If I asked 100 people if they’d like better sleep, I’m sure that most would say a resounding “Yes!”
Whether you’re a light sleeper who’s easily disturbed by the slightest noise (me) or a parent who keeps one ear open for the kids all night (also me), most of us have problems getting enough sleep at some point.
I’ve been using the Eight Sleep Pod 3 cover on my bed for about 18 months, and it’s been a real game changer.
Let’s take a look at the Eight Sleep Pod cover and how it can help you achieve a more restful night’s sleep.
What is Eight Sleep?
The Eight Sleep system’s sleep technology helps you track your sleep patterns and increase the amount of restorative sleep you get.
Temperature is one of the main factors affecting sleep quality. Eight Sleep helps you achieve better sleep patterns by automatically altering the temperature of your mattress throughout the night.
Essentially, it’s a temperature-controlled mattress cover that turns your existing mattress into a heating and cooling mattress. The cover has thin water tubes running across its surface and hooks up to the “Hub,” a tank that looks a bit like a desktop computer tower.
The Hub pumps water through the tubes, automatically heating and cooling the water to control the surface temperature across the Eight Sleep mattress cover.
The Eight Sleep App
The Eight Sleep mattress cover stands out from other similar devices thanks to its AI Autopilot mobile app. This allows the Eight Sleep system to adjust your bed’s temperature automatically to give you a better night’s sleep.
The smart mattress cover monitors your breath rate, heart rate, and movement patterns. It then uses your sleep data to make real time adjustments throughout the night, which helps you maximize the quality of your sleep.
So, if your room is a little on the cool side, the AI will register this temperature difference and pipe warm water into your Eight Sleep mattress cover. If the ambient temperature in your room is too warm for optimal sleep, the AI will cool your mattress cover to reduce your core body temperature.
Autopilot is a paid app which costs $17 per month. You must take out a subscription for at least 1 year after purchasing the Eight Sleep Pod. If you cancel the subscription after that, you’ll lose access to some of the app’s best features.
If you’re a bit of a stats geek, you can use the app to track your overall sleep fitness score, and health metrics like your heart rate variability and breathing rate. It also tracks the time you spend in sleep stages like REM sleep or deep sleep, as well as your sleep latency, which is how long you take to fall asleep.
The Autopilot mode takes account of your sleep over the previous three days, so it takes a while to give you an accurate sleep fitness score.
Setting up the Eight Sleep
Setting up the Eight Sleep Pod is pretty easy, and it only took me about half an hour.
First, you need to put on the Eight Sleep smart mattress cover, which fits over your mattress like any other cover. You might want to put a waterproof mattress protector underneath the Eight Sleep in case of leaks.
It’s worth taking some time to consider where to place the slim, flexible tube that connects the mattress cover to the Hub. Positioning it at the head of your bed allows you to place the Hub by your nightstand, making night-time access easy.
Next, you connect the tube to the Hub, and you’re ready to add water. The Hub’s water tank holds about 2 liters or 4 pints of water, and you’ll need to add half before leaving it for 10 minutes to let any air bubbles escape.
The Eight Sleep app will prompt you to add the rest of the water. Once you’ve left it for another 10 minutes and any remaining air has escaped, you’re ready to try out your Eight Sleep Pod cover.
When you set up the Eight Sleep, you’ll need to add some personal details to the mobile app. This includes your age, biological sex, preferred sleeping temperature, sleep schedule, and whether you sleep alone or share the bed. The Autopilot AI will use this information and the stats it tracks to determine the ideal temperature for your mattress.
Advantages of the Eight Sleep Pod
Whether you’re trying to improve your sleep score or just want a more comfortable night’s sleep, the Eight Sleep Pod makes getting good quality sleep easy.
Flexible Temperature Control
One of the things I love about the Eight Sleep Pod is that you can set your bed to the perfect temperature for each sleep scenario.
For example, you might like to climb into a warm, cozy bed at night but prefer a cooler bed for a refreshing daytime nap. The Eight Sleep app makes setting the temperature easy, so your bed is always at the most comfortable temperature.
The app’s Autopilot feature will even adjust the temperature of your bed throughout the night to give you more restful sleep.
Hot Flashes and Perimenopause / Menopause Support
I’m tiptoeing into perimenopause, and boy do the early reports from friends sound like fun! Kidding, kidding. This was not at all on my radar when I was investing in the 8 Sleep, but I’m patting myself on the back for having one now.
Though I am yet to have them myself, reviewers talk about how life-changing it is for sleep quality in perimenopause, particularly with hot flashes. Because the bed automatically adjusts to your changing temperature, it makes night sweats and hot flashes significantly less disruptive to your sleep.
An added benefit is that because the pod can be temperature controlled on both sides of the bed (more on this below), you can set yours to be an icebox and your partner can have theirs at a cozy temperature if they prefer. I look forward to this making a huge difference in my sleep quality in the coming years!
Personalised Temperatures
If you share a bed with your partner, you’ll know how difficult it can be to get the bed temperature just right for both of you.
Maybe you’re a hot sleeper who has restless nights due to hot flashes and night sweats, but your partner feels the cold and wants to pile on extra bedding.
The Eight Sleep can adjust the temperature on each half of the bed, tailoring it to each individual’s sleep preferences. You can each set up your own Autopilot account to track your sleep stats and control your side of the bed.
Silent Alarm Features
Eight Sleep’s vibration alarm feature is a nice alternative to standard audio alarms and sunrise alarms. You simply set your wake time in the app, and the mattress pad will gently vibrate to wake you up the next morning.
It’s not like being violently shaken awake, more like the buzzing of a mobile phone on silent. You can turn the alarm off via the mobile app or by tapping the control pad on the side of the version 4 mattress pad.
The Eight Sleep Pod also has a thermal alarm function that wakes you by gradually warming or cooling the bed temperature. It’s effective, but some people find it an unpleasant way to start the day!
As with the temperature control, the mobile app subscription allows you to set separate thermal or vibrational alarms for each side of the bed.
Disadvantages of the Eight Sleep Pod
I love the Eight Sleep and think it’s definitely improved my sleep pattern, but there are a few potential downsides. It’s worth mentioning that I have the Eight Sleep version 3, and the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra apparently fixes some of these issues. However, I haven’t tried that version yet.
Adjusting the temperature at night
Finding the perfect sleeping temperature can take some trial and error, and you might need to change it during the night if the outside temperature changes.
If you wake up in the night and feel too hot or too cold, the only way to change the temperature on the Pod version 3 is to open up your app and manually adjust the temperature. The light from your phone can make you feel more alert, which isn’t ideal for getting a good night’s sleep.
Eight Sleep’s app is the easiest way to set the mattress temperature. If you have the Eight Sleep version 4, you can also tap a spot on each side of the mattress, but from what I’ve heard, that can be a bit hit or miss. It’s a convenient way to change the temperature without using your phone, but it doesn’t seem to work all the time.
However, using the control pad on the latest version of the Pod might not disturb your sleep as much as the mobile app.
Noise from the Pod
Some users have a problem with the low electronic humming from the machine when it’s switched on. I wouldn’t describe the Pod as noisy, but you can certainly hear it running. The Eight Sleep version 4 is marketed as quieter than the version I am using, so it looks like they’ve improved that a lot.
The noise doesn’t really bother me, and it is certainly not enough to stop me from using the Eight Sleep.
Thickness of the pad
Again, I haven’t experienced this myself, but some users feel that the version 3 cover is a little too thick and changes the feel of your mattress. If someone’s invested in a high-quality mattress, I can understand their problem with this.
Personally, I don’t feel like I’ve really noticed this issue. If you’re worried about this, the Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra is advertised as being thinner than version 3.
My Eight Sleep Experience
I’ve never really felt like I need a sleep tracker to tell me whether I’ve slept poorly or had 8 glorious hours of good sleep. I can already tell whether I feel well-rested when I get up in the morning.
However, I’ve been impressed by the Eight Sleep from the first night.
Setting up the mattress cover and Pod is straightforward, although you need to think about where you’ll place the Pod. I also found setting up the Eight Sleep mobile app was very easy, and the AI soon started to learn my sleep habits and adjust the temperatures to give me the best sleep possible.
The temperature changes take place seamlessly in the background, so I didn’t really think I was experiencing much of a difference until I slept in a different bed without the Eight Sleep.
Even if the mattress is identical to the one on my own bed, I don’t sleep as well, and I genuinely believe it’s because of the Eight Sleep.
Is the Eight Sleep worth it?
First of all, I have to say that the Eight Sleep is pretty expensive. If you buy the Pod 3 to fit a King bed, the price tag will be $2495, and that rises to $2799 for the Pod 4 for a King bed.
The Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra costs $4899 for a King bed. However, that cost includes a special bed frame with an adjustable base. You can adjust the mattress for differing sleeping and reading patterns, which can also benefit snorers.
On top of these costs, there is a monthly subscription of $17 per month to access the AI Autopilot features like vibrational alarms and automatic temperature adjustments. Of course, that subscription is optional, but if you’re spending $3000-$5000 on a sleep system, you’ll probably want to get the full benefit from it.
If you’re looking for a lower price alternative, the Chilipad Dock Pro is worth checking out.
But ultimately, the Eight Sleep Pod cover has been a really useful tool, and my sleep quality has improved significantly since I started using it. I think its combination of a temperature-control system and sleep tracking app is well worth the investment.
Overall, I really love it! Want to know what other investments I’m making into health and wellness? Check out my review of the Plunge All In cold plunge tub to see if it’s worth the huge price tag.
