As a side sleeper, I’ve spent way too much time trying to arrange my pillows into the perfect configuration at night. One under my head, maybe another for extra height, followed by five minutes of fluffing and rearranging. The Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow has pretty much eliminated all of that.

What I Loved About the Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow

The first thing I noticed was the shape. Instead of a traditional rectangle, the Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow has an intentional U-shaped design with a curved cutout along one side. It looks a little strange at first, but once I actually slept on it, the shape made complete sense. That curve gives my shoulder somewhere to go.

With a regular pillow, I sometimes feel like my shoulder gets squished underneath me or pushes the pillow into an awkward position. With this one, my shoulder fits into the cutout while my head and neck still have plenty of support. I feel less pressure on my shoulder, and I’m not constantly trying to reposition myself to get comfortable.

The pillow is also six inches high (a bit thicker than my former go-to) and has adjustable fill. I love that I don’t need to stack pillows anymore. The Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow is substantial enough on its own, which makes my bedtime setup considerably less complicated.

Another surprisingly big win is the fitted pillowcase. Because of the U-shape, throwing a regular rectangular pillowcase on this thing would completely defeat the purpose. Eli & Elm makes a cotton pillowcase specifically U-shaped, so everything stays neat without bunching around the curved section. It’s a bit of a tight fit, but it stays in place and zips tight to keep out dust.

A Few Very Minor Complaints

I don’t have much negative to say about the Eli & Elm side sleeper pillow, but I’d be doing this review a disservice by not mentioning a couple of things. First, this pillow definitely stands out on the bed. If you love perfectly coordinated bedding, the unusual shape takes some getting used to.

I also wish the pillowcase came in more colors besides white. All of my other pillows on my bed have black or gray pillowcases, so once again, this one stands out.

The feel took some getting used to. Mine feels fairly firm and supportive rather than super squishy. I like having that support as a side sleeper, but someone who wants to sink into a marshmallow-soft pillow may find it too firm. The fill is adjustable, though, so you can remove some if you prefer a lower loft.

Final Rating of the Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow: 4.5/5 Stars

Overall, the Eli & Elm Side Sleeper Pillow feels like one of those products where the unusual design actually serves a purpose. It doesn’t look like the other pillows on my bed, but that’s kind of the point. My shoulder has room, my head feels supported, and I’ve officially retired my nightly pillow-stacking routine.