If your bed is looking a little worse for wear, our guide to this year's best mattresses can help you find the right replacement.
I'm not going to reveal just how long I'd had my old pillow for — some things are best kept to yourself — but let's just say by the time I got rid of it, any original fluffiness was a distant dream.
The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow is one of the best pillows you can buy online, a super-soft foam design that feels luxurious from the first night.
If you're looking to treat your sleep in the Black Friday mattress sales but you don't have the budget (or need) for a new bed, my advice? Make it a pillow.
What is the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow?
The Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow is unlike any pillow I've owned. For a start, it's more than twice the amount I'd ever spent on a cushion.
It's also made with Tempur Material, a type of memory foam known for its squishy, contoured pressure relief. Previously I'd stuck to firm pillows, often opting for feather and down designs.
But the moment I settled onto the Tempur-Cloud Pillow, I knew I'd struck gold. The foams moved around me to cushion every part of my head (I haven't once woken up with ear pain since switching to the Tempur-Cloud.)
And despite the softness, the Tempur-Cloud delivers a lot of support. The high density foams ensure my head and spine are held in alignment, so I don't wake up with a crick in my neck. (On my old pillow I assumed neck pain was as intrinsic to mornings as brushing your teeth.)
It does have some faults. As I noted in my Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Cloud Pillow review it sleeps hot — I wish I'd invested in the upgraded cooling version.
However, as soon as my head hits this pillow it moves to cushion me and stays comfortable all night, making my sleep a touch more luxurious.
What I was sleeping on before...
When I first purchased my feather and down pillow, it had been a luxurious treat. Many (many) years later, it was a lumpy nuisance that needed serious plumping every morning and, often, multiple times during the night.
But like a frog in hot water, I hadn't noticed the gradual worsening of my pillow until it had reached boiling point.
We recommend replacing your pillow roughly every one to three years although you can extend a pillows lifespan with regular fluffing, cleaning and using a pillow protector.
I'd well overshot that three-year estimate but when I eventually got round to it, changing my pillows did wonders for my sleep. Cheaper than a new mattress, it's an easy way to treat yourself to better sleep.
How much should you spend on a pillow?
Your pillow is responsible for keeping your head, neck and shoulders supported as you sleep. The wrong pillow can cause neck pain, disrupt your sleep and even result in waking up with a headache.
However, you don't have to break the bank to get a good pillow. At $59.99 for a set of two on Amazon, we think the Beckham Hotel Collection Pillow is an affordable choice that delivers plush support.
With that said, in our Purple GridCloud Pillow review our tester described the pillow as "hotel-quality luxury sleep" — and at $149 for a standard size at Purple, this is a premium design.
Overall, a mid-range pillow will typically cost between $70 and $100 (although shopping the sleep sales can help you save.)
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