Best pillow for front sleepers 2023: Comfort and support for those who snooze on their stomachs

According to the American medical journal Nature of Science and Sleep, around 7% of people sleep predominantly on their fronts, while the average person may spend up to 10% of their night’s sleep on their stomach. Though various sources suggest that front sleeping can cause discomfort, buying a suitable pillow may be your best bet for increased comfort and a restful night’s sleep.

Indeed, with your health and wellbeing potentially in the balance, it’s imperative that you pick the right pillow for your needs. If you have any queries regarding size, firmness, material or type, check out our handy buying guide below, which should cover all the questions you have regarding sleeping on your front. Below that, you’ll find our full round-up of mini-reviews, where we outline the strengths and features of our favourite pillows for front sleepers.

Best pillow for front sleepers: At a glance

• Best down pillow for front sleepers: Soak & Sleep Hungarian Goose Down Pillow
  
• Best memory foam pillow for front sleepers: Dormeo Octasmart Pillow
  
• Best adjustable pillow for front sleepers: Simba Hybrid Pillow

How to choose the best pillow for you

Is it bad for your neck and back to sleep on your front?

Sleeping on your front can potentially cause neck pain, since your neck may be turned to an uncomfortable angle, and back pain, if your hips and knees sink into your mattress, dragging your spine out of alignment.

However, Sleep Foundation’s position guide generally suggests sleeping in whatever position feels most natural and comfortable for you, while adjusting your bedding to suit. To mitigate potential stress to your neck and back while sleeping on your front, they suggest investing in a firm mattress, to avoid the sinkage mentioned above. Pillow-wise, you’ll generally want a thinner pillow, so that your neck won’t be pushed up and out at an awkward angle, but we’ll cover that in more detail below.

What factors should I consider when buying a pillow for front sleeping?

There are a number of factors to do with your pillow that may affect your comfort level when sleeping on your front. These include:

Loft: This is the term for the height of your pillow when your head is resting on it. Pillows can come in high, medium or low loft varieties. As mentioned above, to keep your neck from being pushed up and out of alignment when front sleeping, a low loft pillow is best.

Firmness: This is another important factor when choosing a pillow for front sleeping. A pillow that’s too firm will be more likely to push your neck into a craning position, and will put more strain on your neck if you move about in the night. A soft, compressible pillow will keep your neck in neutral alignment with the rest of your body, and also create a sink or divot in the centre which should keep your head in place. Firmness will largely depend on the material that your pillow is filled with.

Fill: There are a number of different types of pillow fillings available, including feather, down, synthetic and memory-foam. For front sleepers, a feather/down pillow is probably the best option, as these pillows tend to be the softest and most moldable, though some front sleepers prefer memory foam pillows for their reliable shape and strong ability to keep one’s head cradled and in place.

Adjustability: An interesting feature that some modern pillows have is adjustability. An adjustable pillow, which allows you to remove certain layers from your pillow in order to control its loft and other factors, is especially handy for people who sleep in a range of positions and need a pillow that can adjust to their unique needs.

Breathability: Sleeping face down can, for obvious reasons, lead to overheating quicker than side or back sleeping. If you find yourself waking in the night with your face feeling flush, a cooling pillow, made of gel memory foam, bamboo or another breathable material designed to circulate air and reduce overheating, might be a good solution.

READ NEXT: Our pick of the best pillows for side sleepers

What type of pillowcase should I use?

Two factors that front-sleepers need to take into account when purchasing a pillowcase are breathability and sensitivity to skin. Natural cotton is the simplest and most breathable material for your pillowcase, and will do the best job of keeping you cool at night.

For skincare fanatics, or those prone to acne, special care will need to be taken to keep your skin clear and healthy if you tend to sleep facedown. A popular pillowcase material recommended by experts for cleanliness and gentleness on skin, is silk – for more info be sure to check out our full best silk pillowcase round-up.

How often should I replace my pillow?

Sleeping on a pillow that has lost its original shape and firmness can lead to neck and back discomfort, the very things we’re trying to help you avoid. To steer clear of unnecessary pain, you should try to keep in mind how often your given pillow will need to be replaced. If you’re unsure, you can try checking the manufacturer’s website or any leaflets that came with your purchase, but as a general rule of thumb, Sleep Foundation recommends replacing your pillow every one to two years.

How we test pillows

The best way to test a pillow is to sleep on it. And here at Expert Reviews, that’s exactly what we do. Although, in the process, we also consider some key factors. These include:

• Value for money
• Firmness
• Temperature
• Loft (Height)

For example, the height of a pillow is important when thinking about how supportive it is: those that sleep on their side may want a pillow that’s firmer and loftier than those who just sleep on their back or front. How hot a pillow will feel during the night will vary in relation to the interior composition. Some pillows, all-foam ones in particular, retain heat more so than others, making them less suitable for those prone to overheating.

We also consider other key attributes including trial periods, removable covers and special characteristics – such as adjustable and ergonomic designs – all of which play a part in our recommendations.

READ NEXT: Our favourite down, microfibre and memory foam pillows

The best pillows for front sleepers to buy in 2023

1. Soak and Sleep 90% Hungarian Goose Down Pillow: The best down pillow for front sleepers

Price: From £85 | Buy now from Soak & Sleep

Soak & Sleep’s Hungarian goose down pillow is well put together, costs a bit less than most down pillows, and comes in a solid range of sizes and firmnesses. The pillow is made from a central supportive core of feathers, with a lofty but light outer layer of down making up the bulk of the pillow. The pillow also comes encased in a 280-thread count, highly breathable cotton casing, which should help with overheating and general comfort. Soak and Sleep’s pillows tend to be supportive yet not too firm, which would make the soft/medium version ideal for your front-sleeping needs

For those of you seeking a softer pillow without any solid, supportive core, Soak & Sleep also offer duck and Canadian goose down pillows at even lower firmness levels.

Key details – Filling: Goose down and feathers; Cover: 100% cotton cover (machine washable); Sizes: Standard, superking, square

Buy now from Soak & Sleep

2. Simba Hybrid Pillow: Best adjustable pillow for front sleepers

Price: £102 | Buy now from Simba

The Simba Hybrid is a comfortable, adjustable pillow made with Simba’s customary flair for multi-layered design, which anyone who has perused their mattresses will be familiar with. On one side you’ll find “astronaut inspired” Stratos material – specially treated cotton, designed to regulate temperature – encasing a breathable microfibre layer, making this the best side to sleep on if you’re prone to getting too warm at night.

On the other side of the pillow, there’s a premium cotton casing surrounding a soft, anti-allergy microfibre layer, ideal for front sleepers who need more give to get comfortable. However, it’s what at the pillow’s core that makes it special. At the centre of the Simba Hybrid is a layer of memory foam “nanocubes,” which can be added or removed to adjust the pillow’s height and firmness, making it a doddle to get the right loft and fill-level for comfortable front sleeping.

Key details – Filling: Down, memory foam and microfibre; Cover: Cotton and Outlast; Sizes: Standard size only

Buy now from Simba

3. Dormeo Octasmart Pillow: Best memory foam pillow for front sleepers:

Price: £49 | Buy now from Dormeo

The Dormeo Octasmart is a uniquely designed pillow, comprising a breathable cover, outer layers of down-like Wellsleep fibres and a core of 24 memory foam “springs.” These springs perform a number of functions. For one, they support your head and neck, with their clever design allowing them to adapt to whatever position you sleep in.

Alongside the light, downy Wellsleep fibres and the smart cover, they also provide breathability, allowing air to circulate through pockets of space in the pillow to cool you down and avoid the overheating usually associated with memory foam pillows.

While the pillow’s adaptive design, breathability and forgiving level of firmness make it ideal for front sleeping, if loft is the most important factor for your comfort then the lower profile Dormeo Octaspring Compact Pillow may be even more suitable for you.

Key details – Filling: Wellsleep fibres and memory foam; Cover: Polyester; Sizes: Standard size only

Buy now from Dormeo