A Deep Dive into one of 2019?s Most Popular Sleep Aids

Anyone who has experienced trouble getting a good night?s sleep knows just how damaging it can be to your day-to-day life. Poor sleep can change the way you experience life, from how engaged you are in a conversation with a friend to how well you are performing in the workplace. In addition, the National Sleep Foundation?s Sleep Health Index has established that there is a significant link between bad sleep and low life satisfaction.
RELATED READ: “Achieving a Healthier Diet Through Better Sleep”
Perhaps it is unsurprising that a growing number of Americans are taking steps to improve the quality of their sleep. I?ll let you know right now: I?m one of them.
While the pharmaceutical industry has developed a range of medications designed to tackle the issue, many of us are intent on solving the problem without all the unwanted side effects. And as if answering our collective prayer, The Purple Pillow has arrived, and it just might be the biggest thing to happen to sleep-deprived individuals since sheep counting.
Below, we are going to take an in-depth look at what makes the Purple Pillow unique, as well as see just how real these claims are that the Purple Pillow can lead to longer, deeper sleep.
How I Found the Purple Pillow
I?ve spent a good portion of my life sleeping on pillows that were too hard, too soft, or too hot to get a good night?s sleep on. People like me are often called ?picky? because no matter how much we toss and turn, it?s next to impossible to find a comfortable way to rest your head.
Enter the Purple Pillow. Upon first glance the Purple Pillow was just so ? purple. From the moment I opened the box I knew that it wasn?t like anything that had existed before. All of the sudden there was this new pillow that looked like some kind of retro alien science project, and yet, I immediately wanted to rest my head on it, as if it were calling out to me with promises of a long awaited slumber.
There was a potent yet fleeting rubbery aroma upon opening the box, but fears of a lingering odor quickly faded as the pillow had a few minutes to air out. You can?t help but rub and knead the surface of the pillow with your hands. You can tell that the grid-style construction is something that has simply not existed before.
So then, how did the Purple Pillow do in an actual sleep trial? First, let?s take a look at exactly what?s going on inside the Purple Pillow that makes it so unique.
The Purple Pillow: An Introductory Overview
If you haven?t heard of the Purple Pillow, don?t feel bad. It?s a relatively new product that has been gaining popularity with all kinds of different sleepers, because of its reputation for offering increased support and unmatched ventilation. Here?s the skinny on just how they make that possible:
Hyper-Elastic Polymer Technology
A ?regular? pillow is essentially just a sack with cotton or feathers stuffed into it. As simple as that is, it?s a design that has lasted for millennia. But with all the new technology coming into our world, isn?t it time to give the old fashioned pillow a bit of an update?
Purple?s patented Hyper-Elastic Polymer is the key to the performance of all their products. It might sound like a bunch of marketing mumbo-jumbo, but it?s a pretty cool technology that is both surprisingly soft and remarkably durable. When the engineers behind this technology discovered that it was capable of ?relaxing? under pressure points while remaining rigid in other areas, the polymer?s true purpose was revealed.
Smart Comfort Grid Construction
The next step in creating the Purple Pillow is molding the Hyper-Elastic Polymer into a specially designed grid system. This is one of the ways that the Purple Pillow is able to provide such reliable neck support, without being as hard or unforgiving as a memory foam sleeping pillow.
The Smart Comfort Grid is also responsible for a dramatic decrease in overnight temperature. The open segments work to dissipate heat throughout the night, creating a truly temperature-neutral sleeping experience. As someone who is constantly opening and closing the window to regulate my temperature, this is nothing less than a revelation.

So Who Exactly is the Purple Pillow For?
Personally, I was interested in the Purple Pillow because of the reputation the product had for ventilation. I run pretty hot when I sleep, so down pillows are out of the question unless I want to wake up drenched in sweat. The grid-style construction of the Purple Pillow keeps the air moving, which actually kept me asleep for longer. But the truth is that the Purple Pillow does a lot more than just that. In fact, it?s also perfect for people who:
- Are constantly having to flip the pillow over because it?s too got
- Have to swap pillows in the middle of the night because they get too flat or ?deflated?
- Have a hard time finding real, contoured neck support in a pillow
Purple Pillow
Pros
- Unmatched shape & form retention
- Very ?cool? sleeper with excellent heat & moisture wicking
- Appropriate for all kinds of sleepers (Back / Side / Front / Toss & Turn)
Cons
- Significantly increased weight compared to a regular pillow
- Distinct initial chemical smell
- Only available in one size
Do I need to have sleep problem to use the Purple Pillow?
Absolutely not! One of the Purple Pillow?s strengths is its ability to satisfy all kinds of different head and neck types. In fact, the purple pillow is also a great knee pillow for people who like to sleep on their side but want to avoid developing hip problems. It also makes a great bed for a small dog!
The Purple Pillow Construction Materials
Now it?s time to get into the nitty-gritty of precisely what this pillow is made of, and whether or not these material and design considerations might have a direct effect on how this pillow is performing for you.
Smart Comfort Grid (Hyper-Elastic Polymer)
The Smart Comfort Grid is just another name for the main structure of the pillow itself. This is the ?purple? that everyone has been talking about, and it is most likely what you have seen in online advertising. The grid itself is constructed of what the company calls a Hyper-Elastic Polymer. And while it might sound super ?sciencey?, the reality of it is actually quite simple.
Remember that stretchy stuff we talked about that was responsible for the unique softness and durability of the Purple Pillow? What is that stuff made of anyways?
We did a little digging. It turns out that this hyper-elastic polymer is about 98% polymer and 2% polyester. How exactly they managed to blend those two materials into something this comfortable is somewhat beyond me, but hey, I?m not a scientist. I?m just a guy looking for a better pillow, and this looked like the best place to start. After sleeping on dense foam for so many years at my doctor?s advice, I am more than ready to give synthetics a chance.
Hyperstretch Mesh Cover
While the manufacturer has spent an awful lot of time advertising that this pillow is PURPLE, we want to take the time to inform you that purchasing the Purple Pillow will not be forcing you commit a design faux pas. After all, who could possibly make the color purple work alongside the bold earth tones of your bedroom set?
Every Purple Pillow comes with its own Hyperstretch Mesh Cover, which acts as a neutral-toned barrier between that strange spacey purple material and the rest of your bedroom. The cover is made from a polyester bamboo blend, which has the dual purpose of breathability and protection as it envelopes the pillow in a material than can not only wick moisture but is fully washable and tear resistant.
Looking for a lighter pillow? Take a look at our review of the MyPillow pillow.
Should I use A Pillowcase with my Purple Pillow?
While the Purple Pillow comes with its own removable and washable cover, there is no reason that you couldn’t use this alongside your favorite pillowcase.
Quality Overview: Is the Purple Pillow a Great Value?
I?m going to be honest, I didn?t know diddly-squat about any hyper-elastic polymers before deciding to investigate what the Purple Pillow was all about. In addition, I have never encountered a pillow that isn?t either A.) A bunch of feathers stuffed into a sack, or B.) A rectangle chunk of dense foam. But it is clear from hands-on inspection that this is no cheap item. The grid-style construction has a lot of flex, but the shape retention is so good it?s almost eerie. The hyperstretch cover is all you really need to keep the inner workings of the Purple Pillow protected perfectly, but an additional pillowcase certainly wouldn?t hurt.
Travel Pillows: Looking for Something Smaller?
The Purple Pillow isn?t exactly a paradigm of portability. If you?re interested in finding something a little smaller and more compact, click on over to learn more about the Trtl Travel Pillow and the Trtl Pillow Plus, two products that we?ve recently reported on.
The Purple Pillow vs. Standard Pillows: Should You Upgrade?
Look: we get it. Pillows are an extremely personal thing. Everyone?s sleep preferences are different, not to mention the widely varying shape of spine, neck, & head shapes, so a person?s pillow preferences are possibly the most intimate thing about them. And why shouldn?t it be? It is estimated that over the course of one?s lifetime they will spend approximately 229,961 hours with their heads on top of a pillow.
So why is everyone still stuffing their pillowcases with prickly feathers, flattened cotton, or chunky microfoam? The world has changed a lot over the last few thousand years. It just seems to us that the pillow should be advancing alongside it.
SCOPE THE COMPETITION: 2019 MyPillow Product Review
Conclusion: Our Honest Opinion on the Purple Pillow
We have to admit that initially we were somewhat turned off by the strange, alien-like purple structure that arrived in the mail. We had assumed that the whole thing was just a shtick, as so many ?miracle sleep aids? have turned out to be over the years.
But it?s always nice to be surprised. For all its aesthetic strangeness, the Purple Pillow actually delivers on its claim to be more supportive and more form retentive than just about any pillow you have experienced. For people like me who have trouble getting adequate neck support, this pillow is an absolute lifesaver. It wasn?t as firm or unforgiving as some of the dense foam pillows I have tried over the years, yet it offered more support that the super-soft down pillows that you tend to find in most hotel rooms.
But you don?t have to have neck problems like mine in order to experience the kind of elevated experience that the Purple Pillow offers. For one thing, no other pillow can offer this kind of heat and moisture wicking. This means that your pillow stays cool and dry throughout the night.
Subsequently, if we spotted one drawback to the Purple Pillow, it would be the weight. As the kind of sleeper who likes to toss and turn a lot, it is difficult to wrangle a 10 lbs. pillow into the desired position without effort. However, it is important to remember that a big part of sleep comfort is personal preference, so one person might not experience the Purple Pillow the same way that you or I do. To complicate things, it takes months of sleep-tracking to establish changes in our personal norm, so the beneficial properties of any sleep aid might not be immediately apparent.
The Purple Pillow Review $99
The Purple Pillow Product Summary
Well we?re pretty much sold. The Purple Pillow delivers on each of its principal promises:
- Unmatched form retention for all-night head and neck support
- Grid-style inner-construction for incredible ventilation & cooling
- The ability to suit a number of different kinds of sleeper
The fact that it?s a bulky 10 pounds is one we can forgive in light of the pillows incredible performance.
Pros
- Form retention
- Ventilation
- Versatility
Cons
- Weight (10 LBS)