A good night’s sleep can often be elusive if you have trouble with your pillow, or mattress or tend to snore. The worst part is that losing those much-needed zzz’s can make a world of difference in setting the tone for the rest of your day – particularly as far as your mood, energy and productivity are concerned. Snoring affects the sleep quality of not only the snorer but also the person they share a bed with, interrupting what could otherwise be a peaceful, re-energizing snooze.
While almost all of us snore every now and then, regular snoring occurs in around 40% of adult women and more than 50% of adult men. That rather irritating yet all too familiar noise you hear is the result of vibrations in a narrowed or partially blocked airway while someone is breathing during sleep, and while chronic snoring may be caused by a more serious underlying condition such as sleep apnea, habitual snoring can often be relieved by something as simple as just having the right pillow.
How Do Anti-Snore Pillows Work?
To help combat the issue, anti-snoring pillows are a convenient and affordable option, specifically designed to adjust your sleeping position and improve your breathing while asleep. This can function in a number of ways:
- Promoting a more upright sleeping position – a pillow that slightly elevates the head, neck or upper body (while not being so firm/thick as to push the head too far forward) can help reduce airway compression and the effects of gravity on the airways, allowing you to continue sleeping on your back
- Supporting side sleeping – many ergonomically designed pillows encourage you to sleep on your side, sometimes referred to as ‘positional therapy’, which is often recommended as the best sleep position for snoring in reducing the compression of your airways.
- Accommodating CPAP machines – used to treat sleep apnea, CPAP machines can be rather uncomfortable to wear when trying to fall asleep, and specially-made pillows are able to reduce the pressure on the mask compared to regular pillows.
The Best Pillows For Snoring
Best Overall Anti-Snore Pillow
- Price (USD): $109
- Fill: Memory foam, Kapok fiber
- Firmness: Medium soft (adjustable)
When it comes to finding a comfortable sleeping position that reduces snoring, much of the decision-making process can be put down to the loft of your pillow. The Layla Kapok Pillow puts its owner firmly (or indeed softly) in control, allowing you to adjust the pillow’s loft to your preferred level by simply unzipping the cover and either removing or adding its fill.
A mix of plush memory foam and silky natural Kapok fibres sourced from the tree of the same name, the pillow has a luxurious look and feel to it, with its copper-infused yarn cover keeping the surface cool and reducing odours while being thick, durable and easy to clean.
The Layla Kapok Pillow is suitable for back and side sleepers alike and is rated highly by sleepers of almost all position preferences and body weights.
Best Anti-Snoring Pillow For Back Sleepers
Xtreme Comforts 7” Memory Foam Wedge Pillow
- Price (USD): $40
- Fill: Memory foam
- Firmness: Medium soft
The Xtreme Comforts 7” Memory Foam Wedge Pillow regularly shows up among the top-rated pillows for snoring, and for good reason. Comfortable, practical and offering great value for its price, the pillow is 7” high at its thickest point and features a 2” breathable memory foam top that conforms to your head and neck shape without ever going flat.
The pillow’s wedge design provides ample support to the shoulders and back, ensuring your neck maintains a natural position throughout the night, while its soft-quilted, cooling bamboo cover is easily removable and washable.
Best Anti-Snoring Pillow For Side Sleepers
Eli & Elm Cotton Side-Sleeper Pillow
- Price (USD): $120
- Fill: Polyester fibre, latex
- Firmness: Medium (adjustable)
Designed specifically with side sleepers in mind, the Eli & Elm Cotton Side-Sleeper Pillow’s unique U-shape promotes proper spinal alignment while reducing neck strain.
Within its handy interior liner is a fill made up of polyester fibre and latex noodles, making for a plush, moldable surface. Like the Layla Kapok Pillow, its loft and firmness are also customisable via the cover’s zipper, though should the unmodified pillow not be firm enough for your liking, Eli & Elm can provide additional fill for a fee.
The pillow’s organic cotton cover minimises heat build-up and is straightforward to remove and maintain.
Best CPAP Anti-Snore Pillow
Contour CPAPMax CPAP Pillow 2.0
- Price (USD): $60
- Fill: Memory foam, microfiber
- Firmness: Medium (adjustable)
The ergonomic, reversible design of the Contour CPAPMax CPAP Pillow 2.0 is the ideal option for sleepers who wear a CPAP mask, giving them the choice of a contouring, pressure-relieving memory foam on one side and a microfiber fill more akin to a regular pillow on the other.
The CPAPMax 2.0 allows you to comfortably sleep on your back or side without affecting the position of your mask, while its removable internal layers – complete with odour-neutralising charcoal – enable you to adjust the pillow’s loft.
