This cervical pillow has six contour zones that adapt to and support your head and neck. (Amazon)
In a perfect world, drifting off and staying asleep for hours would be a simple nightly ritual. But anyone with neck pain knows it’s not that easy. Proper alignment is tricky when you’re out cold — and waking at 3 a.m. with an aching neck is a sure way to miss out on those full eight hours. That's why special headrests like the No. 1 bestselling Cozyplayer Cooling Cervical Pillow exist. It was designed to support your noggin while keeping your neck's natural curve intact — and the fact that it's currently on sale at Amazon makes it anything but a snoozefest.
While this isn't the absolute lowest the pillow has hit, you can't put a price on getting a good night's sleep. That said, we'll take the $20 discount! Similar pillows can set you back $60 or more, plus this one has thousands of fans to back it up.
What sets the Cozyplayer Cooling Cervical Pillow apart from your standard sleep cushion? For starters, its contoured design features a concave space to place your head, and it's ever so slightly tilted — 15 degrees — to keep your neck in position and aligned with your spine. This helps alleviate pressure, which in turn can combat pain and stiffness.
According to Mather Hospital's David J. BenEliyahu, DC, "If you suffer with neck pain, especially after you wake up in the morning, you should consider using a special cervical or neck pillow. Sleeping with a cervical pillow can improve your neck posture, thus supporting tight muscles in your neck and shoulders. It also reduces the mechanical stress on the neck joints by keeping your neck in proper alignment."
What should you look for in a pillow? Dr. BenEliyahu says, "The pillow must be flexible and be able to accommodate your head and support your neck. Looking from the side, your neck should be in alignment with your spine and parallel to the mattress. If you sleep on your back, you want your pillow to have enough give to let your head sink down and then support the neck."
With that in mind, you can adjust the height of the Cozyplayer pillow by using or removing the memory foam insert at its base. Because its core is made up of 98% memory foam, it strikes just the right balance between comfortable and supportive — and if you sleep hot? You'll appreciate its Q-Max 0.4 Arc-Chill cooling pillowcase, which makes the pillow more breathable.
More than 4,000 snoozers felt this pillow was worthy of a five-star rating.
"I am 69 years old and suffer from both cervical and lumbar osteoarthritis," shared one shopper. "To complicate life a bit more, I have never been able to sleep on my back or even in just one position. Most mornings, I would wake sore and stiff. Since receiving [this] pillow, my old pillow has been re-tasked with elevating my knees, and sleeping on my back is no longer an issue; in fact, the only things that disturb my sleep are my cats and my dog."
"I've been using this pillow for over six months now, and my neck and shoulder pain is gone," wrote another. "I used to wake up with a stiff neck and [a] burning feeling that extended from my neck to my shoulder in the trapezius muscle. I’m quite happy with this pillow. Not only has it relieved my neck pain, it's very comfortable in most sleeping positions. I tend to move around a lot at night."
"Best pillow for neck support ever!" exclaimed a third. "I have spent so much money trying to find a pillow to help me sleep better. I suffer from arthritis and RA. I have constant neck and shoulder pain. Sleeping was horrible. This pillow has been a life changer. And help keeps my neck secure."
"I have noticed an improvement in my neck pain since using this pillow. I’m also a hot sleeper and it’s definitely helped with that too," began one reviewer. "If I had a negative, it would be that your neck has to be in the center; if you are somewhat off-center, there is some discomfort."
"I've been using this for a couple of nights, and I definitely can say that I haven't experienced any neck pain and my sweating seems to have lessened," wrote a final fan. "My only complaint is that the pillow feels too low and flat for me. I actually place it on top of another pillow for more height, but I know that the manufacturer offers an extra foam insert, so I may reach out to them." (This is correct, you can contact the brand if it feels too low.)
And for the rest of your body...
If you have Amazon Prime, you’ll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
The reviews quoted above reflect the most recent versions at the time of publication.
