Find out whether it's the 'most comfortable pillow you’ll ever own'

1. My Pillow Store Lincoln Ne

If you’ve been up late channel surfing—maybe because you’re having trouble sleeping—chances are you’ve come across the infomercial for My Pillow. The ad for My Pillow is running “constantly somewhere in the U.S.” every day across multiple networks, and 10 times per day on the Fox network alone, according to My Pillow inventor and manufacturer Mike Lindell.

The company makes some bold claims for what it calls the “most comfortable pillow you’ll ever own,” including an “exact custom fit.” Explains Lindell, “You can adjust the My Pillow to make it fit you. The foam pieces interlock and hold that position without going flat, so you get support where you need it.” That results in “deeper, longer REM sleep,” according to the pillow’s packaging. (Check our comparison of sleeping pills for insomnia.)

• My Pillow is the Best pillow! I bought My Pillow a few months ago because I had a bad case of the flu and I needed anything to help me sleep better. Right away, this was the very best pillow I have ever laid my head on.
• When it comes to sleeping, there’s no one pillow that’s suitable for everyone. Side sleepers do better with a firm pillow, stomach sleepers are best suited for soft pillows, and back sleepers should try a medium-fill pillow to support the natural curvature of their upper spine.

The Pillow Store sells a variety of great gifts from beautiful souvenirs and t-shirts to accessories and jewelry. Whether you shop online year-round or in person during the festival season, you'll find everything you need to complete your Pillow experience at The Pillow Store.

Update: Nov. 3, 2016—Read about the My Pillow settlement in a consumer lawsuit over health claims.

More on Sleep

Consumer Reports bought three My Pillows to test. Although we weren’t able to test that REM sleep claim, we did examine them inside and out. My Pillow describes itself as having “3-piece interlocking fill,” but it actually has thousands of torn polyurethane foam pieces in three sizes. We were able to shift the foam pieces around to different positions, and they did seem to stay put under pressure. The case is 100 percent cotton, and it didn’t have any noticeable off smells like some new pillows can.

How does it feel? Our tester described My Pillow as “kind of lumpy, but comfortable.” We also polled staffers who bought My Pillow on their own. Most said they bought it to help alleviate a sleep problem such as insomnia, neck pain, or snoring. Half of the 18 staffers said it helped a lot, 17 percent said it helped a little, and 33 percent said it didn’t help at all. Only one-third of the group said they would buy My Pillow again. (Use these exercises to help stop snoring.)

The 60-day money-back guarantee means that you can return My Pillow; you’ll have to pay for shipping and handling on both the original purchase and the return. Exchanges are free, however, including shipping.

In the Market for a New Mattress?

Consumer Reports tests innerspring, memory foam, and adjustable air mattresses. These CR Best Buys combine performance and value.

Innerspring

• Sealy Posturepedic Hybrid Trust Cushion, $1,275
• Charles P. Rogers St. Regis Pillowtop, $1,100
• Denver Mattress Doctor's Choice, $500

Memory foam

• Novaform 14' Serafina Pearl Gel (Costco),$800
• Tuft & Needle Ten,$500

Adjustable air

• Sleep Number c2 Bed, $800

Mattress Buying Guide

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Finding the right pillow depends on your sleep position

The purpose of a pillow is pretty simple: Keep your head and neck aligned while you sleep. If only shopping for pillows were as straightforward. Store shelves and catalogs are stuffed with options: Down, memory foam, latex, polyester, buckwheat hulls. Adding to the confusion is the fact that terms used to describe pillows—such as soft, medium, and firm—differ from brand to brand. And price isn’t necessarily an indicator of performance.

So many consumers people look for a pillow that feels just right in the store. But a squeeze only tells you so much.

It takes about 10 to 15 minutes for your neck to relax onto the pillow, according to Susan Gordon, associate professor of physiotherapy at James Cook University in Australia.

“You will need a week sleeping on a pillow to work out if it really is the right pillow for you,” she says.

Others opt for trial and error: “The pillow that I have is too soft/hard/flat, so I’ll get a firmer/softer/fuller one next time.” Many give up and sleep with multiple pillows, though that can keep your head too high and throw off the natural curve of your neck.

Consumer Reports suggests a more methodical approach to choosing a pillow.

Match Your Pillow to Your Sleep Position

Start your search by matching the pillow to your dominant sleep position: side, back, stomach, or combination. That’s the position you settle into and is likely to be your favorite, according to Rebecca Robbins, Ph.D., a fellow at the New York University School of Medicine and co-author of “Sleep for Success!” (AuthorHouse, 2010). Many pillows are now labeled this way, but the terms vary from brand to brand. Use our advice to fine-tune your shopping. Finally, check pillow return policies, so you don’t get stuck with a closet full of rejects.

Almost 70 percent of us sleep on our sides, according to a survey from Consumer Reports. A firm or extra-firm pillow is the best pillow to maintain the proper alignment or curve of the neck and head at what a study in a 2015 issue of Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics found was the most comfortable height—10 centimeters, about 4 inches off the mattress. A traditional or contoured memory foam or latex pillow can support the head at the proper angle and might not flatten as quickly over time when compared with a polyester or down pillow.

Look for a pillow that supports or cradles the head without losing the natural curve of your neck. Start with medium-loft, medium-firm models filled with down alternative, memory foam, or latex foam. Loft is a pillow’s height as it lies flat on the bed.

Sleeping on your back is often associated with snoring or the more serious sleep apnea, in which a person stops breathing momentarily. Because gravity can cause the tongue to block the airway and create the disruptive buzzing, one solution is to prop up the sleeper using two to three firm pillows or a wedge pillow to elevate the top half of the body, according to Thomas Roth, Ph.D., founder of the Sleep Disorders Center at the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

If you roll over to sleep, your face is very close to the mattress. A thin or soft and scrunchable pillow filled with down or feathers, a down alternative, polyester, or thin foam can keep your neck’s natural curve. But a firm, high-loft pillow could leave you with a sore neck.

If you’re a multiposition sleeper, the best pillow for you might have softer and firmer sections, or one that’s lower in the center (for back sleeping) and higher on the sides (for side sleeping). Buckwheat hulls and pillows made of multiple materials fit this bill.

For more on what’s inside your pillow, read, “Which Pillow Fill Is Right for You?”

Tip: Is Your Pillow Toast?
Most pillows last about two years. You should replace yours if it doesn’t pop back when you fold it in half, or in thirds for king-size pillows.

How to Get a Good Night's Sleep

Not getting enough Zzzzs? 'Consumer 101' TV show host, Jack Rico, gets expert CR tips on how to fall asleep faster and wake up more rested.

Editor’s Note: A version of this article also appeared in the February 2016 issue of Consumer Reports magazine.

My Pillow Store Lincoln Ne