It’s worth adding that you should always take any claims of “cooling” properties with a bit of a pinch of salt. While some bedding undoubtedly offers better heat regulation, no pillow we’ve ever tested will actively cool you down. Pure feather pillows – as luxurious as the idea of pure feathers may sound, we’d avoid this type as those pesky feather quills seem to have a way of escaping and stabbing you in the face. It’s also worth noting they don’t offer the support and height needed for side sleepers. Plus, they can be noisy and don’t suit allergy sufferers. Powered by multi-award-winning Octaspring ® Aerospace technology, the OCTAsmart ® pillow is the smartest pillow we have ever created.

The core of the pillow is made from bamboo and charcoal-infused memory foam (dubbed “CharcoCell foam” by Panda), perforated to promote airflow and wrapped in a quilted bamboo rayon cover. It’s softer than Panda’s standard bamboo pillow, instead looking and feeling more like the Otty pillow featured below. The cover is also silky soft and cool to the touch – so much so, that it’s almost a shame to put a pillowcase over the top of it. Some pillows, such as our Evercomfy silver pillows, also contains a silver antimicrobial treatment to help repel bacteria and reduce odours for ultimate bed hygiene, so these might be a good option if you're looking to upgrade your current pillow. It’s easy to assume this is irrelevant as you’ll have a pillowcase covering it. But it’s worth noting that natural cover fabrics such as cotton have much more breathability than polyester and other man-made fibres, which can make for a far more comfortable night’s sleep if you’re prone to getting hot at night. How we test pillows Where relevant, we also take into account other aspects including trial periods, washable covers and extra features – such as adjustable and ergonomic designs – all of which can play a part in our recommendations.

Can you wash memory foam pillows?

Powered by multi-award winning Octaspring® Aerospace technology, the Octasmart® pillow is a smart pillow, featuring our special memory foam springs for optimised support and smart performance cover for the dreamiest cloud-like feel.

Dormeo uses its unique “octaspring” technology across its range of mattresses, toppers and pillows. As such, the Octasmart Pillow is more than a little reminiscent of, and just as impressive as, the fabulous Octasmart Deluxe topper that appears in our roundup of best memory foam mattress toppers. If you think you need to replace your pillow, our guide on choosing the perfect pillow will help you find the right filling, firmness, and weight for you. Panda’s memory foam pillow undercuts many of its rivals on price, including the pillows of online bed-in-a-box companies such as Eve, Otty and Emma. Price aside, though, it’s a very comfortable and supportive pillow, landing somewhere in the middle on the firmness scale.Synthetic pillows are usually made from polyester. As they’re hypoallergenic, they’re great for allergy sufferers and also affordable, lightweight and easy to care for. They’re good if you sleep in a variety of positions throughout the night too. But they aren’t as malleable or breathable as other pillows and they have the shortest lifespan of all pillows – with the filling often prone to clumping.

Another appealing feature is the amount of choice you get when it comes to size and feel. It’s available in soft, soft/medium and medium/firm variants, as well as standard (50 x 75cm), superking (50 x 90cm) and square (65 x 65cm) sizes.Key specs – Filling: 24 memory foam springs, ecocell foam, Wellsleep fibre; Cover: Polyester (machine washable); Sizes: Standard size only Soft as down, light as a feather - super fine Wellsleep fibres create the outer layer and keeps the pillow plump. These soft and airy fibres also provide better air circulation adding to the cooling system. Like Sleeping on Clouds The only significant caveat is that to keep the pillow feeling its best, you’ll need to plump it up daily – something that’s not necessary with the foam pillows in this list.

Key features – Filling: Goose down and feathers; Cover: 100% cotton cover (machine washable) Sizes: Standard size and king size If memory foam isn’t your thing, don’t worry: we have plenty of microfibre and down recommendations in our main best pillow roundup. For instance, if you sleep on your side, you may want something with a bit more loft. And if you’re someone who is prone to overheating at night, it’s important to be aware that some pillows – particularly memory foam ones – may feel warmer than others. Different sleepers will get on better with different pillows, and it’s important to bear that in mind when testing. It’s a little bit firmer than the Otty Deluxe, but it’s not so firm that it feels clinical, instead landing somewhere in the middle of the spectrum. It comes with an inbuilt protector, plus a soft, breathable and hypoallergenic bamboo cover (which can be washed at 40°C), which helps you to keep things fresher than washing your pillowcase alone .A common issue is that, since memory foam works by reacting to your body heat, the heat it retains can cause it to become uncomfortably warm. Many of us prefer a cool pillow over a warm one (temperature-regulating cooling pillows exist for this very reason), so it’s worth taking this into account when buying a memory foam pillow. Of course, most brands are well aware of this fact and have implemented their own techniques (such as Dormeo’s Octaspring technology) to ensure you don’t overheat in the night. Key features – Filling: Goose down and feathers; Cover: 100% cotton cover (machine washable) Sizes: Standard, superking, square