A good night’s sleep is dependent on so many factors these days – but ensuring you have the correct pillow is a pretty essential one as far as we’re concerned. There’s undoubtedly lots of discussion surrounding number of pillows, firmness, sleeping position and much more.

If you suffer from tossing and turning throughout the night – or, perhaps, wake up feeling aches and pains in places you really shouldn’t – reassessing your choice of pillow could be a necessary task. If this sounds like you, Simba’s latest innovation, the cooling body pillow, could be the solution to your sleep woes.

Best known for its range of hybrid mattresses, Simba is undoubtedly a brand you can trust. We’ve already ranked its Simba Hybrid Pro in first place in our guide to the best mattress and have a placed a number of its sleep accessories in our best duvet and best pillow guides. And now Simba’s cooling body pillow looks set to gain a place in our hearts too.

Made specifically for those of us who sleep on our side – whch, according to the sleep experts at Simba, is by far the most common position in the UK – it aims to offer added comfort as you sleep, reducing pressure on your shoulders and hips and ultimately reducing any pain you might feel come the morning. It’s not limited to side sleepers of course, this pillow is also said to be excellent during pregnancy and when nursing babies, too.

As usual, we’ve reviewed this pillow so you don’t have to. So, if you’re in the market for some new bedding or want to improve your sleep schedule, we’d recommend you read on below to see our thoughts for yourself.

How we tested

As sleeping on our side is not a position unknown to us, it wasn’t the hardest of products we’ve had to test. We tried out this pillow in our bed over the course of a couple of weeks, across warmer evenings and less humid ones, to assess both the comfort and the cooling aspect of this pillow. In addition to monitoring our sleep and how we mentally felt when we woke up the next day, we were also paying close attention to any back or hip aches and pains.

Simba Cooling Body Pillow

Best: Side sleepers

Machine washable: Yes

Size: 120cm x 35cm

Eco-friendly: Yes

The cooling body pillow from Simba boasts an elongated shape, with a gentle curve that ensures a more comfortable alignment of the entire body when sleeping on your side. Aiming to reduce pressure on the shoulders and hips, we sensed a noticeable difference to stiffness after just one night’s use. We wouldn’t say we necessarily suffered with aches and pains but there would be a definite rigidity, particularly around our hips, and we realised the absence of that feeling after continued use.

The key thing is to know how to position the pillow correctly. Simba recommends you hug it with your arms and arranging your legs on top of each other around the bottom, with the top knee slightly bent and the one underneath slightly straighter. While we couldn’t personally test the following effect, the shape and design of the pillow is also said to be helpful to expectant mothers, due to the way it supports the baby bump.

In addition to the size and shape, Simba has also mastered things in the temperature department. For those of you who constantly search for the cold side of the pillow, the cooling body pillow also offers a sleep like no other. Thanks to stratos cool-touch technology featured in the cutting-edge cushion, we were kept cool and dry throughout the night – even in more humid weather. The heat control technology is also present on the entire cover.

As if this pillow couldn’t get any better, all Simba products are made of better cotton, with the initiative making global cotton production better for those who produce it and the environment. Moreover, Simba renew bio is made from GRS-certified recycled PET bottle fibres, which biodegrades – so this pillow helps you sleep better, without harming the planet.

The recycled Simba renew bio fabric also offers breathable cushioning, with the anti-allergenic material being advanced enough so that the fibres are gently combed into soft, airy clusters to provide cushioning and optimal breathability. We personally do not suffer from allergies, however sometimes can wake up a little “sniffly” and found that our lower sinuses and naval cavities appeared less blocked after just over a week’s use.

A couple of things to note: while the cooling body comes with a cover (that is made from 100 per cent better cotton, too), you might have your work cut out for you if you’re trying to find a more stylish pillow cover or one that better fits your bedroom decor. It’s also important to acknowledge that we didn’t feel that this pillow was designed to replace existing ones but to complement them, and your head, as you sleep.

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The verdict: Simba cooling body pillow

The release of the cooling body pillow from Simba is music to our ears. While we can’t completely kiss goodbye to all aches and pains, we certainly noticed a pretty immediate difference after just one night’s sleep with our new pillow. It kept us cool and dry all night, while also alleviating any pressure points we had been leaning on.

If you’re really looking to optimise your sleep, why not try these best eye masks to block out the light