Written by Tony Klespis, Staff Writer
Keep waking up with a crick in your neck? Trying a supportive orthopedic pillow could help. Some of these specialty pillows can be a bit pricey, but the Sutera Dream Deep pillow is under $100 and it offers a substantial amount of neck support.
In my unbiased Sutera Dream Deep pillow review, I’ll cover my testing experience, the materials Sutera uses to make the pillow, how it works in each sleeping position, and, of course, how it might help with neck pain. Keep reading to find out.
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow
The Sutera pillow has a unique contoured shape that will keep your spine in its natural, curved state. All three sleeping positions will enjoy this pillow due to its soft foam feel and unique contoured shape.
Mattress Clarity Score
3.90 / 5
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Overview
Sutera sells a number of different products, from pillows to bathroom and personal care products. Regardless of what attracted you to the brand, Sutera wants its products to provide solutions to everyday health and wellness problems.
If you’re dealing with neck pain, it could be worth checking out the orthopedic Sutera Dream Deep pillow. Here’s a quick overview on the pillow before I get into the nitty gritty details.
| Who Should Get the Sutera Dream Deep Pillow? | Who Shouldn’t Get the Sutera Dream Deep Pillow? |
| People with neck pain | Fans of a traditional pillow design |
| Fans of firm pillows | People who want a softer, fluffier pillow |
| Side and back sleepers | Stomach sleepers |
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Firmness and Feel
The first thing you’ll notice about a pillow is its firmness and feel. Let’s go over these two important categories for the Sutera Dream Deep pillow.
How Firm is the Sutera Dream Deep Pillow?
The main body of the Sutera pillow is a single piece of memory foam. I found this pillow to be slightly firmer than medium-firm. Firm pillows usually offer more support, and because the main goal of this pillow is to help support your neck, being firmer than average is a good thing here.
Sleeping on the Sutera Dream Deep Pillow
Each pillow I test has two testing phases: one awake, and one asleep. When I’m awake, I quickly change between each sleeping position to get a good feel for how the pillow will feel in each.
Starting out on my side, I felt a good amount of neck support. You place your neck on a “neck nook” on the tallest part of the pillow. This “neck nook” dips slightly downward to accommodate your neck and head. Because of this, I think the Sutera pillow really shines for side sleepers. The cutouts along the side make for a comfortable spot to rest your arms. I tend to sleep on my side, with the arm I’m resting on usually under the pillow already, so this was a nice addition to the pillow.
Moving over to my back, again, the neck nook offers a good amount of support. If you’re a back sleeper, look for a pillow that keeps your chin in line with your chest. You don’t want your chin jutting downwards or too far up. With the Sutera pillow, I felt my neck in its proper alignment, so I would recommend it for back sleepers.
Even though Sutera markets the pillow for all three sleeping positions, I wouldn’t recommend this pillow for stomach sleeping. While the cutouts along the side are great for a place to put your arms while you sleep, when I moved to this position, I felt my neck craning upwards, which put some unnecessary strain on it. Research suggests a too-high pillow could potentially contribute to neck pain and waking symptoms.
Be sure to check out our full list of the best pillows for stomach sleepers for more options. But generally, you’ll want something low and flat for this position.
30-60 Min Nap
My second test is a full-on nap test. This is the most real-to-life test we do here at Mattress Clarity, and gives us the most information on a pillow. As I said, I’m a side sleeper, so that’s where I found myself when it came time to take a nap.
One thing about me is I switch sides often during the night. And while the Sutera pillow is really easy to move around on, I actually found that I was able to stay put while I napped. I think this was because my neck felt very supported.
Personally, I don’t deal a lot with neck pain, so ergonomic pillows usually aren’t for me. But when I woke up from my nap, I didn’t have a crick in my neck and I felt like I was able to get some good rest from it. I’m also someone who tends to sleep hot, but I didn’t notice any hot spots developing on this pillow.
What Does the Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Feel Like?
The foam used for this pillow is not like your traditional memory foam. Whereas traditional foam feels soft, squishy, and slow-moving, the Sutera pillow feels much more responsive. This means that the foam springs back into shape immediately, rather than taking several seconds.
This means that you won’t sink very far into the foam, and the foam is easy to move around on. This is good news if you switch between your back and side while you sleep.
Average-Weight Sleepers – 130 lbs – 230 lbs
Overall, this is a great option for back and side sleepers. For average-weight individuals who are looking for an ergonomic and orthopedic pillow to help with adequate neck support, the Sutera is worthy of consideration. Its firmness, shape, and loft may help keep your spine in proper alignment, which could help prevent neck pain. I wouldn’t really recommend this pillow to stomach sleepers, though, since it has too high of a loft to promote healthy spine alignment for some individuals.
Heavyweight Sleepers – Over 230 lbs
Heavyweight back and side sleepers can also expect ample support from this pillow. I fall into this category, and I didn’t find that I compressed the pillow too much because of how firm it was. Again, I wouldn’t recommend this to stomach sleepers, however.
Lightweight Sleepers – Under 130 lbs
Lightweight side sleepers with neck pain may find what they’re looking for with this pillow. If you’re a lightweight side sleeper with narrow shoulders, though, the pillow could potentially be too tall for you. Similarly, lightweight back sleepers might find the loft too tall because they won’t compress the foam very much. As is the case with the other weight categories, I don’t see this being a good match for lightweight stomach sleepers.
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Construction
Let’s go over the materials that make up the Sutera Dream Deep pillow.
Cover
The outer cover of the Sutera Dream Deep pillow is 100% polyester. It feels soft and smooth, and it is removable, making it easy to clean and protect the foam.
Core
The inner core of the Sutera pillow is a single piece of memory foam. As mentioned above, it has “butterfly” cutouts along the sides, which allow you to place your arms comfortably along the sides of the pillow.
Height/Loft
The loft of a pillow refers to how tall the pillow is. The Sutera pillow has a unique shape with differing lofts, but at its highest point, the Sutera is 5.5” tall.
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Size Options and Price
Take a look at our up-to-date price chart below for the pricing on the Sutera Dream Deep pillow. Note, this lists the full retail price, and not discounts you may find around holidays, or Amazon deals.
| Size | Price |
| Standard | $89.69 |
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow
The Sutera pillow has a unique contoured shape that will keep your spine in its natural, curved state. All three sleeping positions will enjoy this pillow due to its soft foam feel and unique contoured shape.
Mattress Clarity Score
3.90 / 5
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Performance
We’ve covered some important considerations for pillow purchasing, but there are a few more factors to keep in mind. Let’s go over some additional performance details.
Sleeping Hot or Cold
Sutera mentions that the polyester cover is moisture-wicking. However, outside of that, there aren’t any specific cooling features to this pillow. I tested the pillow for a handful of hours across a couple of days, and during that time, I never really noticed hot spots happen. This is because the foam is supportive and responsive, so you don’t really sink into the pillow. Memory foam often sleeps hot because it reflects your body heat back, so the Sutera shouldn’t have this problem.
I will say, however, because of the lack of specific cooling features, if you are a chronically hot sleeper, or someone who constantly switches over to the cool side of the pillow, this might not be the best choice. Especially since its unique shape doesn’t really lend itself to fitting into a cooling pillowcase. Technically, you could put the Sutera in a standard pillowcase, it just might not fit very well.
Off-Gassing
The Sutera pillow comes compressed in a small fabric bag. Once you remove all the packaging, the pillow will spring into shape fairly quickly. However, it might have a slight chemical smell to it. It’s best to leave the pillow in a well ventilated area for about 24-48 hours if you notice this smell, or have a sensitive nose. After this time, the smell should dissipate and it’ll be ready to use. I did notice a slight smell, but for me, it’s not enough to be much of a bother.
Care Instructions
The outer polyester cover is machine-washable. Sutera recommends washing the cover in cold water with a mild detergent. The brand doesn’t mention any specific drying instructions, but I would recommend hang drying or tumble drying on low heat. The inner foam core is spot clean only.
Allergies
Sutera doesn’t list this pillow as a hypoallergenic pillow. However, both polyester and memory foam are not known for trapping allergens in your sleep environment or triggering allergies. This should be good to use for those with sensitive skin as well.
Company Policies
Let’s take a look at what Sutera offers when you purchase a pillow.
Warranty Info
Sutera does not offer a warranty on the Sutera Dream Deep pillow. This pillow is around $60 after discounts, and with good care, I do expect it to last several years, so this may not be much of an issue to some. However, if you’re someone who prefers to have warranties, just in case of the product arriving with manufacturing defects, something like the TEMPUR-Neck pillow has a 5-year limited warranty, although this pillow does cost more than the Sutera.
Sleep Trial
Whether you buy this pillow through Sutera’s website or through Amazon, you’ll have 30 days from the date it was delivered to you to make return decisions.
Return Policy
If, during that 30-day window, you decide that the Sutera Dream Deep pillow isn’t for you, you can get your refund. Sutera will take a $20 processing fee from the total amount.
How Does Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Compare To Other Pillows?
If you’re on the hunt for an orthopedic or ergonomic pillow, but aren’t sold on the Sutera pillow, let’s see how this pillow stacks up to two other orthopedic pillows, the TEMPUR-Neck and the Med-Cline body pillow system.
Sutera vs Tempur-Pedic
Both the Sutera Dream Deep and TEMPUR-Neck pillows are ergonomically designed pillows that aim to help with neck pain. I’ve tested both, and I think they fit the bill, but where they really differ is in shape and feel.
I’d consider both to be firm pillows, but if you want that classic, slow-moving memory foam feel to your pillow, then the TEMPUR-Neck is the way to go. It’s made of a single piece of TEMPUR material, which is what most of us think of when we think of memory foam. The Sutera pillow uses foam that springs back into place immediately, which makes it a bit easier to move on. You’ll sleep more “on top” of this pillow, rather than sink too far into it.
The shapes are a bit different, with the TEMPUR-Neck looking like a more traditional neck pillow design, while the Sutera has a sloped design with cutouts on the side to allow for arm space. Finally, if you’re shopping with a budget in mind, the Sutera is a bit more budget-friendly than the TEMPUR-Neck.
| Who Should Get the Sutera Pillow? | Who Should Get the TEMPUR-Neck? |
| Budget-minded shoppers | Fans of slow-moving memory foam pillows |
| Fans of firm memory foam pillows | People looking for size options |
Read our full TEMPUR-Neck pillow review.
Sutera vs MedCline
There are pillows that may help with orthopedic issues and then there are whole body pillow systems like the MedCline Shoulder Relief system. Where the Sutera is a single orthopedic pillow, the MedCline system is three pillows that make up the whole: a C-shaped body pillow, a large wedge pillow with a shoulder gap, and an insert pillow to help fill in that gap.
The MedCline’s design means you can sleep with or without the wedge. If you choose to sleep with it in its entirety, it’s supposed to help take pressure off of your shoulders, and can even help your head and neck find a neutral alignment. This whole system is rather bulky, so if you’d rather just use a pillow, the Sutera pillow is the way to go. This also makes it a good deal more affordable than the MedCline system, as well.
| Who Should Get the Sutera Pillow? | Who Should Get the MedCline Body Pillow? |
| People who want neck pain relief from just a pillow | People who want neck and shoulder pain relief from a body pillow |
| Shoppers on a budget | People who also want a wedge pillow |
Read our full MedCline body pillow review.
Sutera Dream Deep Pillow Review
Can you put a pillowcase on the Sutera pillow?
Technically, you can put the Sutera Dream Deep pillow into a standard pillow case. However, it might not fit very well considering the unique shape to the pillow. Sutera designed its polyester outer cover to work as the Dream Deep’s standard pillowcase. It is removable and can be machine-washed for easy care.
What are the benefits of the Sutera Dream Deep pillow?
This pillow is designed for ergonomic support and targets the uppermost part of your spine called the “cervical spine.” This is the area from the base of your head, neck, and upper back. This pillow’s firmness and unique shape are designed to support this area, which could also help those with neck pain.
RELATED: Best Orthopedic Pillows
Is Sutera good for side sleepers?
Yes. After my testing, I would say the Sutera Dream Deep pillow really shines for side sleepers. It has a higher loft (height) than most pillows, and it keeps your head and neck in a neutral alignment while you sleep.