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To say shopping for a pillow is hyper-personal would be an understatement. From your natural sleeping persuasion to your preferred fill, picking the right one can mean the difference between a restful night’s sleep or being plagued by tossing and turning.
With so many options to comb through on the Internet these days, the task of trial and error can quickly feel daunting. And if you also happen to be a hot sleeper? There’s a whole other slew of details to be mindful of. In our range of easy-to-shop guides—for example, we’ve rounded up our favorites for sleepers who flip-flop from side to side or prefer to snooze sprawled out on their stomachs—editors have personally researched and slept with a wide range of brand offerings. Throughout our experience, we’ve found that not every bedding-related product that touts cooling features actually…does its job. The latest newcomer to pique our shopping team’s interest enough for a trial run? Casper’s upgraded hybrid pillow.
Hybrid Pillow with Snow Technology
As one of the original mattress-in-a-box brands, foam is kind of Casper’s thing. Similar to its beds, this pillow arrives rolled up and compressed in airtight plastic that helps it fit into a compact cardboard box. But as a hybrid headrest, it isn’t purely supportive polyurethane. There’s also an inner layer of packed down-alternative fibers made from recycled PET, the material you may recognize from its standard hybrid, which is versatile enough to please most types of sleepers—except for hot ones, that is. The difference between the two lies in the addition of new innovations that promise 12-plus hours of cool-to-the touch relief from overheating in the middle of the night.
The “Snow Technology” terminology—CoolTouch Cover, Phase Change Material, HeatDelete Bands—skews jargony. In not so many words, the pillow essentially is designed to pull heat away from your head and neck, promoting airflow as you snooze, so you’re less likely to wake up with a sweaty head of knotted hair. And with summer knocking at the door, our shopping director, Liz Buxton; managing shopping editor, Samantha Weiss-Hills, and I were all intrigued to see if it was just as “cooling” and “soft and supportive” as Casper claims. Here’s what each of us found.
Liz Buxton, Shopping Director
Sleep style: Side
Preferred pillow: Casper Original Pillow
Verdict: Keep. A firmer, cooling version of my preferred Casper O.G.—good for summer rotation and better for spinal alignment.
Although I adore the idea of a cushy feather pillow, I’m a committed side sleeper, and I’ve come to accept that my spinal alignment requires a firmer support system. Because of this, I’ve tested a range of options from full-on memory foam to cooling gel and, my current favorite, microfiber fill—which imitates all the positive parts of a plush-feathery feeling but with a bit more support. The downside of this material is that the sink-in-cozy-feeling can be a bit cloying during the summer. Enter the fortuitous debut of Casper’s hybrid cooling pillow. After sleeping on it over the past two weeks, here are my top-line takeaways.
The pillow is heavy; I accidentally whopped my husband in the face with it the first night and he was startled, to say the least. It’s also thick, which initially worried me, as I prefer a lower profile for my head, neck, and shoulders. However, the first night was surprisingly smooth. I did not toss and turn (which I am wont to do when sleeping on unfamiliar pillows) and, upon waking, I detected no signs of soreness or pinching (all right!).
Over the next couple of nights, I did experience a bit of stiffness in certain sleeping positions and found myself needing to adjust a handful of times throughout the night to avoid one side of my body going numb. I would attribute this to the firmness level, as it is decidedly “harder” than my usual (i.e., Casper’s more forgiving microfill option). I stuck it out through the week-one adjustment phase thanks to one very positive aspect: It’s incredibly cooling. Because my head was supported up on top instead of sinking down into the pillow, my overall body temperature felt noticeably more regulated throughout the night. And once I hit week two, the initial discomfort I experienced from the level of firmness suddenly felt supportive. I noticed my posture perking up more in the mornings whereas, even before the test, I sometimes would wake with shoulder-slumping kinks.
I can’t say I won’t swap my cozier Casper Original back in come fall but, ultimately, this firmer option seems like a healthier, more supportive choice for my side-sleeping style in the long run—and with the bonus cooling-gel edge, that initial uncomfortable acclimating phase is made all the more tolerable.
Samantha Weiss-Hills, Managing Shopping Editor
Sleep style: Side and back
Preferred pillow: Coop Original Loft Pillow
Verdict: Keep. The structure offers extra support, and it’s ideal for cooler, more restful sleep during the sultry summer months.
As a quintessential hot sleeper, my eyes always light up when I see the word cooling associated with pillows. This is especially true since there are plenty of factors working against me throughout the night: a cross-breeze-less apartment; no central air (and a preference to rely on fans versus AC when possible); sharing the bed with my husband; and occasional visits from our beagle-corgi mix, Elsa. I can be somewhat skeptical of cooling vernacular, but after a few weeks sleeping with Casper’s new pillow, my head has yet to overheat, even when a few nights hovered around 70 degrees Fahrenheit. And that’s not the only reason I’m considering making it a permanent part of my pillow rotation.
I appreciate the balance of structure and squish that the pillow offers, allowing me to wedge my shoulder just under it if I want. I’ve felt supported in either position; if I’m on my side, it keeps my head high enough off the bed that my shoulder isn’t crunched and my spine is aligned. If I’m on my back, I never feel like I’m basically sitting upright or my neck is bending back toward the mattress. I like how even the filling felt across the board, too; I generally prefer to adjust that manually, but I’ve continued to wake up refreshed more often than not!
The devil, though, is always in details, and I see the results in the data. Since becoming a regular runner, I closely monitor the quality of my rest with a Whoop—I value restorative sleep above all. A good pillow is key to that, and I’ve been really impressed with my recovery sleeping on the new Casper pillow. It’s almost like the cooling properties are only a plus; the material and makeup are thick and comfortable and provide the support I didn’t even know I needed.
Morgan Bulman, Associate Shopping Editor
Sleep style: Side
Preferred pillow: Cozy Earth Silk Pillow
Verdict: Return. Too firm. Or will see if my stomach-sleeping partner, who prefers an ice-cold bedding setup, likes it.
It’s no secret that I’m a picky pillow person and my main criteria is not just a soft but a supersoft feel. After my former down pillow aged out, I happily replaced it with a slightly more supportive silk-filled alternative from Cozy Earth. So far, so good.
Needless to say, I was a bit skeptical after unboxing Casper’s pillow. (Full disclaimer: I have yet to fall in love with a headrest stuffed with foam, even when it was customized to my preferences à la Pluto.) But when it fluffed up, I was shocked by how cushy it felt in my hands. I thought maybe, just maybe, it could work. Halfway through the first night, however, I knew it wasn’t a fit for me. While it cradled my head and neck just fine—and definitely kept my noggin cool—it was simply too firm. Falling into a deep, sound sleep didn’t happen the next few nights, either, as I couldn’t get comfortable. There’s a deceiving lack of give—truly, you won’t have to worry about this one flattening over time. Another noteworthy caveat: The cool shell made of nylon, spandex, and polyester is a subtle yet distinctive blue that was still visible through my ivory-hued pillowcases. The shape is also a bit irregular, making for a tight fit.
TL;DR: If you’re also a feather devotee, I’d recommend skipping this one; you’ll have better luck with Casper’s own down version. But don’t forget: The brand offers 30-night, risk-free trials on all of its pillows, so you can truly get a feel for which will provide you with the best night’s rest.