The result is an experience that simply feels like a regular pillow with something annoying underneath it. The claim is that the pillow provides special support, but it just felt pretty strange to me. I didn’t notice any special cooling from the water either, something I was expecting.

Overall, my experience with the Water Pillow left me a bit non-plussed and feeling like it is more gimmicky than actually useful. Maybe if the pillow did something with the water than simply have it act like an anchor, then it would have felt more supportive. I wouldn’t suggest this pillow to someone unless they needed something to match their new water bed.

This pillow is a lower quality version of the Dosaze Contoured Orthopedic one. It is smaller, made of lower quality materials (fill and cover), and not as comfortable. I found that the memory foam in this pillow (which was not CertiPUR US certified), was not as comfortable as the memory foam in other pillows. The cover is also a bit scratchy (as it is 100% polyester).

I found that this pillow is okay for back sleeping, but less good for side sleeping. The contour of the pillow works okay if you sleep on your back (although again it was a bit too shallow for me), but when you sleep on your side the pillow is not thick enough to fill your shoulder gap, which can cause alignment issues. I also found that the foam on this pillow is noticeably firmer than that of other pillows. This does a lot for providing support, but does not do much in terms of providing comfort.

While this pillow is a bit cheaper than other alternatives, it is not the best product in terms of quality and might need to be replaced more quickly. The foam is not CertiPUR-US certified. Add to this the fact that the pillow only has a 3o day trial period (and sometimes it can take that long to really get used to a new pillow) and does not come with a warranty, and this pillow is kind of a gamble. This cheaper version might work for y0u and it might not – and you don’t have that much time to decide.

This pillow is another spin on the ergonomic / contoured shaped pillow – I found in my testing that is has a couple of noticeable benefits/costs. The “supportive” neck nook as they call it, is comfortable, but it lacks some support. Unlike the EPABO pillow, this pillow is a bit too soft and lacks the necessary support to properly align your neck and back.

I also found that the “butterfly” wings were a bit unnecessary and kind of got in the way. In fact, they made it much more difficult to sleep on your side. A huge point about pillows and sleep positions is that different sleep positions require different heights – naturally, a stomach sleeper requires a lower height than a back sleeper who requires a lower height than a side sleeper. In Sutera’s own sleep diagram, they recommend sleeping in the same “nook” whether you are a back, side or stomach sleeper.

This is not the ideal position for all sleepers – in my opinion, the Dream Deep pillow is best for back sleepers. If you sleep on your side, the “nook” is not high enough. Unlike the Dosaze pillow, where as a side sleeper, you can comfortably sleep on the edges of the pillow (which are higher and will fill your shoulder gap), the butterfly wings on the Sutera pillow actually get in the way if you try to sleep on the edges of the pillow. And if you try to “side” sleep in the “nook” of the center of the pillow, it is not high enough.

The Sutera pillow is also one that is a bit of a risk – you can definitely try it out, but be aware that you don’t have that much time to test it. They only provide a 30 day trial period, and they don’t advertise this, but they do have a 15% processing fee to return the pillow – just look at the reviews online.

The Tri-Core Pillow is a pretty cheap-feeling pillow that does one thing really well, and most everything else subpar. It’s build quality feels like something you spontaneously buy off Amazon and end up returning later. The one thing it does well is keep your head in place, but as mentioned earlier, everything else about the pillow is a wash.

The pillow is constructed with a trapezoid-like indentation in the center. The surrounding area is heavily stuffed, creating a pillow with a large hole in the middle, only the hole doesn’t go through the entire thing. When you lay down, you place your head in the indentation and its kept there by the highly stuffed sides around it. If you have a condition where you really need to keep your head from moving at night, the Tri-Core helps do that really well.

Sadly, everything else the Tri-Core does isn’t great. The stuffing is cheap-feeling and feels like synthetic cotton balls were stuffed inside. If you aren’t my size (around 6 feet tall), the edge your neck lays on under the hole in the center is likely too high and would cause unneeded stress when you rested. Additionally, turning your head at night can be a bit strange as you only see the sides of the pillow and your nose will likely press into the sides of the indentation.

Overall, this pillow is only for people with very specific needs.