Tempur-Pedic TEMPUR-Cloud Pillow review

The TEMPUR-Cloud is a plain rectangle of extra-soft TEMPUR foam in a zip-off knit cover, with nothing to adjust. Tempur-Pedic calls it its most popular pillow and describes the core as a single piece of formed, extra-soft TEMPUR material. The standard size measures 24 x 15¾ x 5 in (61 x 40 x 13 cm) and fits a standard or queen pillowcase. The cover is a hypoallergenic 100% polyester knit that comes off for washing^[1]. Tom's Guide notes gusseted sides that keep the height even from edge to edge, with no hump in the middle and no taper at the ends^[2].

There is also a King. Tempur-Pedic's help center lists one^[3], and its law tag gives a finished size of 31.5 x 15.3 x 5 in, with the fill listed as 100% molded polyurethane foam^[4]. Sleepopolis's review says it comes in one standard size, so older reviews may predate the King^[5]. Both sizes are about 5 in tall, so the King adds length, not height. A cooling upgrade swaps in a cover with heat-wicking yarns^[2].

Tempur-Pedic designs it for back and stomach sleepers^[1]. Its help center also suggests it for side-and-stomach combination sleepers who want a ready-to-use, lower-profile pillow^[6]. That's a narrower audience than the name suggests, and it's why we recommend it only to a particular kind of side sleeper.

For most side sleepers, no. It works when your shoulders are narrow, your mattress is soft, or you spend part of the night on your stomach. The 5 in figure is the height at rest. Sleep Foundation calls that medium loft but says the extra-soft foam allows significant compression^[7]. When Tom's Guide set a 10 lb (4.5 kg) weight on it, the weight sank deeply into the foam^[2]. What matters for side sleeping is the height left under your head once it has sunk in, and on a pillow this soft, that's noticeably less than the listed 5 inches.

Testers split along body size. Tom's Guide's tester, mainly a stomach sleeper, found it too thin on her side: her head slipped forward and her neck twisted^[2]. Sleepopolis's Amelia Jerden found it comfortable on her side and said the foam supported her neck, but warned that people with larger frames or broader shoulders may not get enough height^[5]. Reviewed's team found it far thinner than many pillows it tested and judged it suited to side sleepers with small frames^[8].

To see which group you're in, measure the gap between your ear and the mattress using our loft guide. As a reference point, Tempur-Pedic's chart for its contour pillow puts side sleepers with up to 4 in (10 cm) from neck to shoulder on its lowest size^[9]. If you're in that range, sleep on a plush mattress, or switch between your side and stomach, the Cloud's sink can help rather than hurt. If you've been tucking an arm under your current pillow to prop your head up, the Cloud will probably be too low for you.

It's softer than most foam pillows but not fluffy, and testers disagree on just how soft. Tempur-Pedic labels it extra-soft^[1], Sleep Foundation rates it soft^[7], and Tom's Guide says the deep compression lives up to that label^[2]. Sleepopolis's tester felt a medium firmness instead: pliable and slow, but dense enough to keep her head and neck raised^[5]. Reviewed's back-sleeping tester said it skews firm^[8].

The split makes sense once you know how this foam behaves. Viscoelastic foam recovers slowly: it returns less than 20% in the industry's ball-rebound test, against 50–60% for other flexible foams. It also softens as it warms and firms up in the cold^[10]. A quick press in a cool room feels firmer than a full night under a warm head. Tom's Guide timed how long the foam took to recover after a 10 lb weight sat on it for five minutes: seven seconds^[2].

That slow recovery matters when you turn over. The hollow you leave takes a few seconds to fill, so rolling from one side to the other can drop you back into a dent. Tom's Guide found that indentations sometimes needed a hand to clear, and flipping the pillow one way and then the other did the job^[2]. Tempur-Pedic says its pillows can feel firmer at first and soften over a few weeks^[11]. Tom's Guide didn't find a break-in necessary, but suggests kneading and rolling the pillow if it feels too firm^[2].

Even if it's too low for your side, the Cloud can still earn a place on your bed. Sleepopolis's Amelia Jerden, a back sleeper, loved it on her back: supportive enough to keep her aligned while still letting her sink in^[5]. Reviewed's back-sleeping tester ranked it among her favorites, thick enough to support her head without pushing her chin up^[8]. If you start the night on your back and finish on your side, the trade-off between those positions is covered in our side and back sleeper guide.

It also works as a second pillow. Sleepopolis found it soft enough to hug under an arm, and thought its deep contouring could work between the knees^[5]. Hugging a pillow on your side keeps your top shoulder from rolling forward, as our shoulder pain guide explains. The firm, contoured TEMPUR-Neck does neither job well^[12]. One caution if you hope to fix the height problem by doubling up: Tom's Guide notes the Cloud isn't designed for stacking^[2].

It holds some heat, which testers noticed mainly when they were already running warm. Sleepopolis didn't find it exceptionally hot but said it won't keep you cool^[5]. Reviewed found it retained a small amount of heat in lab testing^[8]. Tom's Guide scored temperature 3 out of 5. The pillow felt neutral on most nights, but during a fever the tester woke uncomfortably warm, and flipping it gave only a few moments of relief before the other side warmed up^[2].

Soft foam that closes around your cheek and ear puts more material against your face on your side, and the face is especially sensitive to heat (see why side sleepers feel the heat). If you run warm, you have two Tempur-Pedic options: the cooling-cover upgrade^[2], or the TEMPUR-Cloud Dual Cooling, which adds gel to both faces and a cotton cover^[13]. For pillows built around airflow, see our cooling guide.

It arrives ready to use, packs small for travel, and only the cover goes in the wash. The pillow ships wrapped in plastic but not vacuum packed, and Tom's Guide noticed no off-gassing^[2]. If yours does smell, Tempur-Pedic suggests airing it for several days and rolling it up tightly to push the odor out^[14].

Tempur-Pedic lists it as easily compressed for travel^[1]. Tom's Guide's tester doubted that, then found it rolled into a compact bundle and returned to shape soon after unpacking^[2]. That sets it apart from the firmer TEMPUR-Neck, which Tempur-Pedic says not to keep tightly compressed for long^[9].

For the cover, Tempur-Pedic recommends a cold machine wash and a cool dryer setting, with air drying best. Don't over-dry it, and skip chlorine and harsh stain removers^[1]. Never wash the foam itself. To freshen it, take off the cover, roll the pillow like a sleeping bag, unroll it, then roll it the other way^[15]. Because the foam can't be washed, a zippered protector is worth adding (see memory foam care).

You get five years of defect coverage but no trial, so settle the height question before you buy. The Cloud carries Tempur-Pedic's 5-year limited warranty^[1]. It covers foam that splits or cracks, and foam whose cells break down so it no longer returns to its original shape. It doesn't cover the normal softening of TEMPUR material^[16]. For a soft pillow that distinction is practical: a dent that fills back in is normal, while one that stays put may be a claim. Tom's Guide found the build holding up well after a month, but says the dips may become more pronounced as the pillow ages^[2].

Coverage applies to the original buyer from Tempur-Pedic or an authorized retailer^[16], so check who the seller is. Tempur-Pedic accepts pillow returns only if the item arrives damaged or has a defect^[17], and Reviewed calls that policy unforgiving^[8]. Other stores set their own return terms^[18], so read the listing before you sleep on it.

Reviewers rate it well as a back and stomach pillow and mostly point side sleepers elsewhere. Sleep Foundation names it the best overall Tempur-Pedic pillow, with a test lab score of 8.5 out of 10, and calls it a strong option for back and stomach sleepers^[7]. Sleepopolis scores it 4.5 out of 5 and finds it versatile enough for every position^[5]. Tom's Guide rates it four stars but replaced it as its memory foam pick, saying it's too thin for side sleeping^[19].

Stomach sleeping is where they disagree most. Tom's Guide's stomach-sleeping tester woke without neck strain^[2], and Sleepopolis found the foam compressed enough to avoid craning^[5]. Reviewed's stomach sleeper found it pushed her head up at an uncomfortable angle, and Reviewed recommends against it for that position^[8]. Tempur-Pedic itself designs it for stomach sleepers^[1], so it's a sensible fit if you have a small frame and split the night between your side and stomach.

Two naming traps. NBC Select's pressure-relief pick for neck pain is the TEMPUR-Cloud Adjustable, a different pillow filled with shredded foam^[20,6], and Sleep Foundation's Tempur pick for side sleepers is that Adjustable model too^[7]. Neither award applies to this solid pillow. Our owner data can't isolate the Cloud either: the Tempur-Pedic group mixes it with the TEMPUR-Neck, TEMPUR-Ergo and unnamed models^[21], so we don't chart owner sentiment on this page.

Pick the Cloud for a soft, low, no-fuss foam pillow. Pick an adjustable pillow if you need more height or want to try before you commit.

• TEMPUR-Neck: Tempur's firm contour pillow, sold in three heights by shoulder width^[9]. Better for side sleepers with neck pain who like firm support.
• TEMPUR-Cloud Dual Cooling: taller at 6.4 in, with a medium feel, gel on both faces and a cotton cover^[13]. The better Tempur fit for average shoulders and hot sleepers.
• Coop Eden and Coop Original Adjustable: shredded foam you add or remove, so you can go from low to tall. The Eden is the softer of the two. Coop offers a 100-day return window on orders placed with Coop, though not on Amazon orders^[22].
• Layla Kapok: a soft, moldable blend of shredded foam and kapok that you can lower by removing fill. It's our pick if you want the Cloud's softness with adjustable height.

Buy the TEMPUR-Cloud if you're a petite or narrow-shouldered side sleeper, you also sleep on your back or stomach, and you like a slow, sinking foam feel. Skip it if your shoulders are average or broad, you sleep on a firm mattress, you run hot, or you want the option to return a pillow that doesn't work.