Zzz
This TikTok-Viral Pillow Is Loved By Celebs, Athletes — & Me
There’s a reason it keeps selling out.
When it comes to getting good sleep, I don’t mess around. If there’s a viral gadget, blanket, or pillow that promises to help me fall asleep faster or stay asleep longer, I have to know about it. It’s all part of my mission to turn my room into a sanctuary and my bed into the perfect nest.
Right now, the must-have sleep essential is the Sleep Crown, a viral pillow that’s been making the rounds on TikTok, wellness wishlists, and with celebs. On TikTok, creator @jadennedwardsss got the pillow as a gift, and her review went viral. “As a cozy girl, as a sleepy girl, as a loving-to-lay girl, this is the best thing I’ve ever gotten in my whole entire life,” she said in the clip.
When @fallinginfantasy posted about her Sleep Crown, she said it was so soft it seemed like “something from the spiritual realm.” Meanwhile, @priaribi said it “turned the volume down” in her brain and helped her fall asleep almost instantly. This soft, squishy pillow is even a fave of celebs like Cameron Brink, Natalie Morales, and Emma Roberts, who have all gushed about the way it improves their sleep game.
If it’s good enough for a WNBA star, actors, and the many girlies of TikTok, I figured it was worth a try. Here’s my honest review of the Sleep Crown.
Fast Facts
- Price: $209
- Best for: Getting cozy, sleeping while traveling, blocking noise and light
- My rating: 4/5
- What I like: Super soft material, from a woman-owned small business, handmade
- What I don't like: Not budget-friendly
What To Know About Sleep Crown
Sleep Crown is the very first pillow made with the intention of wearing it on top of your head. Instead of resting on it, like you would with a traditional pillow, you drape it across your forehead like a crown. It’s designed to block light, muffle noise, and create a tucked-in feeling so you can sleep well at night, when traveling, or while napping during the day.
The brand was founded in 2017 by Julie Westervelt, a restorative yoga teacher who spent a lot of time studying relaxation techniques. She realized one of the best ways to calm the nervous system is by adding a little weight on top of your body, and so Sleep Crown was born.
This pillow covers your eyes and ears so you feel cocooned. According to Dr. Chelsie Rohrscheib, the head of sleep research at Wesper, that swaddling effect can signal to your body that it’s time to rest. It also reduces your light exposure, which in turn increases melatonin production — an important hormone that regulates your sleep cycle.
The fact it covers your ears is also key. “When we fall asleep, the brain needs to disengage from external stimuli, including sound,” Rohrscheib tells Bustle. “In a noisy environment, this process becomes much more difficult, as the brain continues to monitor and respond to incoming noise. This ongoing stimulation can prevent neural activity from slowing down and transitioning into the quieter, low-activity state required for sleep.”
The Sleep Crown comes in a medium-size "classic" and a smaller "travel" pillow, and the brand also makes a regular pillow, a body pillow, and a sleep mask. They come in cute colors, including a soft brown, charcoal, and a pink stripe, and work well for side, back, and stomach sleepers.
The original Sleep Crown goes for over $200, but it’s important to note that it all comes from a small business and all of their pillows are made by hand by seamstresses in Austin, Texas, so they can only make so many a week. It means they sell out fast, but don’t worry: there are weekly restocks every Tuesday.
Trying It Out
Just like everyone on TikTok, I was so excited to unbox this pillow. And as expected, the first thing I noticed was how incredibly soft it is. Sleep Crowns are filled with a vegan down that feels like “cotton candy and a marshmallow fell in love and had a baby,” according to their website.
They aren’t kidding. I was almost shocked by the squishiness. It reminds me of that trusty pillow you’ve had all your life that’s perfectly smooshed and worn in, only this one’s pristine and achieves that texture without wear and tear.
The bamboo jersey pillowcase is incredibly smooth and cool to the touch, which is perfect for me as a hot sleeper. The night I received the Sleep Crown, I plopped it on my head and almost immediately felt my nervous system let out a sign of relief. The light was gone, my apartment sounds were dulled, and it really did allow my brain to slow down.
Unlike an eye mask, which straps to your head and can be kind of annoying, I like that this pillow simply rests in place on its own. The drape of it allows it to fully melt around my head, so it fills in all the gaps where light might sneak in. And since I have the “classic” size, it’s big enough that I can tuck it in around my ears.
As a stomach sleeper, I’ve been resting on my main pillow and letting the Sleep Crown do its thing on top of my head. There’s a cut-out at the bottom so it doesn’t cover my nose or mouth — and it has just enough weight to stay in place without making me feel trapped. The set up is ideal, and I’ve been sleeping like a rock.
This pillow has also come in clutch in the daylight. One Saturday, I took a little disco nap before meeting up with friends, and fell asleep so much faster than usual thanks to the way it blocked light and sound.
The Takeaway
If you’re serious about getting good rest, this pillow might be the perfect addition to your sleep routine. It blocks light, muffles sound, and makes you feel cool and comforted. The price is a little steep, but when you think about how its handmade — and that you spend 1/3 of your life in bed — it suddenly hits that “cost per use” happy-medium.
