I have an Emma Original Pillow that I’ve had for three years and the support is basically non-existent now, so I wake up in the night and end up with neck and shoulder pain.
I’ve tried a Panda Hybrid pillow and a Simba Hybrid firm pillow but neither were any good to me. The Panda was too low for sleeping on my back and the Simba didn’t have the support I needed. If I was purely a side sleeper it would be probably be okay, but of course I have to be awkward.
I generally prefer memory foam pillows, but it’s been so long since I’ve had a good night’s sleep, I’m willing to try anything.
I have no idea what any of these brands are, but I have a very small threshold where I get painless sleep. I wake up with a day long headache if I put on the pillowcase wrong.
Only my Japanese Memory foam cluster gel pillow does the trick for me. It works for any position for me, although I only sleep on my side due to back issues. It’s not really a brand pillow and not at all expensive. In my experience, brand pillows weren’t that much better than cheap ones.
What I’ve also noticed is that it’s not all about neck and head support, but also arm support. If you place a softer pillow next to your primary pillow, and let your hand rest on it, it helps balance your weight, taking some of the weight away from your neck.
Hugging a larger pillow also helps keep your shoulders balanced. Finally, a thin pillow between your legs brings the final balance to keep your entire spine in a natural position when lying on your side.
You’d be surprised to how much your lower back affects your neck, and vice versa.
You can keep the leg pillow and hugging pillow with you as you shift to lying on your back as long as they aren’t too big.