We include products we think are useful for our readers. If you buy through links on this page, we may earn a small commission. Here’s our process.
Eight Sleep isn’t just a mattress brand. From its 2015 entry into the bed-in-a-box market, the self-described “sleep fitness” company has worked to create mattresses that promote better sleep.
Good sleep, experts agree, is the key to good health. Eight Sleep mattresses incorporate unique technology to offer benefits designed to improve sleep: temperature regulation, breathability, pressure relief, and a vibrating alarm for quiet, gentle waking.
If you’ve heard about Eight Sleep and want to learn more about the intersection between technology and sleep, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve got an in-depth look at all three of the brand’s mattresses below.
Pros and cons of Eight Sleep mattresses
Here’s a quick look at the key highlights of the Eight Sleep mattress line:
Pros
- Temperature regulation. Many reviewers see the advanced cooling technology as this mattress line’s primary benefit.
- Control over your sleep experience. The Eight Sleep app allows you to adjust mattress temperature (separately for each side) and your wake time from your smartphone.
- Designed for comfort. Each Pod mattress consists of several breathable foam layers designed to support you and relieve pressure.
- Research-driven construction. Eight Sleep says they work with a team of sleep health experts and researchers to develop mattress technology aimed at improving sleep health.
Cons
- Price. The cheapest version of this mattress, a full-size basic Pod, comes in at just under $2,300.
- Limited size and base options. Eight Sleep mattresses come in full, queen, king, and California king sizes. If you currently sleep on a twin or twin XL bed, you’ll need to upgrade your frame in order to use this mattress. You can place your mattress on a slatted base or box spring, but the company doesn’t recommend adjustable bases.
- Limited firmness options. The mattresses have a medium-firm feel. The Pro and Pro Max feature an additional foam topper for extra cushioning, so these beds may feel slightly softer. If you need a firmer bed, you may want to pass on the Pod series.
- Regular upkeep required. Water powers the heating and cooling technology in Eight Sleep mattresses, so you’ll need to refill the tank every few months.
- Weight limit. The Pod mattress has a weight limit of 500 pounds, so it may not be ideal for couples if both partners weigh around 250 pounds.
- Pets not recommended. Pod mattresses feature technology which can reportedly track your sleep, and the company explains that sleeping with pets could skew this data. The bed’s technology also involves a water mat, and longer claws could puncture or otherwise damage this cover.
Pricing guide
Eight Sleep Pod prices put them firmly in the luxury mattress category. Mid-range prices for a higher quality queen mattress generally fall into the neighborhood of $1,000 to $1,300. A queen Pod will cost almost twice that.
Many people consider a good mattress worth investing in, but this mattress may be out of reach for people on a budget.
Prices for the three Pod mattresses in queen size:
- $ = under $3,000
- $$ = over $3,000
Healthline’s reviews of the Eight Sleep Pod mattresses
The Pod
- Price: $
- Type: Foam
- Height: 11 inches
- Good for: Stomach, back, and combination sleepers
While the basic Pod mattress lacks the full range of technology you’ll find in the Pro and Pro Max, it still has several unique features.
For many, the primary appeal of the bed is the temperature control function. You can use the Eight Sleep app from your smartphone to set and adjust the bed’s temperature based on your sleep-wake schedule. You can also connect the Pod bed to smart home systems and products, including Alexa.
The Pod also offers sleep tracking* in its app, which you can customize separately for each side of the bed. The sleep tracking technology is similar to what you’d find from popular sleep tracking apps already available for iPhone and Android, but the data is collected from the bed rather than your smartphone, smartwatch, or other wearable sensor.
The bed itself consists of three layers of foam. This foam aims to provide body contouring, pressure relief, and spinal alignment while still offering elasticity and bounce, so you don’t feel stuck when trying to change positions.
On top of the foam rests the “Active Grid” layer, the source of the temperature control function. Based on your set preference, warm, cool, or temperature-neutral water flows into this grid from the hub to maintain the right temperature for sleep. (Yes, it uses water, but it’s nothing like a water bed.)
One drawback of this system is that you may feel this grid through the mattress cover. You might also notice a little more motion transfer than you would in a typical memory foam mattress.
Many reviewers love the temperature control and enjoy using the sleep tracking app, but several people say the bed itself feels too firm. Others note the weak edges of the mattress.
For the most part, though, people praise the Pod. Some people felt it wasn’t quite worth the price, but many say it improved their sleeping habits and overall sleep health.
*Note: Healthline does not currently endorse the Eight Sleep smart bed sleep tracking technology because we’re unable to validate its health claims. We provide more information on this below.
Buy The Pod online.
The Pod Pro & Pro Max
- Price: $$
- Type: Foam
- Height: 12 inches
- Good for: Side, back, and combination sleepers
The Pod Pro and Pro Max are essentially the same mattress. Both feature multiple layers of foam for comfort, including a foam topper sewn directly onto the mattress cover to provide extra cushioning.
The main difference in the construction of these mattresses is an additional layer of cooling in the Pro Max. The extra layer is made with foam infused with copper, graphite, and silver — many mattress brands use
Both mattresses come with the same technology, which has a few extra features not seen in the basic Pod. The water grid regulates temperature in the same way, but these Pods come equipped with sensors that are supposed to measure and respond to the surrounding temperature to help keep your bed comfortable for you.
They also feature a unique alarm designed to wake you up silently by vibrating and cooling or warming the mattress a few minutes before the alarm goes off.
Getting too warm can easily disrupt your sleep, and many reviewers confirm they sleep much better with the improved cooling technology. A few people do mention that the grid mat used to control temperature has little give, which they say makes the mattress somewhat uncomfortable.
Both the Pro and Pro Max make good options for side and combination sleepers, though the Pro may also work well for back sleepers and stomach sleepers with lower body weights.
Strict stomach sleepers and those who need a firm mattress likely won’t find the Pro supportive enough. The additional foam layer in the Pro Max makes it a bit softer, so it may be a better option for dedicated side sleepers and people who need more pressure relief.
Buy the Pod Pro or Pro Max online.
Where to buy Eight Sleep Pod mattresses
Eight Sleep Pod mattresses are currently only sold online.
The company does occasionally put the mattresses on sale and offer discount codes, so you may not necessarily pay full price. Eight Sleep also offers financing through Affirm.
How to choose your Eight Sleep Pod mattress
The three Pod mattresses are pretty similar in construction. If you’re trying to decide which version might work best for you, weighing these key differences can help.
Height
The Pod is 11 inches tall, which gives it an inch up on many standard 10-inch mattresses.
The Pod Pro and Max are both 12 inches tall. One inch may not seem like a huge difference — and it often isn’t — but it can provide some extra support and durability for people who need a sturdier bed. In some cases, this extra inch of foam also makes for a slightly softer mattress.
Foam
All three mattresses have an all-foam construction. The Pod has three layers of foam, the Pro has five, and the Pro Max has six. Additional layers help improve mattress durability, but they can also change how a mattress contours and cushions your body.
Different types of foam also help prevent that trapped-in-the-bed sensation associated with some memory foam mattresses. Since the Pro and Pro Max both have a layer of open-cell foam, these mattresses might feel slightly more elastic and responsive to movement.
Wondering about the other benefits of a foam mattress?
Foam aims to provide a soft, comfortable sleeping surface that can help relieve pressure and pain. Foam can also help isolate motion, so many couples prefer foam mattresses when one partner moves around a lot and the other is easily woken up.
Feel
According to Eight Sleep customer support, all three Pods fall into the medium firmness range, but they do have a slightly different feel. The basic Pod feels the firmest, while the Pro Max feels the softest. The Pro lies in the middle.
Keep in mind, though, that while the Pro Max might feel a little softer than the other two, it still isn’t considered a soft or plush mattress. Some reviewers found these mattresses uncomfortably firm, so that’s something to keep in mind if you prefer a soft bed.
Generally speaking, medium-firm mattresses work well for most people —
Still, sleep needs differ from person to person, and you might find a medium-firm mattress too soft or too hard. It’s most important to find a mattress that feels right to you, so the International Chiropractors Association suggests choosing the firmest mattress that still feels comfortable.
Health check technology
The Pro and Pro Max both offer a feature called Daily Health Check. This technology uses data from the sleep and heart rate variability tracking functions in the Pro and Pro Max mattresses to give you updates about these biometrics.
The company claims these features can offer information about your health and promote better wellness overall.
Note: Find Healthline’s position on these claims below.
Eight Sleep company reputation and transparency
Eight Sleep has a good company reputation, according to the following criteria:
- The company has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau.
- They haven’t been involved in any lawsuits related to business practices.
- Their products have not been recalled.
In the FAQ page of their website, Eight Sleep does break down the different foam layers in each of the Pods, but they don’t get into much detail on what the foam actually consists of.
They also don’t state clearly where the mattresses are made. We reached out to customer support for more information and learned the mattresses are made in the United States.
The foam used in Eight Sleep mattresses does meet federal flammability standards. It’s also certified by CertiPUR-US. This certification means the foam is free of toxic chemicals and meets emissions standards for indoor air quality.
Health claims
Along with the sleep tracking function found in the Pod, the Pro and Pro Max also offer a daily health report through the app.
According to the company, this report offers insight on your physical health based on information about your heart rate and breathing. Eight Sleep suggests these biometrics can offer information about the amount of sleep you need and how your sleep habits impact your health or ability to recover from illness.
Healthline can’t validate these claims, so we can’t endorse or recommend this technology. Eight Sleep may work with a team of experts and design their mattresses with your optimal sleep health in mind, but there’s still no scientific evidence to prove what they suggest their technology can do.
It’s always best to proceed with caution when you come across products claiming to improve health. When shopping for a new mattress, it’s generally more helpful to choose one that meets all or most of your sleep needs. Technology might be an added bonus, but at the end of the day, it alone won’t align your spine or support your back.
Other features of the app, such as breathing exercises, guided meditations, and soothing sleep sounds, can absolutely work well as part of a nightly winding down routine, especially for people who have trouble drifting off.
Eight Sleep reviews and customer service
In general, customers praise Eight Sleep’s customer service.
A few customers have raised concerns about the company failing to reply to return requests in a timely manner. Other customers, however, say Eight Sleep replied quickly and provided good support.
Many reviewers mention some glitches with the bed technology and app interface, and some people had trouble connecting it to their home wireless network. Others say the technology stopped working after a few years.
By and large, reviewers say Eight Sleep has great customer service, even when it takes time to get the technology working properly. People who reported leaks also say the company was quick to replace the mattress grid.
Getting your Eight Sleep mattress
The Pod mattresses arrive in two separate boxes. One box contains the compressed and rolled mattress. The second contains the technology hub.
It takes about 24 hours for the mattress to fully decompress, according to the company website. You do have the option to pay an additional fee for in-home unboxing and setup. If you choose this type of delivery, the delivery team will also take away your old mattress.
New foam mattresses often have a chemical smell that usually fades in a day or two. No customer reviews mention off-gassing, but you could still notice a faint odor, especially if you’re sensitive to smells.
Eight Sleep return policy
When shopping for a mattress online, you can’t take it for a test snooze in the showroom, so it’s important to choose a mattress with a solid return policy. Carefully review the policy before you purchase so you won’t be surprised by fees later.
If your new Pod doesn’t work out, you have 100 days to return it for a full refund. Returns are free and Eight Sleep will help you make arrangements to donate the mattress.
To get started with a return, you’ll need to contact customer support through email with your order number, so keep that when you make your purchase.
The 10-year limited warranty for the mattress covers body indentations deeper than an inch, along with any product flaws or defects. Note that some mattress warranties require you to use a certain type of base with the mattress, so it’s important to double-check before purchasing.
The Pod technology has a separate warranty of 2 years.
Takeaway
The Eight Sleep Pod offers a unique sleep experience that may appeal to people who love the latest technology, want to sleep cooler, and need a lot of control over their sleep experience.
The Pods do offer a lot in the way of temperature regulation, but they don’t come cheap. If you don’t need all the tech, consider these alternate options for cooling mattresses.
Crystal Raypole has previously worked as a writer and editor for GoodTherapy. Her fields of interest include Asian languages and literature, Japanese translation, cooking, natural sciences, sex positivity, and mental health. In particular, she’s committed to helping decrease stigma around mental health issues.
0 Comments