better homes and gardens bed pillows

The best pillows for a luxurious night's sleep

The best pillows – from the traditional to the new-fangled

Given that we've finally cottoned on to the importance of a good night's sleep for our health and wellbeing, it is staggering how many of us will put up with a pillow that is uncomfortable, whether it is too flat or too tall or too soft or too hard. This isn't frivolous stuff, either. Research has proven that sleep has a stronger association with a person's wellbeing than almost anything else in their lives.

As well as a decent duvet and a comfortable mattress topper, investing in the right pillow will pay dividends. A rise in sleep technology and myriad new bedding and mattress companies means there's never been a better time to take stock of what you sleep on. A flattened pillow from too much usage could put strain on your neck and shoulders, so experts recommend they be replaced every two years.

Dust mites and other allergens can also accumulate in pillows and, if you neglect to wash and replace your pillows regularly, the number of creepy crawlies doesn't bear thinking about. A word of warning: one study from the University of Manchester found that the average pillow that has been used for more than 18 months contains at least a million fungal spores.

We've worked our way through a constant rotation of new pillows to find the best of the bunch, sampling traditional favourites and hi-tech new products in a quest for the perfect night's sleep.

The first thing we learned is that material is an important factor in the pillow you choose. Broadly speaking, there are four types that you need to know about:

Cotton:The basic, bog-standard pillow. Cotton pillows are cheap and readily available – but they're prone to absorbing heat, and over time they flatten out to nothingness. Fine for the spare room that is very rarely slept in; not good enough to be considered in my search for the best pillows out there.
Feather:A more luxurious pillow that tends to be squashy and comfortable. Usually the feathers will be either duck or goose. If you can, buy a down pillow, which uses feathers from the softer, fluffier layer underneath a bird's outer feathers; these tend to be even softer and more luxurious. Feather pillows are light and ultra comfortable but they do tend to clump up requiring a daily plumping, and they're obviously not vegan, if that matters to you. In addition, some people are allergic to feathers.
Memory foam:Memory foam pillows and mattresses were once all the rage but they're on their way out now. Memory foam is designed to mould to the shape of your head, providing solid support all night long. They're also hypo-allergenic and don't require washing. The trouble is that they're very firm, heavy, and absorb heat during the night, making for an uncomfortable combination. My advice is to only pick memory foam if you really want a firm, supportive pillow.
Microfibre:The new kid on the block, microfibre aims to combine the best of all the other kinds of pillow. They're soft and fluffy like feather, don't clump, don't trap perspiration or moisture, and aim to keep cool through the night. However, microfibre is also the most expensive pillow lining, so you generally tend to find these pillows are bulked out with memory foam or feathers too.

Without further ado, here's our pick of the best pillows...

(Product reviews by Abigail Buchanan)

1. Simba Hybrid pillow

£99, Simba

Why we like it:The ultimate fusion of tech and tradition

Firmness: soft-medium

The fundamental beauty of the Simba Hybrid is simple: it's height adjustable. Whether you're big or small, sleep on your side or your front, you can tweak its dimensions to perfectly fit your needs. All you have to do is unzip the casing and take out some of the hundreds of "open-cell" foam "nanocubes" that make up the core of the pillow. (These are surrounded by a plush-feeling microfibre layer, so you don't feel like you're sleeping on a stack of sugar cubes).

I knew I liked this pillow the first night I slept on it. I knew I loved this pillow when I felt disappointed every night I had to rotate it out to test the other pillows on this list.

If – like me – you had always assumed that the plushest pillows had a natural down filling, the Simba Hybrid will prove you wrong. It feels as soft as the finest goose down but with the support of memory foam (although the Simba is clear that this isn't a memory foam pillow per se). It never needs plumping, and I found it much better at keeping me cool than the natural-fill pillows I tried. Given that the filling is synthetic, it is also suitable for people with allergies or sensitive skin.

Its excellent temperature regulation is thanks to Simba's Stratos technology, which is printed on one side of the pillow. It was inspired by Outlast, a material originally designed for space exploration (NASA uses it in space suits) to help regulate temperature by absorbing, storing and releasing heat. Along with the mesh strip around the edge of the pillow to promote airflow, Stratos helps keep you cool and comfortable throughout the night. Having tested this pillow in a heatwave, I can confirm it works a treat.

"We've got more and more research showing how temperature is really crucial to sleep disturbances and the ability to stay in sleep," says sleep psychologist Hope Bastine. "We also see a correlation between nightmares and high body temperature. So keeping the body temperature quite low is important for staying in deep sleep as well as being comfortable."

The only downside is the cost – the Simba Hybrid is a significant outlay. However, I feel confident in saying that it is worth every penny.

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2. The White Company luxury Hungarian goose down pillow

£75, The White Company

Why we like it: The last word in luxury

Firmness: soft-medium

These are the pillows you would find in my fantasy five-star hotel. Let's start with the outer layer – made from 329-thread-count woven cotton jacquard, it is smooth and luxe-looking. The inside is a lightweight mixture of down and feather with a three-chamber construction: the outer filling is made from 90 per cent Hungarian goose down and 10 per cent fine Hungarian goose feather, and the inner core is filled with 85 per cent duck feather and 15 per cent duck down.

Those proportions have been formulated to offer a little more support than a pure down pillow while maintaining the marshmallow-like softness down is famed for. You can feel the difference – the result is a sumptuously soft pillow that doesn't leave me with a sore neck or require too much plumping.

Another issue I encountered with testing other down pillows is a strong, musty smell that lingers long after first use. That didn't apply to this one. I also noted that there is no sign of the feathers or down poking out through the tightly-woven cover.

The White Company founder Chrissie Rucker says this pillow is her all-time favourite. That could just be marketing spiel, of course – but this really does feel like quite a special pillow. I opted for 'medium' firmness, but you can choose between soft and medium as suits.

Though it's by no means the cheapest pillow you can buy, I would be confident in saying the quality makes it good value for money.

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3. Panda London memory foam bamboo pillow

£35.96, Panda London

Why we like it: A memory foam pillow as it should be

Firmness: medium

I liked sleeping on this pillow far more than I thought I would based on first appearances alone, as it is flat and – to be frank – a bit odd looking. It is 60cm in length, so slightly shorter than the standard 70cm, which means it looks a little sad and small in my pillowcase. However, I rapidly changed my tune when I lay down on it. It is supremely supportive and comfortable once you lie down, and the hypoallergenic bamboo pillow cover is very soft to the touch.

A balance between good support and comfort is another element that Bastine outlines in explaining what makes a good pillow: "Sometimes you fall asleep on your side and wake up on your back. A good pillow should move to the way you're lying.

"Comfort and supporting your spine and the natural curvature of your spine and taking weight off the pressure points in your body is really crucial to creating a sense of weightlessness. The less pain that you're in, the less discomfort that you're in, the more likely you are to be able to stay still, and staying still is crucial for good sleep quality."

The Panda pillow is lighter and softer-feeling than other memory foam models, which I like as it feels more like a pillow and less like a medical headrest. You still get individualised support from the memory foam that makes up the pillow's core, which moulds to the shape of your head and neck. Another criticism usually levelled at memory foam is that it retains too much heat, but this pillow felt supremely breathable – perhaps because of the bamboo cover.

If you have sensitive skin, this could be the pillow for you, as it is OEKO-TEX certified free from irritants and chemicals, and the soft, smooth bamboo cover is naturally antimicrobial.

Panda London is justifiably proud of its sustainability efforts: it uses organic bamboo from sustainable sources that is free from pesticides; and as well as using recycled and recyclable packaging, it offers a recycling programme and will collect your old Panda pillows free of charge. It also offer a 30-night trial and 10-year warranty as standard.

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4. Scooms Hungarian goose down pillow

£75, Scooms

Why we like it: A perfectly plush down pillow with an anti-allergy finish

Firmness: medium

Sumptuously soft as they are, down-filled pillows can present a problem for allergy sufferers. Scoom created this pillow with that in mind. It is made from a core of Hungarian goose feather sandwiched between chambers of goose down, but it is finished with a special sateen cotton cover that's tightly woven and down and dust mite-proof to make it hypoallergenic. It is certified by the Nomite anti-allergen standard; you won't get any pesky feathers poking out of this one.

It feels perfectly plush and deliciously soft while still supportive on my neck and shoulders, thanks to the feather content in its core. The inner core is made from 15 per cent down and 85 per cent feather, and it's sandwiched between outer chambers of 90 per cent down and 10 per cent feather.

Unlike other down and feather pillows, which tend to flatten out after a few nights' sleep, this one required zero plumping.

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5. Beaumont & Brown Savoy duck down pillow

£69, Beaumont Brown

Why we like it: The very best duck down pillow

Firmness: soft-medium

This boutique bedding business began by selling to luxury hotels before opening sales directly to consumers. While the most premium pillows traditionally use goose down, I was a huge fan of this squashy and supportive duck down pillow.

It has a 'down surround' design, meaning that the feathers (70 per cent of the inner) are held in a central chamber surrounded by down. This sounds simple but, in practice, makes a big difference – the feather core provides excellent head, neck and shoulder support but you still get the soft, luxurious feeling of a down pillow.

I found it very difficult to decide which of the down pillows I preferred, as there really is a hair's breadth between this one and the White Company or Scooms down pillows. However, there is a marginal difference in softness between duck and goose down, with the latter winning out.

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6. Kally Sleep cooling pillow

£39.99, Kally Sleep

Why we like it: Premium tech for great value

Firmness: medium-firm

This pillow deserves a place on my list of the 'best' on the basis of value for money alone. While it is by no means the cheapest out there, it includes many of the premium features found in more expensive pillows (mesh air vents and a specially engineered cooling foam construction, for instance) for less.

The hollow fibre and foam inner is excellent at regulating temperature. Having slept on this pillow over the course of several scorching summer nights, I found that I wasn't tossing and turning in search of the cool side.

However, this isn't a pillow that should be saved for summer, as I found it comfortable enough to want to use all year round. With medium firmness, a squishy finish and what I would describe as the perfect height (10cm), it would be suitable for all but the fussiest of back, front and side sleepers.

The filling is sealed into the pillow. On one hand, this means the cover has to be hand washed instead of thrown in the washing machine, but on the upside, there are no zips sticking out as with some of the other pillows I tested.

While I was undoubtedly a big fan of this pillow, it must be said that the material doesn't feel as luxurious as other models. The cover is polyester microfibre, for instance, and in general I definitely prefer cotton. But it is still a worthy contender.

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7. Loaf Perfect Kip pillow

£80 for two, Loaf

Why we like it: An excellent all-rounder

Firmness: medium

This brand prides itself on only selling three rigorously researched pillows, of which the Perfect Kip is the most affordable. But that doesn't mean it should be banished to the spare bedroom. On testing I found it to be the perfect squishy pillow – a little flatter than the other options on this list, but satisfyingly soft nonetheless.

It's filled with goose down and feathers, but has a higher feather-to-down ratio than some of the more expensive pillows (85 per cent feathers and 15 per cent down). Based on this I would definitely classify it as a 'feather' pillow. It has a comfy cotton cover and, despite the high feather content, I didn't experience any uncomfortable rustling and the feathers didn't stick out.

It ranks here on the list not because there's anything specifically disappointing about it, but because there's nothing outstandingly special about it, either – I would say it's an excellent all-rounder at a decent price.

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8. DUSK duck feather and down pillow

£35 for 2, DUSK

Why we like it: A reliably comfortable pillow at a great price

Firmness: soft-medium

As it's made from 90 per cent duck feather and 10 per cent down, this is definitely a feather (rather than down) pillow. However, it's still well worth considering. It offers excellent value for money, has a crisp 100 per cent cotton casing and a soft, if slightly flat, filling.

I opted for one each of the soft and medium pillows, and would say that the former is very soft indeed – perhaps best suited to front sleepers. The medium filling was soft enough to give me that luxurious sinking feeling, but firm enough to offer some springy support. I also didn't notice any feathers poking through the cover, which is another plus.

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The long list

There were some pillows I tested and I didn't like as much for reasons that simply come down to personal preference. I believe some of them are still great pillows, even though they weren't for me, so they are deserving of a place on this long list...

9. Brook + Wilde Everdene cooling pillow

£98, Brooke + Wilde

A boon for hot-headed sleepers, this pillow is filled with Thermofill Plus hollow fibre filling, which is encased in a quilted, breathable Egyptian cotton cover. So far, so good – the temperature regulation really is something special, but I found the pillow slightly too high, plump and firm for my liking. It was going to have to be very special to justify the high price. But if temperature regulation is your top priority, it may be worth the investment.

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10. Emma Cloud Pillow

£109, Emma

Firmness: soft

I can't deny that sleeping on this pillow is like sleeping on a cloud. However, when I say that, I mean quite literally sleeping on a cloud: a mass of vapour into which my head immediately sank. I imagine this pillow would be very comfortable for front sleepers, but lying on my back or side I found it far too soft – although this does largely come down to personal preference.

It has plenty of redeeming features: it's adjustable, with two layers you can add or remove from the inner casing; it's admittedly very fluffy, with breathable AeroSoft microfibre filling; the cover is high-quality and it comes with a 200-night trial. But it's not the pillow for me.

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11. TEMPUR Comfort pillow

£105, Tempur

Firmness: firm

Memory foam was all the rage a few years ago, but I've never been convinced. The best word I can find to sum up this pillow is "sturdy" – but I can completely see why some people would love it, especially those looking for extra support for back or neck pain.

The TEMPUR brand is, of course, very reputable – it was the first to bring memory foam to the mainstream. This Comfort model is designed to look more like a conventional pillow than TEMPUR's other ones, which is a plus – it fits in a conventional pillowcase and doesn't look as clinical as some of the others. It's dense and heavy – the material almost feels like a weighted blanket. Although it's described as among the softest of TEMPUR's pillows, constructed from "Extra-Soft (ES) micro-cushions", beware that I found it to be pretty firm and rather unyielding.

If you're looking for a high level of pressure-relieving support, TEMPUR is probably the brand to go for. But, again, it just wasn't for me.

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FAQ

Do I need to wash my pillows?

As well as bed sheets, you should also be washing your pillows – but there are different washing rules depending on the filling and material.

While it's generally recommended that you wash your pillowcases at least every week or two, along with your sheets, you can get away with leaving your actual pillow for longer. You should aim to wash it at least every six months, if not more often (because of the dead skin cells and bodily fluids that may soak through the pillowcase).

How do I wash my pillows?

The general rule is that as long as it's not memory foam, you can shove it in the washing machine with the rest of your bed linens. Thiscanvary for feather and down pillows, some of which are professional clean only, so do make sure to check the washing instructions when you get a new set.

For memory foam pillows, you should have to clean them less often anyway, as the material is naturally resistant to allergens and bacteria growth. But if you do spill something on one, just draw a bath, add some detergent and submerge the pillow, squeezing the water through it. Air dry or use a fan to speed up the process. Never use a heater to dry memory foam as it's a serious fire hazard.

What pillows do they use in five-star hotels?

Obviously it's hard to say without knowing the specific hotel but you generally tend to find the best hotels plump for duck or goose down as it's incredibly soft and luxurious.

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