Waking up with a sore body is enough to make you want to throw out your entire bed (I speak from experience)—but you don’t necessarily have to buy a new mattress to address your overnight aches and pains. If your creakiness is concentrated in your back and lower body, a handy little knee pillow might be all you need to feel better in the morning.
Designed to fit comfortably and snugly between your knees while sleeping on your side, these cushions are usually firmer and smaller than regular bed pillows. They also have a more ergonomic design—most are shapes like an hourglass, with a narrow middle and wider ends, to better cradle your legs. This intentional design can alleviate pressure points that can build while you sleep (and make your joints cranky the next day).
While severe or chronic back, hip, or knee pain warrants a call to your doctor, you can get relief from minor stiffness—and enjoy a comfier night’s sleep—with this simple upgrade to your bedtime setup. We talked to orthopedic experts about the full benefits of using a knee pillow and tested the top models on the market. Check out our favorites below.
Our top picks
- Best Overall: Everlasting Comfort Knee Pillow
- Best If You Lay Still: Coop Adjustable Knee Pillow
- Best for Additional Leg Support: Contour Legacy Leg Pillow
- Best If You Toss and Turn: Tempur-Pedic All-Purpose Pillow
In this article
What are the benefits of sleeping with a pillow between your legs?
The biggest benefit to using a knee pillow is its effect on your lower body and spinal alignment, Alice Chen, MD, a physiatrist at HSS Stamford in Stamford, Connecticut, tells SELF. When you sleep on your side, it’s easy for all the weight of your top knee to rest directly on your bottom knee, leading to uncomfortable pressure. The same goes for your hips, which can also collapse forward, shifting your spine out of proper alignment and causing you to sleep more on your stomach than your side (a position experts say is bad for everyone’s back).
With a little additional space between your knees, courtesy of a knee pillow, the weight of your top knee is better distributed; your hips are parallel and stabilized; and your spine can stay in a more neutral position, Dr. Chen explains.
Cushioning your knees is also helpful if you’re recovering from an injury or surgery and find that your skin feels sensitive in that area, Adam Driesman, MD, a hip and knee surgeon with the Connecticut Orthopaedic Institute at St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut, tells SELF.
What should you look for when shopping for a knee pillow?
Knee pillows mainly vary in firmness and size. Some are plusher and easier to smush into your preferred shape, while others are made of firmer memory foam, Dr. Chen says. And the pillow’s dimensions will determine how much space it creates between your knees. Ideally, it should get them close to hips-width apart—but if not, it can still provide some amount of pain relief, Dr. Chen says.
Those key features will narrow down your options considerably; then, you can start looking for nice-to-have details. Tend to toss and turn? Look for a model with a strap that loops around one leg to hold the pillow in place through the night. Run hot? Dr. Driesman says it helps if the pillow is made from temperature-regulating materials. Want to support your whole body? You might be better off with a longer body pillow (check out our favorite design at the bottom of this list).
Ultimately, everyone’s sleeping preferences are different—so don’t get discouraged if the first knee pillow you try isn’t quite right. As Dr. Driesman puts it: “I am unaware of any studies showing that one pillow is better than another. What it tells me is that it is very individual dependent! Play around and find the best for you!”
Shop the best knee pillows
Get ready to snooze without the soreness. These knee pillows are the comfy side-sleeping accessory of your dreams (plus they all come with machine-washable pillowcases).
Best Overall: Everlasting Comfort Knee Pillow
Pros
- Manageable size
- Cushy yet firm
- Adjustable leg strap
- Under $50
Cons
- May feel too small for larger bodies, according to Amazon reviewers
As a reformed stomach sleeper, I’ve been on an ongoing search for pillows that make side-sleeping comfortable and easier on my achy lower back. I’ve gone through a lot of trial and error, so my expectations weren’t high when I tried Everlasting Comfort’s Knee Pillow, despite its thousands of five-star ratings.
Turns out, those reviews were well-earned: As soon as I put this pillow between my knees and settled onto my side, I felt a shift in my lower and mid-back—as if they were suspended above my bed, rather than sinking down and forward into the mattress. My top hip also felt lifted, but fully relaxed; the pillow is more of a knee support system than an intrusive wedge, so I never felt like it was forcing me into an awkward or unnatural sleeping position.
I tend to shift from side to side throughout the night, but I didn’t have a hard time moving the pillow with me. It’s just small enough to be maneuverable, but large enough to make a real difference in how my legs are spaced. Since I started testing the Everlasting Comfort pillow, I haven’t spent a night without it—and my back is very happy about that.
Dimensions: 10.5 x 6 x 8 inches | Leg strap: Yes
Best If You Lay Still: Coop Adjustable Knee Pillow
Pros
- Adjustable fill
- Very comfortable
- Soft, quilted cover
Cons
- A little cumbersome if you change positions through the night
- No leg strap
With two removable foam inserts (one is two inches thick; the other clocks in at one inch), Coop’s bestselling Adjustable Knee Pillow is a great choice if you aren’t quite sure what firmness feels best for you and want to experiment.
Our tester found that it felt comfy and supportive, but was difficult to keep in place as she moved around in her sleep. If you stay still for the most of the night, definitely give this pillow a try, she says. But if you’re a habitual tosser-and-turner, you might prefer one of the smaller or strap-equipped pillows on our list.
Dimensions: 12 x 7 x 8 inches | Leg strap: No
Best for Additional Leg Support: Contour Legacy Leg Pillow
Pros
- Under $30
- Made with cooling materials
- Unique shape
Cons
Like any other knee pillow, this model contours to fit around your knees and soften the pressure there—but what stands out is its triangular shape, which provides additional hip and upper leg support. “I’ve had hip pain and sciatica for years and just figured it had to do with my age. All I needed was this pillow,” one Amazon reviewer wrote. “When I woke up the next morning, it was the first time in decades I didn’t wake up stiff and sore with hip pain.”
This isn’t just a budget-friendly knee pillow (although any piece of bedding that costs less than $30 will get our attention)—it’s also a useful alternative if you’ve tried hourglass-shaped styles and found them lacking. Another perk? It’s made with ventilated memory foam to keep you cool all night long.
Dimensions: 10 x 9.5 inches | Leg strap: No
Best If You Toss and Turn: Tempur-Pedic All-Purpose Pillow
Pros
- Easy to maneuver
- Travel-friendly design
- Carrying strap
Cons
Here’s a knee pillow that’s also a lumbar cushion and neck roll. Firm yet lightweight (it’s less than one pound), it’s great for adding support and padding wherever you need it. Our tester was really pleased with how seamlessly it fit into her bedtime setup, noting that it was easy to move and maneuver, even when she shifted around a lot overnight.
And, thanks to Tempur-Pedic’s “slow spring-back” foam fill, the All-Purpose pillow won’t compact and flatten out under pressure—so you can trust that you’ll wake up feeling as good as you did when you hit the hay.
Dimensions: 13 x 5 inches | Leg strap: No
More great options
Like Dr. Driesman says, you may need to try a couple different pillows before finding the dreamiest one for your needs. These two didn’t quite make our top picks, but they’re still excellent options to consider.
Helix Side Sleeper Knee Pillow
Pros
- Firm and supportive
- Leg strap
Cons
- Over $50
- Scratchy exposed Velcro
Helix’s Side Sleeper Knee Pillow has a breathable cover and sturdy foam core—the former kept our tester cool, while the latter buoyed his knees and eased his lower back pain.
Unfortunately, our tester was a little disappointed in the overall craftsmanship of the pillow. He noted that the Velcro used to attach the leg strap felt scratchy and sharp when left exposed on the nights he didn’t use the strap.
One thing to note: This pillow is currently sold out, but we’ll update this page when it’s restocked.
Dimensions: 11.75 x 6 x 9.5 inches | Leg strap: Yes
Bearaby Cuddler
Pros
- Supports your whole body
- Suitable for a variety of sleep positions
Cons
- Most expensive option on our list
- Heavy—takes up a lot of space
Sometimes, your whole body (not just your knees) needs to feel cradled. On those nights, it’s nice to have Bearaby’s Cuddler body pillow in your bed. At over six feet long, it can wrap around the front or back of your body and through your legs—so whether you want to feel like the big spoon or little spoon, you’ll get the support you need.
Reviewers specifically called out the unique balance that Bearaby’s foam fill strikes: “soft and yet so incredibly supportive,” one wrote. “Just right,” another summed up. One SELF staffer even used this pillow to sleep more comfortably while she was pregnant (but, due to its size and weight, it went into storage afterward).
Dimensions: 75 x 8 inches | Leg strap: No
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