I’ve Tested Tons of Pillows This Year, and This Cooling One Is Hands-Down the Best

Before I knew better, I didn’t spend much time thinking about my bedding. Hours after I signed my first apartment’s lease, I ordered everything I needed — including my pillows — in a hurry instead of doing research. Thinking everything was tolerable enough, I called it a day and put up with my subpar purchases for far too long. At that stage in my life, outfitting my apartment was all about speed, convenience, and affordability. That’s fine in the short term, but not in the long run. After college, I finally started taking my purchases seriously. I learned what I was missing out on by not investing in bedding, which I used to think wasn’t all that important.

I couldn’t have been more wrong. Having seen the other side, bedding is the one thing I tell everyone not to skimp on. Instead of forcing yourself to endure a pillow that feels like a lumpy mess, you should opt for one that’s exactly suited to you. Your pillow just might be the most important piece of the bedding puzzle, and there’s so much that goes into finding the perfect one. I’ve tested my fair share during my own search, and I just found one that tops them all. Sijo’s FlexCool Memory Foam Pillow works for all sleeping positions, is customizable, and feels ice-cold no matter what. Here’s why I’m recommending it to everyone.

I’ve only ever heard good things about Sijo, which has made our Best List several times. Everything from its comforter to its sheets has earned rave reviews from my AT teammates, so I jumped at the chance to try out its newest pillow. The FlexCool is packed with finely shredded memory foam that contours to your shape, and you can remove or add to the fluff to achieve your preferred height. Because of that, this pillow can accommodate any kind of sleeper. Side sleepers should try to create a medium-firm feel with some loft for neck alignment; back sleepers should shoot for soft and low, likely keeping it in its original state; and stomach sleepers might add a little more fluff but still keep it relatively flat.

Once you’ve discovered your preferred fill and set it up on your bed, you’ll be impressed by the removable nylon cover, which has a 0.4 Q-Max rating (a.k.a the measure of how cool a fabric feels). In comparison, cotton has a Q-max of 0.11 and silk’s is 0.15, according to Rest. The higher the value, the more efficiently it’ll regulate your temperature, so Sijo’s material clears them by a mile. Instead of having to flip your pillow over for the cool side, it’ll feel that way all night long, no turning required.

I added this pillow to my bed at the tail end of summer and have continued to use it into fall. That means I slept on it during those odd few weeks when I left my AC switched off to save money. The occasional stuffy night is unavoidable, but this pillow did a tremendous job of keeping me cozy even then. The cover is silky-smooth, making it so that I never want to lift my cheek off of it in the morning.

At first, I left the fill alone for a few weeks, finding the semi-flat height ideal for stomach sleeping (the memory foam still had a lofty, cloud-like consistency). Typically, I fall asleep on my stomach but rotate in my sleep. Sometimes, as a result, I’ll wake up and have to readjust or fluff the pillow to get back to snoozing. I can count on one hand the number of times that’s happened with this pillow, and now that I’m used to it, it doesn’t happen at all. Not once have I ended up with a crick in my neck in the morning, either, even at the start.

About halfway through my trial run, I was forced to change my preferred sleeping position. I injured my leg and got surgery on it, which resulted in me strictly laying on my side or back. Luckily, I held onto the extra filling that came with the pillow and used about half to bolster it up. The extra support did wonders for easing the transition, and it took no time at all for me to adapt. When I want to go back to stomach sleeping, I can easily get it back to its original state. Sijo’s FlexCool is by far my most versatile and comfortable pillow, as well as the softest. Run to grab it while it’s on sale!

Buy: FlexCool Memory Foam Pillow, $72 (normally $80)