To cushion your joints, align your spine, and give you something to hug. The Strategist’s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here. Save this article to read it later. Find this story in your account’s ‘Saved for Later’ section. The Strategist’s carefully chosen and rigorously vetted flagship shopping guides. Learn about our methodology here, and find all our Best in Class guides here. If the goal of a bed pillow is to provide both comfort and support for your head and neck, then a body pillow should do the same for the rest of your body. In particular, side sleepers (and those who are trying to become side sleepers) can benefit from a body pillow, which will help keep your spine in alignment and cushion joints while also giving you something to hug. The same is true for pregnant people, people with joint or back pain, or those recovering from surgery or injuries.

And, of course, body pillows can be enjoyed by anyone who simply wants to feel cozy and snuggled up. To write this guide to the best body pillows, I looked for pillows made from a variety of materials, and in different sizes and shapes, to cater to different sleep positions and firmness preferences. Because body pillows are large and require a lot of fill, they can get expensive quickly, so I also paid close attention to price and asked sleep and physical-health experts, as well as fellow Strategist staffers, Derila Pillow for their recommendations. I also tested many body pillows myself, judging each one on its firmness and feel, how well it supports my body, and how Comfortable Sleep Pillow it is to sleep with overall. And finally, I’ve noted whether each body pillow comes in multiple colors or how easy it is to add a nice-looking cover, as most body pillows trend a bit ugly by default.