The best pillows for a luxurious night’s sleep

Given that we’ve finally cottoned on to the importance of a good night’s sleep for our health and wellbeing, it is staggering how many of us will put up with a pillow that is uncomfortable, whether it is too flat or too tall or too soft or too hard. This isn’t frivolous stuff, either. Research has proven that sleep has a stronger association with a person’s wellbeing than almost anything else in their lives.

As well as a decent duvet and a comfortable mattress topper, investing in the right pillow will pay dividends. A rise in sleep technology and myriad new bedding and mattress companies means there’s never been a better time to take stock of what you sleep on. A flattened pillow from too much usage could<span style="color:#333333;font-family:" font-size:18px;"=""> lives.  put strain on your neck and shoulders, so experts recommend they be replaced every two years.

Dust mites and other allergens can also accumulate in pillows and, if you neglect to wash and replace your pillows regularly, the number of creepy crawlies doesn’t bear thinking about. A word of warning: one study from the University of Manchester found that the average pillow that has been used for more than 18 months contains at least a million fungal spores.

We’ve worked our way through a constant rotation of new pillows to find the best of the bunch, sampling traditional favourites and hi-tech new products in a quest for the perfect night’s sleep.

The first thing we learned is that material is an important factor in the pillow you choose. Broadly speaking, there are four types that you need to know about:

Cotton: The basic, bog-standard pillow. Cotton pillows are cheap and readily available – but they’re prone to absorbing heat, and over time they flatten out to nothingness. Fine for the spare room that is very rarely slept in; not good enough to be considered in my search for the best pillows out there.

Feather: A more luxurious pillow that tends to be squashy and comfortable. Usually the feathers will be either duck or goose. If you can, buy a down pillow, which uses feathers from the softer, fluffier layer underneath a bird’s outer feathers; these tend to be even softer and more luxurious. Feather pillows are light and ultra comfortable but they do tend to clump up requiring a daily plumping, and they’re obviously not vegan, if that matters to you. In addition, some people are allergic to feathers.

Memory foam: Memory foam pillows and mattresses were once all the rage but they’re on their way out now. Memory foam is designed to mould to the shape of your head, providing solid support all night long. They’re also hypo-allergenic and don’t require washing. The trouble is that they’re very firm, heavy, and absorb heat during the night, making for an uncomfortable combination. My advice is to only pick memory foam if you really want a firm, supportive pillow.

Microfibre: The new kid on the block, microfibre aims to combine the best of all the other kinds of pillow. They’re soft and fluffy like feather, don’t clump, don’t trap perspiration or moisture, and aim to keep cool through the night. However, microfibre is also the most expensive pillow lining, so you generally tend to find these pillows are bulked out with memory foam or feathers too.

Without further ado, here's our pick of the best pillows....