I'm a sleep product tester and this is the pillow I always recommend to anyone with neck pain

My Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow review puts this ergonomic butterfly-shaped pillow through its paces to see if it can deliver a great night's sleep.

After testing it for over a year (and loaning it to my Mum for a second opinion), I think it's one of the best pillows you can buy if you're a side or back sleeper who suffers from neck pain, it's also a great option to prevent neck pain in the first place. Here's why.

In a nutshell

Although I initially thought this pillow was going to be far too firm for me, all in all, this is one of the best pillows I've slept on.

Normally I would say I prefer a softer pillow, but the Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow's clever design means it does exactly what a pillow should do – supports my head and neck in alignment with my spine – and its firm feel is vital to it doing that well.

What's more, it supports the neck in both a side sleeping position and a back sleeping position, without compromising any support in either posture – something I've so far failed to find any other pillow offers.

When I pulled a muscle in my neck, this was the pillow I reached for for nighttime pain relief, and it's also become the pillow I sleep on every night to prevent neck pain in the first place.

Plus, an RRP of £49.99 means it isn't extravagantly pricey, and if you buy direct from Kally Sleep there's a 14-night sleep trial that allows you to test whether its firm support is right for you before you commit.

All in all, I think this pillow is a great investment. It certainly improved my sleep posture which made for less neck pain and a better night's sleep.

Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow review

• Best for: side sleepers, back sleepers
• RRP: £49.99
• Support: firm
• Height: medium
• Materials: cover: polyester, inner: memory foam
• Dimensions: 56 x 34 x 11cm
• Care instructions: the removable cover is machine-washable at 40°c, the memory foam core can't be washed

Comfort

When I first unpacked the Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow, I thought it would be far too firm for me. I usually sleep on a soft, squishy feather and down pillow, and this Kally Sleep pillow couldn't be more different.

Unlike other memory foam pillows I've tested, like the Panda Memory Foam Pillow and Tempur Original SmartCool Pillow, the Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow is far firmer. Although it does have a little squish when compressed, when I rested my head on the pillow, my head barely sank in.

But as I soon discovered, this is the Kally Sleep pillow's secret formula for neck pain relief.

Designed for back and side sleepers – so perfect for an active sleeper like me who changes position a lot in the night – from the first night I slept on it I found the Kally Sleep pillow's firmer feel offered great support for my head and neck.

This is important because a good pillow should support our head so that our neck is as well-aligned with our spine as possible. We each need a pillow that doesn't create any kinks in our neck, either by lifting our head too high or allowing it to drop too low.

The Kally Sleep pillow's firmness and ergonomic design mean it supported my head in nearly perfect alignment with my spine. And even better, its clever butterfly-shaped design means it does this whether I'm laid on my front or my back.

The midsection of the pillow is lower to support the entire neck whilst back-sleeping, and both sides are raised to lift the head and support the neck whilst laid on either your left or right side.

I found this offered me just the right support whilst I slept. However, this will depend on your body frame, as the one downside of the Kally Sleep pillow is that it's only available in one height.

I'm around 5'9" so have fairly wide shoulders. My mum who is around 5'4" and has narrower shoulders also found it very comfortable to sleep on, but if you have a larger frame you may find the pillow height a little too low for side sleeping. The good news is that a 14-day sleep trial can take the guesswork out of figuring out if it suits you, but more on that later.

Thanks to a pulled muscle in my neck, I also got to test out this pillow when I actually had neck pain, and this is when its firm support really came into its own.

Whereas any other pillow I tried would send my neck into spasm when my head slowly sank down into the pillow during the night and my neck muscles had to take on some of the work of supporting my head, because the Kally Sleep pillow is so firm, my head was always supported without my neck having to do any of the work. I soon discovered this is the key to neck pain relief.

Temperature regulation

The Kally Sleep pillow has a memory foam core, so I was initially a bit worried I would find it slept very warm as memory foam doesn't have much breathability.

However, I was pleasantly surprised. Although I'm a hot sleeper, I never woke up feeling that my head was too warm.

Possibly the pillow's quilted and woven outer cover helps as it will allow for a little breathability between the head and the memory foam. Either way, this pillow didn't cause me to overheat and its temperature regulation was good, so another mark in its favour.

Ease of care

It definitely isn't a dealbreaker considering the pain-free sleep it offers, but I have found that it's hard to find a pillowcase to fit this pillow. A standard-sized pillow is on average W50cm x L75cm and the Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow is only W34 x L56cm, so it's substantially smaller than your average pillowcase.

This isn't necessarily a problem, as the pillow comes with a well-fitting removable cover that can be unzipped, removed, and machine-washed at 40°c. However, I found this outer cover bobbled quite quickly, plus, I like my pillowcases to match the rest of my bedding.

The pillow being on the smaller side has never affected my sleep in any way – it's plenty large enough once under my head. But its small stature does mean it gets drowned in a pillowcase, and it looks a bit lost and sorry for itself on the bed.

Because the pillow has a memory foam core, you also can't wash the pillow filling. However, again, this isn't really a deal breaker considering you can wash the quilted pillow outer.

Sleep trial

Figuring out how to choose the right pillow can be difficult, because our usual sleeping position, body size, and how much we sink into our mattress all affect which pillow is the best fit for us.

You may already be familiar with a mattress sleep trial, but the good news is many brands are now also offering sleep trials on pillows. This allows you to buy the pillow, sleep on it for a set number of nights, and return it if you find it isn't the one for you.

Terms and conditions apply, but if you buy the Neck Pain Pillow directly from the Kally Sleep website the brand offers a 14-night sleep trial to test out if the pillow helps your sleeping posture. I found this was plenty of time to discover that, yes, it certainly did help me to sleep more comfortably.

Value for money

Whilst its £49.99 price point may not be cheap, you can spend an awful lot more on a pillow, and considering how well the Kally Sleep Neck Pain Pillow transformed my sleep comfort, I think it's worth every penny.

The brand also offers regular discounts, with this pillow often on sale with up to 20% off over on the Kally Sleep website.

All in all, I think it's well worth spending just under £50 to see if this pillow increases your nighttime comfort, especially if you take advantage of that 14-night sleep trial when you do. After all, most experts say a pillow will last you two years, so that's equivalent to investing roughly 6 pence per night for a better night's sleep.