EnduriMed CPAP Pillow for Side Sleeping (Adjustable Memory Foam) review

The EnduriMed is a memory foam contour pillow with a gap cut into each corner, so your mask has somewhere to go whichever way you face. The Amazon listing calls them corner gaps and says they're meant to cut tubing tangles, air leaks and mask pressure^[1]. EnduriMed's own store describes a sloped design that leaves room for a face mask, nasal mask or tubing, plus head and neck rests for different sleep positions^[2].

The maker's two spec sheets don't agree. EnduriMed's store lists 22.4 by 14.6 by 4.5 inches (57 by 37 by 11 cm) and 2.47 pounds (1.1 kg)^[2]. Its Amazon listing gives 22.44 by 11.81 by 5.12 inches (57 by 30 by 13 cm) and 2 pounds^[1]. Either way, it's long and fairly low, and less than half the listed weight of the Lunderg (5.1 pounds)^[3].

The shape is covered by US design patent D856,707, titled “Multi-depth positive airway pressure pillow.” It was filed in January 2018 and granted in August 2019^[4]. A design patent protects how a product looks, not how it works^[5], so read “patented” as a sign of an original shape, not of proven results. The design has also changed over time. The Amazon listing dates back to July 2016^[1]. BestReviews described an updated design with improved airflow in 2023^[6], and EnduriMed's cooling pillowcase is made to fit its “new memory foam contour design”^[7]. Older photos and reviews may show an earlier version.

Full-face masks stick out furthest, and of the three CPAP pillows we review, the EnduriMed is the one designed around them. Its listing calls it ideal for full-face CPAP, BiPAP and APAP masks and adds that results with some nasal masks may vary^[1]. ResMed notes that bulkier masks can feel uncomfortable pressed against a pillow^[8]. The corner gaps are meant to give that bulk somewhere to go when you lie on your side.

The hands-on evidence is thinner than the marketing. The Sleepopolis tester, who has sleep apnea and uses CPAP, wore a nasal mask, not a full-face one. He reported, “It didn't push my nasal mask out of position”^[9]. None of the reviews we found tested it with a full-face mask.

Research gives one small hint that full-face users might gain more than nasal users. In the only controlled trial we found of CPAP pillows with side cutouts, all but one of the 22 people who finished used a nasal mask, and leak didn't differ between their own pillow and two cutout pillows. The one person on a full-face (oronasal) mask leaked most on their own pillow, 21.6 liters a minute, against 6.0 and 7.2 on the cutout pillows. The authors called it a possibility that needs a proper study^[10]. One person isn't evidence that the EnduriMed will cut your leaks. Treat it as a comfort aid, and take persistent leaks to your sleep clinic or equipment supplier. Our guide explains why side sleeping makes masks leak.

Don't switch to a full-face mask just because this pillow suits one. Full-face masks have been linked with higher pressure needs and shorter nightly use than nasal masks^[11]; see matching your pillow to your mask.

It sits lower than the Lunderg at full height, so it suits average shoulders better than very broad ones. EnduriMed says the pillow has two thickness levels for smaller and larger bodies^[2]. The listing describes a removable memory foam pad: leave it in for extra loft or take it out for a lower profile^[1]. Sleepopolis's tester describes it as flippable for different-sized people, and the review notes an insert that makes it taller. Even so, the tester found it wasn't quite as lofty as other CPAP pillows he had tried^[9].

Size matters less than that might suggest. The same tester calls himself a bigger guy and said, “the EnduriMed gave me good support, but it still had the right amount of give to keep me in good alignment.” He used the larger side because of his thicker neck^[9].

If you're broad-shouldered and sleep only on your side, compare the Lunderg's 5.5-inch full height first^[12]. The CPAPMax tops out at about 5 inches^[13], close to the EnduriMed, but its layers give you more steps in between. If you're smaller, or you start the night on your back, the lower profile helps. Sleepopolis notes the pillow is advertised for several positions but found it a good match for side sleeping in particular^[9]. Our pillow height guide shows how to match loft to your shoulder width.

Testers found it supportive with some give, but the materials feel basic. Sleepopolis says it balances the slow-moving feel of memory foam with a touch more response, and its tester gave it 5 stars for comfort^[9]. EnduriMed pitches it as soft enough to rest your head on but firm enough to keep your neck and spine aligned^[2]. We rate it 6 out of 10 for firmness, a step softer than the Lunderg.

Build quality is where it slips. Sleepopolis scored it 4 out of 5 on price, and the tester said, “The pillow cover is a bit loose and the inserts it comes with seem more like basic foam”^[9]. BestReviews, in a 2023 roundup it says was based on research, flagged a strong smell out of the box that takes a couple of days to fade. It also noted that some people find memory foam too warm^[6]. Unwrap it a day or two before you need it, and air it out in a ventilated room.

We found no independent data on how the foam holds up over months of nightly use, so durability is the biggest unknown here.

It scored highest where it counts for sleep and lowest on the extras. Sleepopolis judges CPAP pillows on comfort, versatility, ease of care and price, and its tester has sleep apnea and uses CPAP himself. The EnduriMed got 5 out of 5 for comfort, 4 for versatility, 3 for ease of care and 4 for price, and Sleepopolis named it the best CPAP pillow for side sleepers^[9]. For comparison, the Lunderg scored 5 in all four categories^[9].

The points it lost were for the cover, the care instructions, the basic-feeling inserts and a height a little short of its rivals, not for how it felt to sleep on. Keep the limits in mind: one tester, wearing one type of mask. Sleepopolis may earn commissions on sales through its links, and the review reports no machine leak data^[9].

With four corner gaps, there's an open corner for your hose whichever side you face. EnduriMed's directions are simple: put your mask on, lie down, and route the tubing through the contoured spaces on either side of the pillow^[2]. Sleepopolis credits the corner gaps with reducing tubing interference^[9].

There's no strap or tether, unlike the Contour CPAPMax. The gaps only help if the hose reaches them from the right direction. When you roll from one side to the other, the hose should end up in the opposite corner, not trapped under the pillow or your shoulder. That's easiest when the hose drops from above. Run it over the headboard or from a hose hanger rather than across the mattress. Our hose management tips cover hangers, swivel elbows and condensation in the tube.

Pick your thickness and side before bed, then fit the mask while lying on the pillow. If you have broad shoulders or a thick neck, start with the pad in and the larger side up. The larger side is the one the Sleepopolis tester chose^[9]. If you're smaller, or you start the night on your back, take the pad out for the lower profile^[1].

Then lie down on your usual side with the machine running and slide your head along the pillow until the mask cushion hangs over a gap instead of pressing into foam. Your head should rest level. Turn over and check the other side too. Adjust the mask lying down, not sitting up, as NHLBI advises^[14]. If the cushion still presses into your cheek, try the other thickness or move your head before you tighten any straps. ResMed's advice for red marks is the opposite of tightening: a looser fit that still seals, with less pressure on your face^[15].

You get one removable cover, but EnduriMed says a standard pillowcase also fits. The store page lists a removable, easy-to-wash cover and says the pillow fits standard pillowcases or EnduriMed's custom cover^[2]. That softens the one-cover complaint: a regular case can cover the gap while the original is in the wash.

Sleepopolis gave it its lowest score for ease of care, 3 out of 5. The cover was easy to wash at home, but the tester found the care instructions hard to track down, and only one cover comes in the box^[9]. EnduriMed sells a zippered cooling mesh pillowcase separately, made to fit the pillow^[7]. The pages we read give no washing instructions for the foam itself, so keep it out of the washer and ask the seller before you try anything more than airing it out.

There's no gel or cooling infusion. If you sleep hot with a mask on, the cooling case is the simple add-on, and the CPAPMax's gel face is the bigger change.

EnduriMed's 30-day guarantee lets you send the pillow back for any reason, minus the cost of return shipping. If you buy from EnduriMed, it accepts returns within 30 days of purchase, “no questions asked.” It refunds the full purchase price less the cost of shipping the pillow back, and it charges no restocking fee. You handle the packaging, print the return label and ship it, and EnduriMed isn't responsible for returns lost in transit^[16].

Unlike Lunderg's policy, which requires an unused pillow in its original packaging^[17], EnduriMed's guarantee page doesn't say the pillow must be unused. The clock starts at purchase, not delivery, so shipping time eats into your 30 days. Start sleeping on it the night it arrives. If you buy on Amazon, check the return window for that order.

Warranty terms are vague. Sleepopolis lists the warranty as “not clearly specified”^[9], and we found no written warranty on EnduriMed's site. Lunderg offers one year against manufacturing defects once you register^[17].

The EnduriMed is the full-face specialist of the three. The Lunderg is firmer and taller, and the CPAPMax adjusts more and holds your hose.

• Lunderg: cutouts along its edges rather than at the corners, a taller profile (5.5 inches with its layer), firm foam and two machine-washable cases^[12]. Sleepopolis named it best overall^[9]. Its own returns require an unused pillow^[17].
• Contour CPAPMax Cooling: removable layers, a gel-topped foam face and a softer fiberfill face, and a hose tether^[13]. It's 20 inches long, shorter than the EnduriMed^[18]. Sleepopolis's tester found it short on contouring^[9].

Buy the EnduriMed if you wear a full-face mask, sleep mainly on your side, switch sides during the night and want a maker return policy that doesn't require an unused pillow.

Skip it if you have very broad shoulders and need a tall pillow, want a spare cover in the box, or want a hose tether. If you wear nasal pillows, you may not need a CPAP pillow at all; see do you need one.