Pillow Height Calculator

1. Choose your main sleep position. Pick the one you wake up in most often, or “mix” if you change a lot.
2. Measure your neck-to-shoulder distance. Stand straight and measure from the side of your neck to the outer edge of your shoulder. If you cannot measure, pick your shoulder size instead.
3. Pick your mattress feel, and add your weight if you like. A softer mattress, or a heavier body, means your shoulder sinks further, so you need less pillow.

Pillow loft is the height of a pillow. The right loft keeps your head and neck in neutral cervical alignment, so the neck stays in line with the rest of the spine instead of bending up, down or sideways for hours.

Height changes the load on your neck. In a laboratory study of back sleepers, raising the pillow from 11 cm to 17 cm increased the average pressure under the head by about 30% and bent the neck further back, increasing the cervical angle by 66%. The authors note there are still no universal, evidence-based guidelines for choosing a pillow, so a measured starting point you test at home is the practical approach. For back sleepers the main aim is to prevent excessive neck extension; for side sleepers it is to fill the gap between head and mattress.

The correct pillow height for sleeping depends mostly on your position:

For side sleepers, the pillow has to fill the space between your head and the mattress, which is roughly your neck-to-shoulder distance, minus how far your shoulder sinks in.

1. Side sleepers: measured or estimated gap minus shoulder sink.
2. Back sleepers: about 4 inches on a medium mattress, half an inch lower on soft and higher on firm.
3. Stomach sleepers: about 1.5 inches, from no pillow up to 2 inches.
4. Mixed sleepers: both the side and the back figure.
5. Results are rounded to the nearest half inch, with a range of half an inch either side.

Leah and Marcus both sleep on their side, yet their pillows differ by 3 inches, which is why one standard pillow rarely suits everyone. Marcus is heavy, but on a firm mattress his shoulder barely sinks, so his weight changes nothing. Because fill pillows compress under the head, judge height lying down, not by the label.

A softer mattress lets your shoulder sink further, so you need a lower pillow. In a study comparing mattresses under the same pillow, a soft mattress shifted head position by about 30 mm compared with a medium one and increased peak disc loading by 49%; the authors suggest a softer or thinner pillow on a soft mattress.

Body Weight

Heavier bodies sink further into soft and medium mattresses, which reduces the height needed a little more.

Shoulder Width

Broader shoulders leave a bigger gap between head and mattress when you lie on your side.

Pillow Fill

Fills compress differently, so two pillows with the same label height can feel very different.

Changing mattress? Match the two with the mattress calculator.

In a field trial of 106 people testing their own pillow and five others, feather pillow users gave consistently low ratings for comfort and sleep quality. An adjustable pillow, such as the one in our Coop adjustable pillow review, makes it easy to test your range.

The one that keeps your neck level in your usual position, found by testing in small steps. In a study of 84 people with neck pain and stiff shoulders who had their pillow height carefully adjusted, half had a clinically meaningful drop in neck pain over three months. The study had no comparison group, so it shows promise rather than proof.

Give each height a few nights, and see a doctor if pain persists or comes with numbness, tingling or weakness. If you snore, do not simply raise your pillow: loud snoring with breathing pauses can be sleep apnea. Check the signs with the sleep apnea risk calculator.

• People who wake with a stiff neck or shoulder ache and suspect their pillow.
• Anyone buying a new pillow or mattress, since a mattress change changes the height you need.
• Side sleepers with broad shoulders, who often use a pillow that is too low.

Pillow choice matters more than many people think: in the field trial, over half of participants reported regular waking symptoms, an uncomfortable pillow or poor-quality sleep on their usual pillow.

Judging By The Label

Loft is usually measured uncompressed. What matters is the height under your head when you lie down.

Using One Pillow For Every Position

A height that suits side sleeping is usually too high on your back.

Stacking Pillows

Two soft pillows shift during the night; one pillow of the right height is more stable.

Ignoring The Mattress

A new, softer mattress can make your old pillow too high.

The calculator gives a measured starting point, not a prescription.

Side sleepers usually need about 4 to 6 inches, back sleepers about 3.5 to 4.5 inches, and stomach sleepers 2 inches or less. Shoulder width and mattress change the exact figure.

Stand straight and measure from the side of your neck, where it meets the shoulder, to the outer edge of your shoulder bone. A partner makes it easier.

Body height matters less than shoulder width and sleep position. Measure your neck-to-shoulder distance: for example, 5.5 inches on a medium mattress gives a side-sleeping start of 5 inches.

If your head tips up toward the ceiling on your back, or toward the upper shoulder on your side, it is too high. Your neck should stay level with your spine.

If your head drops toward the mattress when you lie on your side, or your shoulder takes all your weight, it is too low.

Usually medium-firm to firm, so the pillow keeps its height under the weight of the head through the night.

A very thin pillow or none is usually best, because stomach sleeping already turns the neck to one side.

The same rule applies: the supported height should keep your neck level in your position. Contoured pillows list two heights; use the one closest to your result.

It can contribute. Studies link poor pillow comfort and poor sleep with waking neck stiffness, and adjusting height has helped some people with neck pain.

Follow your surgeon or physiotherapist. Recovery often needs specific positions and supports that a general calculator cannot set.

When it no longer springs back or no longer gives you the height you need. Test the height lying down rather than going by age alone.

• Ren et al. Effect of pillow height on the biomechanics of the head-neck complex (PeerJ, 2016) (11 to 17 cm pillows; pressure +30%, cervical angle +66%; no universal guidelines)
• Gordon and Grimmer-Somers. Your pillow may not guarantee a good night’s sleep or symptom-free waking (Physiotherapy Canada, 2011) (106 people; waking symptoms; feather pillows rated low)
• The influence of mattress stiffness on spinal curvature and intervertebral disc stress (Biology, 2022) (soft mattress: head distance +30.5 mm, disc loading +49%; thinner pillow advised)
• Changes in neck pain and somatic symptoms before and after the adjustment of the pillow height (J Phys Ther Sci, 2023) (84 people; 50% meaningful neck pain reduction; no control group)