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Up to 70% of the population sleeps on their side, so it’s no surprise that most of us are familiar with – and commiserate with those struggling with – the cycle of toss-fluff-flip-repeat during the night. The right pillow is crucial for a good night’s sleep, and you deserve one that keeps you cool, keeps your head and neck aligned with your spine, and is *pillowy* soft to put you to sleep faster. Lucky for you, we dedicated quite a bit of time researching the best pillows for side sleepers in Canada to give you several excellent choices.
Best pillows for side sleepers for Canadians
- Best Overall – GhostPillow Faux Down Pillow
- Best Value – Endy Pillow
- Best Shredded – GhostPillow Shredded Pillow
- Best for Support – Casper Original Pillow
- Best Soft – Douglas Pillow
1. GhostPillow Faux Down pillow
The GhostPillow Faux Down pillow is a super comfortable, eco-conscious down-alternative pillow that is as soft and supportive as a side sleeper needs. This down-alternative pillow has a microfiber gel fill that offers the perfect consistency while being cool all night long. It is 7 inches thick and provides the perfect amount of squishy softness with reliable support that will keep your head and neck supported and aligned while you sleep. The small gel cluster filling is supportive and cradles your head and neck. This pillow will never clump, and it is allergen and dust-mite-free for skin health.
This pillow has two covers, one on the inside and one on the outside. The outer cover is a plush, breathable, machine-washable Ghost Ice fabric so that you can easily keep your pillow clean and fresh. This fabric is also cool all the time, so you won’t have to constantly flip your pillow over for the cool side when it’s hot. The inner cover is 100% natural cotton. This pillow comes with a 5-year warranty and a 101-night sleep trial to give you plenty of confidence that this is a high-quality pillow. –
Why are we impressed?
- Cruelty-free down alternative
- 5-year warranty and 101-night sleep trial
- Gel clusters don’t clump or go flat
- Machine-washable cover
- Cool to the touch all night long
2. Endy Pillow
The Endy Pillow is a great pillow for side sleepers since it has a customizable height and firmness that can be tailored to suit your preferences for how your neck and head are cradled and supported. It is entirely hypoallergenic for those with sensitivities or who want a super healthy sleeping surface, and it is made of a down alternative that is just as soft as the real thing. The shredded memory foam interior will never bunch or go flat, so you’ll have an even, comfortable surface to rest your head no matter how much you use it.
The cover is 100% cotton with a crushed microfiber filling for a plush, soothing texture that lulls you to sleep faster. This pillow is available in the standard and king size and is height adjustable since you can easily remove and add the memory foam filling as you see fit, ensuring a perfect comfort match no matter your needs. A 3-year warranty backs the Endy pillow, and you’ll have 60 nights to test it out before committing fully.
Why are we impressed?
- 3-year warranty
- 60-day trial
- Height adjustable
- Available in standard and king size
- 100% organic cotton cover is machine washable
3. GhostPillow shredded pillow
The GhostPillow shredded pillow has a shredded memory foam and microfiber filling that makes this pillow height adjustable and extremely comfortable. If the default filing is too thick for your comfort on your side, you can easily remove some to adjust the height for adequate support. The blend of gel memory foam, visco foam and microfiber clusters ensures that this pillow stays cool, comfortable, and fluffy for years to come; it will never go flat or sag in highly used areas.
The cover on the GhostPillow shredded pillow set is a Ghost Ice premium fabric that will keep your pillow cool and reduce the need to flip during the night – this allows for a deeper sleep since your head remains cool. It is designed to be comfortable and cool enough that you won’t need any extra pillowcases. You can even wash this pillow; Backed by a 101-night trial and 5-year warranty, so that you can test it out for yourself.
Why are we impressed?
- 2-pack set
- Luxuriously comfortable microfiber and memory foam filling
- Available in standard and king sizes
- Machine-washable cover
- 101-night sleep trial and 5-year warranty
4. Casper Original Pillow
The Casper Original pillow is an adjustable, customizable pillow that is great for side sleepers. It is available in two loft heights, making it easy to find the best size for your body. The mid loft gusset size is 2” tall, while the low loft pillow is only 1.25”. These two sizes make it easy for people of different shoulder broadness to pick the right pillow. This pillow is filled with a polyester microfiber fill that is a down-alternative but equally soft and cozy. It comes with its own machine-washable cover as well, and it is 100% cotton for skin health as well as breathability and softness. The cover is designed with a Percale weave that is soft and breathable to remain cool all night long.
The Casper Original pillow is also available in two sizes, king or standard, to match your bed size and preferences. This pillow is designed with a pillow-in-pillow style (supportive inner pillow wrapped inside a soft outer pillow) that is more responsive to your movements and will never clump or go weird in the middle. Rather than clumps or layers, this pillow is filled with billions of tiny fibres for a totally consistent sensory experience. All it takes is one quick fluff to set it right after use as well. It has a 1-year warranty and comes with a 30-night trial to ensure it suits your needs and provides the proper support for your neck and spinal alignment.
Why are we impressed?
- Available in two heights for personalization
- Available in standard and king sizes
- Clump resistant for consistency over years of use
- Machine-washable cover for hassle-free maintenance
- 30-night trial and 1-year warranty
5. Douglas Pillow
The Douglas pillow is a great pick for side sleepers based on its comforting memory foam filling and great support for the head, neck, and spine alignment. The filling is a popcorn-cut memory foam style that promotes healthy airflow through the pillow from all sides by creating air channels for circulation and heat dispersion. This inner filling is a medium-firm texture for support, but it is encased in a cover filled with a tailored extra-soft-down alternative to maintain top comfort ratings. This cotton cover is removable and machine washable as well.
The Douglas pillow is most commonly available in a standard size of 28” by 18” by 6.5”, which is terrific for most beds. The high-density memory foam filling ensures that your pillow will never develop sags or lumps with extended use. This pillow is also one of the better options for eco-conscious shoppers since the filling is recycled from the mattress manufacturing process to cut down on waste. This pillow comes with a 3-year warranty but does not have a trial period – not that we think you’ll need it anyway.
Why are we impressed?
- 3-year warranty
- Breathable and very soft memory foam filling
- Machine-washable cover for simple maintenance
- Eco-conscious manufacturing process to cut down on waste
- Very supportive for neck and spine alignment on your side
How to choose a pillow for side sleepers in Canada
While sleeping on your back is known to be the most common sleeping position, side sleeping also carries benefits for your health and sleep quality. It can be especially helpful for people suffering from partners who snore since sleeping on your side can reduce snoring. Here are some tips when looking for a pillow for side sleeping in Canada.
Height
The height of the pillow you need when sleeping on your side is not entirely a personal choice. Most side sleepers prefer a medium or high loft on their pillow since this height comfortable fills in the gap between your shoulder and your ear, so you have supportive enough cushioning without sinking too low and creating an angle. However, not everyone is happy with a specific loft height and needs a more customizable option, so this is where an adjustable pillow comes in handy. The right height will keep your head straight and level with your spine, rather than tilting it up or down to any degree.
Firmness
This is a trickier feature to determine when browsing pillows online, but you can usually tell a firm pillow from a soft pillow based on the materials used. For side sleeping, you’ll want a balance of firm and soft since you need to be comfortable and aligned. A pillow that is too soft will sink too much under the weight of your head and cause neck pain and stiffness from misalignment. If the pillow is too firm, you won’t have enough cushioning, and your neck and shoulders may become uncomfortable as well. Medium-firm pillows are usually a happy balance since they contour but support at the same time. Many pillows also have a firmer middle with a softer outer shell to achieve the best of both worlds.
Consistency of shape
One of the most annoying experiences we face during the night is waking up having to fluff and flip our pillows to get them back in the right shape. Depending on the fill material and style used in your pillow, you’ll either experience this a lot, or you’ll never worry about it again. Pillows that use layered or single foam layers are more prone to holding their shape while loose fillings move around more. Depending on the type of fill, it does have the potential to be corrected with a quick shake, and they don’t compress as easily as solid layers since your head is always on a new portion of the material.
Budget
Your budget is one of the most important considerations when pillow shopping. Though you may think that a cheap pillow is enough, the higher-end options provide much more support, comfort, and longevity that you can take right to the bank. Usually, the size of the pillow and the materials used in the pillow are the defining features of price fluctuations between pillows. Since these higher-end pillows often come with their own covers and last much longer than the more basic options, you’ll save money in the long run, even if you choose to splurge on a “fancier” pillow.
Materials
We all deserve a pillow that helps us sleep better, and quality materials are key. Various materials may be used for the filling of your pillow, including polyfoam, memory foam, Buckwheat, down, latex, and feathers. The best materials are ones that feel supportive without being too firm, so memory foam, latex, and Buckwheat hulls are usually the best options. However, you also want a breathable, cool, durable material, so sometimes a combination of two or more materials works best.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, the right pillow for you will have a few things in common: it should be comfy, supportive, and gently cradle the head by filling in the gap between your shoulder and head without an angle at the neck. We hope that you’ve found one or more great options in our list and wish you the best of luck side sleeping on one of the best pillows for side sleepers in Canada we could find.
