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While sleeping on your back is preferred for sleep hygiene, in my experience it’s a shortcut to a restless night of sleep — so side-sleeping it is. While that position is worth it to me to avoid a meeting with my sleep paralysis demon, the tradeoff unfortunately is chronic shoulder pain and unbalanced hips. By putting pressure on one side of the body, side sleeping tends to send the spine out of alignment, which can lead to a musculoskeletal chain reaction of aches and general creakiness.
But a body pillow can counteract this by supporting the back and hips, redistributing some of that pressure. Hugging the right pillow is a gamechanger whether you’re a side sleeper like me; you're pregnant; or just somewhere on that endless quest to get a solid eight hours. I’ve quickly learned that the menu of pillows to choose from is vast, featuring a spectrum of different shapes, cooling fabrics, and next-generation memory foam. Still, some options stand out more than others—especially if your needs are specific.
Below, we’re rounding up some of our favorite body pillows for pregnancy, back pain and more.
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Best overall body pillow
This pillow has racked up accolades for its cooling fabric, hypoallergenic materials and overall huggability. Clocking in at 12 pounds, it’ll stay put all night long and doesn’t lose its shape over time. And at the moderate price point, that CV is pretty hard to beat.
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Best body pillow for pregnancy
Moms-to-be know that a “comfortable night of sleep” can be quite the oxymoron during pregnancy. But Buffy’s Wiggle was designed with those restless nights in mind. The unique shape wraps around your body to keep your belly and hips supported, or can be tied into a knot for a firmer feel. And true to Buffy’s commitment to earth-friendly materials, this pillow is made from recycled plastic bottles (55, to be precise) — not that you’d ever know it.
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Best body pillow for back pain
While it’s among the pricier pillows we’ll feature here, you’re paying for full body relief with this organic latex pillow from Coyuchi. Place it between your legs, since supporting your knees while you sleep can help realign your back and release tight hips. This pillow also features a machine-washable slip color, and is made from biodegradable materials.
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Best body pillow for side sleepers
Side sleepers, I’ll say it again: You will not realize just how misaligned your back was until you spend the night hugging a body pillow. Bearaby’s Cuddler was designed with us in mind, featuring a breathable foam filming and a long, pool noodle-esque shape that molds to your body.
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Best memory-foam body pillow
For side sleepers who prefer something a little firmer and more substantial, Coop’s cult-favorite body pillow is bound to tick those boxes. This pillow is designed to feel custom to your body: it’s actually a little wider and longer than your standard body pillow, so that the memory foam inside has more surface area to mold to your stomach, arms and legs where they naturally settle.
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Most decor-friendly body pillow
We get it — function reigns here, but aesthetics are still important. Sunday Citizen’s Body Pillow is available in eight colors, doubling as a fancy sham by day. (It also happens to be one of the softest pillows we’ve tried.)
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Best body pillow for kids
They’ll get to cuddle with their favorite animal, you’ll get the benefit of knowing that they’re sleeping comfortably. Everybody wins!
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Once you’ve upgraded your pillow situation, might we suggest some fancy pajamas?
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