This Adjustable Pillow From Brooklinen Is Helping Me Sleep Better—Plus It Got Rid of My Neck Pain

I'm not someone who falls asleep easily. And, to make things even more fun, I'm a light sleeper who tends to wake up several times each night, too. Combine my lack of sleep with chronic neck and shoulder pain from all that tossing and turning, and you can imagine what my mornings must feel like by the time my alarm goes off.

I've spent a ton of money on a brand new mattress, mattress toppers, and sheets. Not to mention, I always make sure it's cool in my bedroom (experts say lowering your thermostat helps prepare you for sleep), and I try to stay away from screens at night, but nothing helps. The only thing I hadn't thought of was changing my pillow, so when I received Brooklinen's new adjustable pillow called the Marlow, I was skeptical yet intrigued.

What sets this pillow apart from its competitors is that it's adjustable in accordance with how you like to sleep. Typically, pillows are either thinner for side and stomach sleepers or thicker for back sleepers, but not both. The Marlow, however, is an adjustable pillow that has a zipper that runs the length of each long side. When the zippers are closed, the pillow is firmer and has a lower loft (meaning it's thinner), and when the zippers are open, the pillow is more cushiony and has a higher (aka thicker) loft.

The Marlow is made of 20% polyester and 80% memory foam that is cooling-infused, making it ideal even for hot sleepers. What's more, it features breathable mesh gussets and a soft cotton shell, so you stay comfortable all night long. Like most pillows, it comes in two sizes—standard and king.

To buy: Marlow Pillow

The first night that I had the Marlow pillow, I had no idea which of the two options was right for me. What felt logical to me was to sleep on it with the zippers closed since I tend to sleep on my side. This, of course, was the wrong move, and after a bout of swearing off the pillow for good, I decided to open the zippers the following night to give it one more try.

When I say I can't remember a time I slept better, I'm not lying. I felt more comfortable in the moments after immediately resting my head against the thick, ultra-plush pillow than I had in years. Everything from my shoulders to the top of my head felt both supported and like I was sinking into the pillow at the same time.

The following morning—and every morning since—I've started my day feeling refreshed and the knotted muscles in my neck, upper back, and shoulders have loosened up, alleviating the pain I've been living with for longer than I'd like to admit. And this is all thanks to two zippers! OK, two zippers, layers of shredded, cooling memory foam, and what I'm sure amounts to plenty of time devoted to research and development by the Brooklinen team.

But don't take my word for it, the adjustable pillow has dozens of rave reviews from happy shoppers. One wrote, "this is the most comfortable pillow I have ever owned," while another added that they tried a few different pillows that ended up being "too soft or too hard" and caused "a certain amount of neck pain or ear pain," however, the Marlow pillow "solved those problems" for them.