Charcoal Cervical Neck Pillow for Pain Relief Sleeping – Ventilated Memory Foam - Orthopedic Contour Pillow for Side, Back, Stomach Sleeper - Ergonomic Arm, Neck and Shoulder Support Pillows

It does take a few nights to get used to but it has dramatically helped my neck pain as a combo back and side sleeper!

Been sleeping on this for about two months now and haven't had a single crick in my neck or any soreness or pain. When I fall asleep on any other pillows, those symptoms begin creeping back in and I realize just how good this pillow really is.Cannot recommend highly enough IF the following are true for you:You have always preferred a much more firm pillow than a soft and squishy oneYou sleep mainly on your back and sides (not stomach)You NEED strong neck support going all the way along the base of your head and to your actual neck, and don't mind the feeling of having all of that closely cradled.It doesn't feel constricting or like it is necessarily supporting the bottom part of your neck, but it is. I find it really comfortable in addition to effective at not making me wake up with pain.The package insert says it may take up to 2 weeks for you to habituate to the pillow and you may have some slight pain or muscle discomfort during this period while you adjust. I didn't experience that, but I did have a couple weeks' adjustment period. This is because you can't toss and turn as easily with this pillow compared to others, including other molded basic neck support memory foam pillows, because this one is so highly molded that there's really only one way to position yourself on it on your back, and then only one way you can fit into its 'cradle' on your side as well. So every time you move, you have to readjust where your body is on the mattress more than with other pillows, or readjust the position of the pillow underneath you, in order to still be on the part of the pillow you're supposed to be on. It was annoying and I squished my ears a lot on the tall parts that jut out on either side of the dip where your neck goes, but you do get used to it. I still move around as much as I always did, but it's second nature to readjust and not something I'm really conscious of doing anymore when I'm falling asleep, or in the night, kind of like you'll avoid resting or pulling on your own hair too hard even when sleeping. It may happen, but your body readjusts out of the uncomfortable position automatically.If this re-acclimatization period sounds too tedious for you and less structured pillows work fine, I would not endeavor to try this pillow because you'll just get frustrated with it. But if you have consistent, debilitating neck pain that hasn't been helped by anything else including chiropractors, then it's well worth your while to try this out and be patient while your body adjusts to it.I am not sure how much this matters, but I have a relatively thin neck (13 1/4 in), and wear a size M/size 7 1/8 hat (22 1/4 in head circumference). Potentially if you had a much thicker neck or bigger head, the pillow could cradle you a lot more closely/tightly, so that may affect your experience, fyi.

I have some medical conditions, I bought the pillow to help manage mostly the pain and discomfort.The pillow is soft enough for my fibro and comfortable enough for me to lie on it for an extended amount of time.The cooling gel pad is a small square in the center of the pillow where you rest your head and isn't that great. Initially, I thought the pillow didn't come with the gel pad. I misunderstood and thought the gel was a filling in the pillow itself like other cooling pillows. This pillow instead has a pocket with a square gel pad that can be removed. The cooling it gives off isn't great, it works slightly better if you remove it and place it in the fridge for a bit. The pillow case is a little thick which is what makes the pillow more comfortable but doesn't really allow the cooling feeling to come through as well.The pillow comes already in the pillow case with an extra pillow case, I guess to use while you wash the other one. The foam pillow, itself, comes in zipped in a much thinner cloth case that has the pocket with the cooling gel pad.The pillow has a grid of holes in the center of the pillow, I guess for the "breathable" part but with the two pillowcases (the thinner one that holds the gel pad and the actual softer but thicker exterior case) it doesn't feel very "breathy"... which may or may not be another reason the cooling gel pad doesn't come through that well.For orthopedic uses, I think the pillow works well. I've been using it since it arrived and find it to be very comfortable despite my severe case of fibromyalgia. The foam is formed in such a way that allows me to rest both my head and hands as I like to raise my hands near my head and there are dip spots to rest your hands there. I enjoy this design feature.The pillow so far hasn't deflated much at all over every day use since it arrived. The foam seems to be fairly firm but has just the "right" amount of give to not be uncomfortable or stiff.I would recommend this pillow if you're looking for an comfortable orthopedic pillow but maybe not if you're looking for a cooling pillow.