The 5 Best Body Pillows of 2023

After a fresh round of research and testing, we’ve updated this guide with five new body-pillow recommendations.

Anybody can enjoy a body pillow in bed. But they’re especially good for those who desire more support and comfort than a mattress and regular pillow alone provide.

In particular, if you snore, are a side-sleeper, are pregnant, need extra support for your joints, or fall asleep faster with something to hug, a body pillow can be a great bedding upgrade.

Because each body is different, we considered body pillows in a range of shapes, sizes, and firmness levels. After eight hours of research (including interviews with a sleep doctor and a spinal surgeon) and convening a panel of 10 testers (who cuddled up with nine body pillows), we have five to recommend.

I’m a staff writer on Wirecutter’s sleep team, where we research and test a range of products related to getting a better night’s sleep—from mattresses to sleep-tracking apps. To learn about using a body pillow for comfort and alignment, I spoke with physiatrist Akhil Chhatre, MD, director of spine rehabilitation (among other roles) at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. To gain more insight into the mitigation of sleep apnea, I spoke with Chelsie Rohrscheib, PhD, a neuroscientist and sleep specialist at Wesper, a doctor-supervised at-home sleep-tracking company. This guide builds on research conducted in 2017 by senior editor Courtney Schley, who interviewed Karen Litzy, a physical therapist and spokesperson for the American Physical Therapy Association, and Marianne Ryan, a prenatal and postpartum physical therapist. Finally, I spoke with Wirecutter staffers who currently own and love their body pillows (and were all too happy to tell me why).

Anyone can enjoy a better night’s rest by using a body pillow, but certain sleepers may particularly benefit from using one. The physical therapists we spoke with told us that side-sleepers may find it comfortable to hug a body pillow (this reduces pressure on the bottom shoulder and arm) or to tuck a body pillow between the knees (this brings the pelvis into a neutral position). If you’re a stomach-sleeper, a body pillow can help you feel like you’re snoozing on your stomach without having to lie flat (and potentially strain your neck muscles): You can lie on your side or at a three-quarter turn with the body pillow pressed along your front.

Some body pillows look like elongated bed pillows (typically 4 to 6 feet long); others are C-shaped, J-shaped, or U-shaped and designed to support certain areas of the body or the front and back at the same time. Rohrscheib said that a benefit to U-shaped pillows is that they can help keep you sleeping on your side, which may be important if you snore or suffer from sleep apnea. When you sleep on your back, Rohrscheib explained, tissues in the upper airway relax, causing snoring or obstructed breathing. If you’ve ever woken yourself up with your own snoring, a body pillow could help. (If you snore or suspect you may have sleep apnea, your first step should be to speak with a doctor.)

Many people turn to body pillows during pregnancy. The physical therapists we spoke with told us that a body pillow can support someone under the belly (to keep the weight of the uterus from pulling on the abdominal and back muscles); along the lower back (to help a pregnant sleeper stay comfortably on their side without rolling backward); and between the knees and ankles (to keep the top and bottom legs relatively aligned, and to help reduce swelling).

A body pillow can also provide comfort and support to people with injuries or pain in the back or joints. For these cases, Chhatre recommends using a firmer memory-foam body pillow that you can, ideally, place simultaneously between your knees and under your shoulder to relieve pressure. (For those with injuries or chronic pain, Chhatre recommends using a body pillow as part of a larger treatment plan, under the guidance of a doctor or physical therapist.)

And, of course, there are folks who want to use a body pillow because they sleep better when they have something to cuddle. A 2013 study showed that hugging a pillow-shaped device decreased the levels of cortisol (commonly referred to as the stress hormone) in study participants’ blood and saliva; a lowered cortisol level is an important factor in facilitating sleep. Many of our testers reported sleeping with several standard-size pillows to create the same effect. Body pillows are also useful if you like to sit propped up in bed. A tester told us that since trying a few body pillows, she feels like she’s been missing out on a higher echelon of comfort: “I never thought to use a body pillow before; now I can’t imagine not having one.”

Due to its luxurious, slow-sinking foam, this pillow molds to the body better than any others we tested. The Tempur-Pedic pillow offers support and intense pressure relief for joints and muscles. But it’s significantly heavier—and pricier—than most other pillows we tried.

Best for: People who want a highly conforming, supportive body pillow or who need intense pressure relief for their joints; for those who want a taste of the classic Tempur-Pedic memory-foam feel without having to buy a Tempur-Pedic mattress.

How it feels: Like slowly sinking into a dense vat of quicksand—in a good way!

Why it’s great: The Tempur-Pedic Body Pillow is made from the same proprietary memory foam used in the brand’s mattresses; this memory foam is known for its ability to mold closely to the body while retaining support. The Tempur-Pedic pillow’s deep cradling lets it support and mold to the body more fully than any other pillow we tested, relieving pressure on the shoulders, hips, and knees.

Instead of the shredded memory foam most of our other picks use, the Tempur-Pedic pillow is made from a solid slab of memory foam, which gives it a smoother, more solid, more supportive feel. We had some hesitations at first because we thought the Tempur material might be a little too firm, even for sleepers who prefer firmer pillows. But most of our testers commented on how seamlessly the pillow conformed to their bodies once they nestled into it. As one tester described it: “[The Tempur-Pedic body pillow] felt very firm and heavy at first, but then I melted into it, and it almost felt like I was floating on the pillow.”

At 14 inches wide, the Tempur-Pedic Body Pillow was the second-widest one we tested, after the 18-inch-wide Sleep Number Cool ComfortFit. The Tempur-Pedic model had more than enough surface area, so testers were able to wrap their arms and legs around the pillow while lying on their stomachs or sides, with minimal to no slouching. One tester—a side-sleeper who typically slumbers with her head resting on her hands—noted that she found the Tempur-Pedic pillow particularly comfortable to rest her chin on. A few testers even joked that this pillow was so supportive and sturdy that it made their sleep partners obsolete. Tempur-Pedic offers a five-year warranty for its body pillow, the longest warranty of any pillow we tested; unfortunately, though, you can’t return it.

Although this body pillow isn’t nearly as expensive as a Tempur-Pedic mattress, it’s one of the priciest pillows we tested. Tempur-Pedic doesn’t offer returns for its pillows. So before you commit, we recommend that you try out the pillow in a Tempur-Pedic store, if possible, to make sure you’re a fan. (If you’re unsure, consider our other picks first, since all of them can be returned.)

Given this pillow’s price, we wish the company included a pillowcase on the house. In fact, Tempur-Pedic doesn’t sell them at all, so if you want to encase your pillow, you’ll need to find a pillowcase that can fit a 14-by-48-inch pillow.

While most of our testers liked the dense, slow-sinking memory-foam feel, the Tempur-Pedic Body Pillow isn’t exactly the most cuddly of those we tested. If you want a softer, squishier pillow that still offers some support, you might be happier with the Sleep Number Cool ComfortFit or the Wayfair Sleep Medium Comfort Cooling Gel Memory Foam Body Pillow. Like all memory-foam pillows, the Tempur-Pedic pillow is more likely to retain heat. Our testers didn’t find that the Tempur-Pedic model felt hotter than the others we tested (in fact, several noted that the Tempur-Pedic pillow’s cover material felt cool). But if you tend to sleep hot, you may want to avoid memory-foam body pillows altogether.

Finally, at 10 pounds, the Tempur-Pedic Body Pillow was the heaviest pillow we tested—by far. Put it this way: If it falls off the bed in the middle of the night, you might just leave it there.

Dimensions: 48 by 14 inches

Materials: Tempur material filling; 100% polyester cover

Returns and warranty: There are no returns; there is a five-year limited warranty.

Filled with malleable shredded memory foam and fluffy down alternative, this body pillow offers a good balance of plushness and support.

Best for: Sleepers who prefer a balance of softness and support; those who don’t want the density and intense sink of an all-memory-foam pillow.

How it feels: Supple and a bit fluffy, with an underlying firmness that makes it delightful to hug.

Why it’s great: The Sleep Number Cool ComfortFit Body Pillow is stuffed with a mixture of medium-firm shredded memory foam and down alternative (polyfill). We found that this combination creates a pillow with a more-balanced, blended, and plusher feel than the all-memory-foam options we tested. While testing, we found that the Sleep Number’s memory foam conformed to the body, offering good support and pressure relief for the joints. But the down alternative tempered some of the more intense, sinky memory-foam qualities. Accordingly, the Sleep Number body pillow had a softer, squishier, and more pliable huggability. “It had a fluffy feeling that made me want to hug it for eternity,” one tester commented. We also noticed that this pillow felt less lumpy in comparison with other shredded memory-foam pillows we tested; the down alternative likely makes it feel smoother. (For the past several years, we’ve recommended a similar memory-foam-and-polyfill Sleep Number pillow in our guide to the best bed pillows.)

The Sleep Number Cool ComfortFit Body Pillow comes with a removable, washable outer cover, which the company describes as “cooling.” And our testers did report that the slinky material had a cooling effect. Sleep Number offers a 100-night trial period (the most generous among the pillows we recommend) and a one-year warranty (we prefer at least a two-year warranty).

The Sleep Number Cool ComfortFit Body Pillow’s removable cover is made from a quilted polyester material, and about half of our testers disliked its synthetic, slippery, sateen feel (the other half didn’t mind it).

Dimensions: 54 by 18 inches

Materials: 75% foam, 25% polyester fill; 100% polyester cover

Returns and warranty: You can return or exchange this pillow up to 100 nights after purchase; there is a one-year warranty.

This moldable memory-foam pillow offers good support for less than half the cost of our other picks. But it feels lumpier and has a less-enticing cover.

Best for: People who want a decently supportive memory-foam pillow for less than half the price of most of our other memory-foam picks.

How it feels: Like a cool, medium-firm marshmallow.

Why it’s great: The Wayfair Sleep Medium Comfort Cooling Gel Memory Foam Body Pillow is a good choice for those who want something with a moderately dense memory-foam feel. And it’s less than half the price of the Sleep Number body pillow and a quarter of the price of the Tempur-Pedic model. The Wayfair pillow offers decent support when placed between the knees and is somewhat curve-conforming, but it lacks the deep cradling that the Tempur-Pedic pillow offers.

The Wayfair body pillow is filled with shredded memory foam, as opposed to a single memory-foam layer. So it’s not as smooth as other picks (like the Tempur-Pedic pillow). One of the three people who tested this pillow described it as being lumpy. However, the shredded filling makes it more malleable than the solid-memory-foam Tempur-Pedic pillow. The Wayfair pillow is also lighter than the Tempur-Pedic pillow. And, at 14 inches wide, it’s not as wide as the 18-inch-wide Sleep Number pillow, but it’s still comfortably huggable. One of our testers liked that this pillow was easy to maneuver, which makes it especially suited to smaller people. The shredded-memory-foam material includes a cooling gel; we haven’t tested this model’s cooling properties, but in general memory-foam pillows are more likely to retain heat. The Wayfair pillow’s polyester cover doesn’t feel particularly luxe, but it is removable and machine-washable. You have 30 days to return the pillow.

Because the Wayfair body pillow is less dense, we found it was more likely to go flat if you lie on it for an extended period of time. This can be remedied by fluffing it the same way you would fluff a regular bed pillow (on its site, Wayfair recommends grabbing both sides of the pillow and squeezing it like an accordion). The company doesn’t sell pillowcases for the body pillow (and the zippered polyester cover that’s included isn’t particularly attractive or nice feeling); you’ll have to find one that can accommodate a 52-inch pillow. Wayfair doesn’t offer a warranty.

Size: 50 by 14 inches

Materials: gel memory-foam fill; polyester cover

Returns and warranty: Wayfair offers a 30-day return policy; there is no warranty.

This extra-long, super-fluffy pillow has a silky, all-cotton cover and comes with a range of attractive pillow-case options. But it’s less supportive than our other picks.

Best for: People over 6 feet tall (or those who want a long, pliable pillow); sleepers who prefer a very soft pillow with minimal support; those seeking a stylish-looking pillow that coordinates with their bedding.

How it feels: Silky and squishy.

Why it’s great: With its cylindrical shape, fluffy stuffing, and smooth, silky cover, the Original Sleeping Bean Body Pillow was one of the few pillows we tested that looked and felt like it belonged on a well-dressed bed. The Original Sleeping Bean is shaped like a long bolster, structured with strong, well-stitched seams and a zipper that operates smoothly. The all-cotton cover felt similar to a good-quality percale sheet. You can choose white or natural (a sandy-beige color), as well as organic cotton (the Original Sleeping Bean also comes in a flannel version, which we didn’t test). You can opt for a pillow filled with polyester polyfill (down alternative) or kapok (a natural tree-seed fiber that resembles silky, brown stuffed-animal fluff). We tested the Sleeping Bean in natural, filled with kapok, and we found that the fiber gave the pillow a notably soft, squeezable consistency. One tester commented that it felt “fun to squish.” With its all-cotton cover and natural fill, we think the Original Sleeping Bean will likely feel cooler during the night than pillows made with memory foam and synthetic materials.

The Original Sleeping Bean Body Pillow was one of the few non-wraparound body pillows we tested that was long enough for those over 6 feet tall. The adult-size Bean is 5 feet 6 inches long; our 6-foot-tall tester found it was long enough to fit between their knees and ankles while still reaching up to their shoulder, mitigating the need for slouching or sacrificing shoulder support. The Original Sleeping Bean also comes in a teen size, which is 4 feet 6 inches long. At 10 inches wide, the Sleeping Bean was thinner than most of the pillows we tested, which means it was easier to bend and manipulate to support different areas of the body. (One tester likened it to a “luxurious pool noodle.”)

Of the body pillows we tested, the Original Sleeping Bean Body Pillow looked and felt the most like a piece of high-quality bedding. This may be appealing if you’ve avoided body pillows due to their typical bulky or oversize aesthetic. The adult-size pillow would fit comfortably across a queen-size bed with just a bit hanging off the side (queen-size frames are usually 62 to 65 inches wide). Compared with bulkier body pillows, the Original Sleeping Bean’s narrower diameter and bolster shape make it easier to style in front of or behind your bed pillows. The company also offers cotton pillowcases in eight colors, so you’re likely to find something that will coordinate with your bedding.

If you’re looking for a body pillow that provides substantial support, the Original Sleeping Bean may not be the best option. The Original Sleeping Bean’s narrow width and the soft, silky kapok fiber make the pillow cushy and pliable. But if you need firmer support for your joints or back (for those who like to sleep with a body pillow behind them), a wider memory-foam pillow would be a better fit.

Washing the Original Sleeping Bean Body Pillow is an involved process, since you have to remove the loose filling to launder the cover and then restuff it. Since the kapok filling is light and fluffy, it can get all over the place. We suggest transferring the filling to a clean bag or, as the company suggests, removing the kapok outdoors. The Original Sleeping Bean doesn’t have a warranty, and you have only 14 days to return it.

Dimensions: 65 by 10 inches (adult), 54 by 9 inches (teen)

Materials: hypoallergenic pillow stuffed with polyester polyfill; Veggie and Organic Veggie pillows stuffed with kapok (a natural tree-seed fiber); all come with 100% cotton covers

Returns and warranty: Unused pillows can be returned up to 14 days after purchase; there is no warranty.

This U-shaped body pillow surrounds the sleeper, supporting the back and the front. The shredded memory-foam fill makes the pillow moldable and pliable, but it tends to flatten without regular fluffing.

Best for: Side-sleepers (particularly those who need extra support to remain on their sides, or who like to switch positions during the night); those who want both front and back support.

How it feels: Like a moderately firm teddy bear covered in velour.

Why it’s great: If you’re looking for a U-shaped or wraparound pillow that offers support on three sides, the Milliard U-Shaped Total Body Support Pillow is a solid, affordable choice. It’s filled with shredded memory foam, so it conforms to your body as you sink into it, but the pressure relief is not as intense as you get with the Tempur-Pedic Body Pillow. The Milliard pillow is also less dense than some of the other U-shaped options we tried, including the Yana body pillows. This made the Milliard less supportive but more maneuverable, pliable, and versatile. For example, we found it was easy to prop the pillow behind us for back support while sitting up in bed, and we also found it was easy to bend the pillow and place it between the knees or ankles.

One of our testers appreciated that the Milliard body pillow gave decent support to both his back and his stomach, allowing him to get comfortable while being “half on his back” (at a 45-degree angle from the mattress). My roommate tested the Milliard pillow while recovering from a back injury, and she reported that the simultaneous back and stomach support prevented her from making any sudden movements that might have caused further pain.

The Milliard body pillow’s removable, washable polyester velour cover feels soft (though if you don’t like the velvety feel, or you sleep hot, you may prefer a pillow with a smoother or more breathable cover). Milliard doesn’t officially offer a warranty. But a representative told us that the company stands behind its products for one year. So if you have a problem with your pillow, you should contact its customer service. When you purchase the pillow from Amazon, you have 30 days to return it.

A few testers noted that the Milliard pillow was less supportive and more deflatable than the other U-shaped pillows we tested, such as the Yana 360 Cooling Gel Body Pillow. When I slept with the Milliard pillow overnight, I found that when there was pressure in one area for too long, the shredded memory foam separated, leaving a flat spot. For example, when I fell asleep hugging the pillow, the area between my arms was a dead zone when I woke up. This was remedied when I shook out the pillow to redistribute the foam in the morning.

Like all memory-foam pillows, the Milliard body pillow is more likely to retain heat during the night, and the polyester cover is less breathable than those made of cotton. The soft velour material also makes the pillow feel warmer than pillows with smoother covers, like the Original Bean Body Pillow and the Wayfair Sleep Medium Comfort Cooling Gel Memory Foam Body Pillow. If you sleep hot at night, this pillow might not be suitable. And like all U-shaped body pillows, the Milliard pillow is huge—it will take up most of a queen-size bed. If you don’t have that much space to allocate to a body pillow, you’ll be happier with one of our other options.

Size: 54 by 26 inches

Materials: memory-foam fill; polyester cover

Return Policy: Amazon offers a 30-day return policy; there is no warranty.

If you want a U-shaped pillow with a firmer feel: The Yana 360 Cooling Gel Body Pillow may be worth considering. Our testers liked its plusher, firmer feel, and they noted that it offered better support than the Milliard pillow. (One tester commented that compared with the Milliard pillow, the Yana pillow offers “a little more give, and my body settles into it a little deeper, which ups the cozy factor.”) The Yana pillow’s velour outer cover—made from a blend of bamboo, cotton, and polyester—felt very soft, reminiscent of crushed velvet. This pillow is filled with shredded memory foam, which features a cooling gel. But with a price of $200 (at the time of publication), this is one of the most expensive pillows we tested. And several customer reviews complained of poor customer service or difficulty returning the pillow. (We also had trouble reaching the company’s customer service via email.)

After speaking with experts—and from our previous experience testing standard bed pillows—we determined that a good body pillow should be:

Supportive and comfortable: A supportive body pillow will strike the right balance of softness and resistance. Pillows that are too soft and thin will collapse under your body weight; pillows that are too thick or springy won’t let you comfortably sink in. “It should give gentle support and mold to the arm and leg,” physical therapist Marianne Ryan explained. It’s also important that the fill of the pillow is moldable, so you can shift, shape, and compress the heft to make some areas thicker and others thinner, and adjust it to your liking.

There’s no one-feel-fits-all body pillow; the right fill and texture for you will depend on the balance of support and softness you prefer. In our testing, solid memory-foam body pillows tended to be the most supportive, but they could also feel heavy and dense. Shredded-memory-foam pillows (or those that blend shredded memory foam and polyfill) offered a good balance of moldability and support, but they could feel lumpy. All polyfill or other fiber-based fillings were less supportive, but they also felt the softest.

The right shape and size: The appropriate size and shape of a pillow for you will depend on your height and where you need support. So we tested pillows in a range of lengths and shapes. Most pillows we tested were around 54 inches long. For sleepers of average height, a pillow of that size will support the arms and knees or the knees and ankles (but it won’t reach all three). If you need full-body support, consider an extra-long or a U-shaped body pillow, which surrounds you on three sides. But these larger pillows may feel overwhelming or take up too much of the bed.

Covered with a cool, comfortable case: A good body pillow should be something you’ll want to snuggle up against each night. We looked for pillows with outer cases made from cotton or rayon/polyester; our testing of sheets and bed pillows has shown these tend to feel cool and absorb moisture well. Even though you’ll probably want to use a separate pillowcase, the outer cover should still feel soft.

Washable: All of the pillows we chose to test were either machine-washable or came with covers that were removable and washable.

Returnable: Because you may not be able to tell whether a pillow suits you until you’ve slept with it, a generous return policy is an important bonus, especially for an expensive pillow. A pricey pillow should also last you a long time. We were especially interested in pillows that came with a guarantee or a warranty (of at least two years, according to our bed pillows guide). You will, however, need to pay more for this; most cheaper pillows we found didn’t offer that assurance.

We started with pillows made by companies we’d already considered and tested for our bed-pillows guide and other bedding and mattress guides, and we further combed retail sites for other promising body pillows. We eliminated pillows that had poor user reviews or were not easily washable. This led us to 16 body pillows to test.

We evaluated the cover, fill, shape, smell, and feel of each pillow. And we eliminated those with scratchy and cheap-feeling covers, poor-quality construction, lumpy textures, and strange smells, as well as those that felt noticeably over- or under-filled.

We tested the remaining nine pillows in our Long Island City, New York, office, with a panel of 10 Wirecutter staffers. Our testers ranged in height from 5-foot-1 to 6-foot-1. And the group included stomach-sleepers, side-sleepers, and back-sleepers; some of these testers reported experiencing various discomforts during sleep.

On a latex-foam innerspring mattress, each tester reclined on their side with one arm under the pillow and one between their knees, if they were able. They then filled out a survey ranking the support, comfort, and general feel of each pillow, and how easily it facilitated a restful position.

The Novaform Nüe Body Pillow, with a down-alternative fill, seemed to be cheaply made. When it arrived, its outer casing was snagged in multiple spots, and we quickly noticed material spilling out from tears in the seams.

The Snuggle-Pedic Long Body Pillow, filled with shredded memory foam, was a former top pick in this guide. But when we reevaluated it in 2022, we noticed how squishy and lumpy it felt, and how loose the cover was, compared with other shredded-memory-foam pillows we tried.

We also eliminated the Casper Hug Body Pillow mostly because, at 38 inches long, it was significantly shorter than the other pillows we tested. So it wouldn’t accommodate a range of sleepers.

The inexpensive Oubonun Quilted Body Pillow, stuffed with a down alternative, felt thin and flat, and the polyester outer layer felt particularly unbreathable.

Although we liked the shape and outer softness of the Yana 360 Body Pillow, which is filled with shredded latex, it felt heavy and lumpy. More significantly, it retained a strong latex smell (like a rubber glove), even after we aired it out for two weeks.

The latest version of this article was edited by Courtney Schley and Ingrid Skjong. This article was originally published in 2017.

Karen Litzy, PhD, physical therapist, phone interview, October 17, 2017

Chelsie Rohrscheib, PhD, neuroscientist and sleep specialist, phone interview, September 20, 2022

Huggable communication medium decreases cortisol levels, National Library of Medicine, October 23, 2013

Akhil Chhatre, MD, director of spine rehabilitation (among other roles), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, email interview, February 2, 2023

Ayanna Redwood-Crawford

Ayanna Redwood-Crawford is a writer based in Brooklyn, New York, covering sleep topics. Previously she worked with Sad Girls Club as a managing editor and was a copywriter and editor predominantly for female-led businesses. When she isn’t writing and sleeping (for research), you can usually find her baking (a lot!).

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