Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow review: My 5-star favourite for very good reason

The Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow is an expensive option but it's the pillow we'd buy everyone we know if we could. Caramel Quin, who tested it, explains why...

In our quest to find the best pillows for neck pain, we tested a range of the best pillows all designed to support and relieve tension, so you can easily pick the one that will bring you the most comfortable night's sleep.

Rather than being ergonomically sculpted, the Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow has the shape of a traditional pillow, and the soft case has a pleasing texture. The idea is that it supports you however you lie. I tested the medium-firm pillow but there’s also a soft version.

Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow review

Specifications

• RRP: £149
• Size: 50x75x12cm
• Sleep position: All
• Filling: Memory foam
• Firmness: Medium (soft also available)
• Trial: None
• Guarantee: 3 years

First impressions of the Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow

Wow! This pleasantly normal-looking pillow has a wonderful ‘Goldilocks’ feel. It's not too soft like down or hollow fibre but not as firm as foam either; it’s just right. When I rested my head on it for a midday test, I instantly wanted to drift off to sleep.

What is the Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow like to use?

Personally, I loved this pillow. It was my favourite of all the pillows I tested – I slept like a baby on it. Neck pain is a personal thing though, which makes finding the right pillow very subjective. For that reason, I recruited three testers (Lucy, Saira, and Laura) each with different reasons for their neck pain, and I tested the pillows myself.

Lucy didn’t like it - but she doesn’t generally like memory foam pillows and had some concerns about the material’s sustainability.

Saira, on the other hand, found it very comfortable: “It moulded to my head easily," she said. "It was slightly firmer than the others, so I felt like I had something under my head to rest on.”

Finally, Laura thought it felt fancy - and I agree. “It looks like a pillow, it’s shaped like a pillow, but it's really heavy. It didn't seem quite as firm as other memory foam pillows, and it seemed to have a pleasant movement to it, a softness as well as support. It squishes down more like a normal pillow. I got used to it quickly and I liked sleeping with it. If I was rich, I might buy these pillows for everybody I know.” In other words, she loved it - but not as much as she loved the Back in Action Memory Foam Pillow.

How does the Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow compare?

I really like this pillow. It’s the one I wanted to keep using and it’s one of my favourite pillows for easing neck pain. It feels soft but it’s secretly very supportive.

If you suffer from neck pain, you need a supportive pillow that will help align everything. You don’t want something soft and insubstantial. The Levitex Sleep Posture Pillow does a great job of this. It comes in four sizes and uses a unique type of foam that manages to be both soft and supportive.

Or if you’re ok with the firm feeling of memory foam, the Back in Action Memory Foam Pillow is well worth considering.

But if you want something with a soft upper, that won’t break the bank, consider the unusual Mediflow Water Pillow.

Should you buy the Dreams Tempur Cloud Air SmartCool Medium Pillow?

Giving five stars to the most expensive product we tested wasn’t an easy decision. I know how important value for money is, especially with today’s cost of living. But considering we spend a third of our lives with our head on a pillow, investing in one that will last for years, if not decades, feels justified. If you can splurge on this pillow, go for it. Whether you have neck pain or not, it’s lovely, and I’m confident it’ll stay that way for a long time.

We reviewed the pillow from Dreams but note that you can get a 30-day free trial if you buy direct from Tempur. It’s also worth keeping an eye on the Tempur Outlet page where you can find pillows at half-price. Not all pillows are on there but be patient, as stock changes daily. The outlet pillows have the same three-year guarantee but only a 14-day free trial. Still, it brings the price down tremendously.