Likely match
Rise
Maximum lift for broad shoulders
- Loft @ 50 N
- 125 mm
- Firmness (IFD25)
- 90–110 N
- Family
- side
Next pick if Rise feels off: Lift Plus.
Custom pillow · Broad shoulders
A pillow built for the head-to-mattress gap broad shoulders create.
Standard side-sleeper pillows top out around 110 mm of measured height. Broad-shouldered side sleepers usually need 118 mm or more. The Rise profile is built for that geometry.
Measured pillow heightMade in Canada90-day fit trial
Quick answer
Broad-shouldered side sleepers need more loft than average — typically 118–130 mm of measured pillow height under a 50 N load. Most off-the-shelf pillows simply don't go that tall, which is why broad-shouldered sleepers often end up stacking pillows or putting an arm under the pillow as a workaround. Maple's Rise profile is built specifically for this range.
The problem
Why standard pillows fall short for broad shoulders
The wider your shoulder, the bigger the gap between the side of your head and the mattress when you lie down. Most pillows are designed for an average-shouldered side sleeper — they top out around 100–110 mm, which is exactly where broad-shouldered sleepers' problems start.
- Most "firm" pillows still cap at average-loft heights
- Stacking is unstable and shifts overnight
- Adjustable pillows can hit the height — but compress out of it within hours
- Arm-under-pillow is the silent compensation almost everyone defaults to
- Broad shoulders → +10 mm baseline
- Firm mattress → +6 mm
- Arm-under habit → +6 mm
- Long neck → +4 mm of additional fill
Fit logic
How the fit logic adapts
The Maple quiz applies a +10 mm shoulder-breadth adjustment for broad shoulders. Combined with mattress firmness (firm = +6 mm) and any compensation behaviors, the recommendation often pushes well past 120 mm.
Recommended profile
Recommended profile
The Rise profile is Maple's tallest measured-height pillow — built for broad-shouldered side sleepers. The foam is tuned firmer at the higher load points (IFD65 between 210 and 260 N) so the loft doesn't collapse when the full weight of the head settles in. The Lift Plus profile is the next step down if Rise feels like overkill.
Profile: Loft: high · Feel: firm-supportive · Best for: broad-shouldered side sleepers and stomach-down-and-side-back combo sleepers with broad frames
See the Rise profileWhat to avoid
What to avoid
- Any pillow described as standard side-sleeper loft — likely 100–110 mm
- Down or down-alternative pillows — they don't hold the height
- Two stacked pillows — unstable and the second pillow won't behave
- Soft adjustable fills — they compress out of the right range fast
Frequently asked
Broad shoulders questions, answered.
How tall should a pillow be for broad shoulders?
Around 118–130 mm of measured height under a 50 N load, depending on mattress firmness and neck length. Maple's Rise profile is built for the upper end of this range; Lift Plus covers the lower end.
Should broad-shouldered sleepers stack two pillows?
It's a workaround, not a fix. Stacking is unstable, the two pillows behave differently overnight, and the top pillow often slides. A single pillow built to the correct height is structurally better.
Will a softer mattress reduce the pillow loft I need?
Yes — slightly. A softer mattress lets the shoulder sink more, which closes the head-to-mattress gap by 5–10 mm. The Maple quiz adjusts the recommendation by ±8 mm for soft vs. firm mattresses.
Ready to confirm the fit?
The fit quiz takes about 60 seconds.
Eight inputs, one specific match, a 90-day fit trial if it isn't right.