With technology advancing by the minute and unbelievable amounts of data being processed with minimal effort, it is no surprise that a smart mattress is now a thing that people can, quite easily, buy for their smart homes. Smart beds and smart mattresses are still relatively new on the market but their features are already quite impressive and the market is growing steadily with positive predictions for the future.
We have looked at some of the smartest mattresses that exist today to see exactly what these can offer, how much they cost and what value they can bring to our daily lives. What seemed impossible a few years ago is today a reality for those who can afford it and as with most technology, it becomes cheaper over time.
Note: none of these mattresses are currently available in the UK but we're guessing it won't be long until these, or similar, models will be available here as well.
(Important Facts, Studies, Advice, Considerations & FAQs In Conclusion)
| MATTRESS | FEATURES | APP | TRIAL & WARRANTY | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eight Sleep Pod Pro Mattress | Dual-Zone Temperature-regulation, GentleRise, Sleep Stats | Included | 100 Nights 10 Years | ≈£2,031 |
| ReST Original Smart Bed | Customisable dual firmness, Sleep Stats | Included | 90 Nights 10 Years | ≈£2,944 |
| Emma Motion Smart Mattress | Automatic support adjustment based on sleeping position, Cooling | NA | 100 Nights 10 Years | ≈£2,107 |
| Sleep Number 360 iLE Limited Edition Smart Mattress | Dual-Zone Temperature-regulation, Sleep Stats | Included | 100 Nights 15 Years | ≈£3,416 |
1. Eight Sleep Pod Pro Mattress
| HIGHLIGHTS | SUITABILITY |
|---|---|
| • Tracks your biometrics and provides sleep stats • GentleRise technology • 100-day trial and 10-year warranty | • People interested in a deeper insight into their sleep • Those looking for a high-tech mattress • Couples with different temperature preferences |
The Pod mattresses from Eight sleep are some of the most advanced smart mattresses out there as of today. The Pod Pro mattress is a 5-layer foam mattress, all certified by Certi-PUR, that comes packed with a bunch of smart features while looking sleek and elegant. The heart of the Pod is the water-powered hub that lets cooled or heated water flow to the Active Grid layer which sits just underneath the cover of the mattress.
The Active Grid receives the water from the hub and can help keep you at your ideal temperature while providing pressure relief. It also has sensors that can track both the temperature and climate, as well as your biometrics, meaning that it can measure your heartbeats and breathing patterns which you can check through your app. The Pod Pro also offer a Comfort Blend topper integrated with the Active Grid for further pressure relief and comfort.
Apart from advanced sleep tracking through biometrics to your app, the Pod Pro mattress also offers dual-zone heating and cooling so that both sides of the bed stay at their right temperature, controlled directly through the app. It also features GentleRise Wakeup technology that makes the mattress vibrate gently around the chest area, waking you up gently to a slightly cooler or warmer temperature, based on your preferences.
2. ReST Original Smart Bed
| HIGHLIGHTS | SUITABILITY |
|---|---|
| • Customisable body zones • ReSt Bed app tracks your sleep data • 90-night trial period and 10-year warranty | • Hot sleepers • Couples with different firmness preferences • Those needing extra support in certain body zones |
If you and your partner can't agree on the firmness of your mattress, the ReST Original Smart Bed might be a good option for you. This 4-layer mattress features a layer of 5 ergonomically designed body zones that you can customize to suit your exact needs through the ReST Bed app. You can switch between three different modes, manual, position and automatic depending on if you want to set the exact parameters yourself or let the technology of the mattress figure out what is best for you and adjust it through the smart pump.
On the app, you can also see a pressure map that receives information from smart sensor technology in the pressure-sensitive fabric inside the mattress, giving real-time information on your pressure points. The ReST Original Smart Bed also features a 10 cm cooling gel-infused memory foam layer on the top which can help you sleep cooler and add to the comfort of the mattress.
The ReST Bed app also features Night Vision, which is a sleep quality monitor that tracks your data such as restless movements, breaths per minute, sleeping position and sleep stages, giving you a better insight into what your sleep really looks like. There's an independent control on each side of the bed and the mattress has ventilated upholstery and comes with air chambers for better breathability.
3. Emma Motion Smart Mattress
| HIGHLIGHTS | SUITABILITY |
|---|---|
| • Diamond degree technology foam with graphite • AI sensor mat that detects your sleeping position • Motion fields that adjust the support of the mattress | • Combination sleepers that often change position • Hot sleepers • Those wanting a Smart mattress from a leading brand |
The Emma Motion Smart Mattress consists of 4 layers and is designed to register the position of the sleeper and to respond to that position, making sure that the spine is always correctly aligned. Underneath the soft polyester cover sits a Diamond degree technology foam which includes millions of graphite particles that are known to conduct heat away from the sleeper's body.
Next comes the Infinite AI Sensor Mat that includes a large number of sensors that can detect even the smallest of movements made by the sleeper. These sensors can analyse and detect your sleeping positions with the help of AI and send the data to the fourth layer which features motion fields that are embedded in HRX foam. These fields can, through the mattress' Silent Move IQ technology, adjust themselves to provide the sleeper with the necessary support or pressure relief for the position they're in. You can also adjust them manually with a remote control.
Between the AI sensor mat and the motion fields sits a third layer, an HRX foam, which acts as a transition layer, adding more comfort to the mattress. So far the Emma Motion Smart Mattress is only available in The Netherlands and France and the brand is also planning on launching an app through which you can manually customise the motion fields to suit your exact preference.
4. Sleep Number 360 iLE Limited Edition Smart Mattress
| HIGHLIGHTS | SUITABILITY |
|---|---|
| • SleepIQ technology to track your sleep stats • 100-night trial and 15-year warranty • Temperature balancing | • Those wanting a deeper insight into their sleep habits • Couples with different firmness preferences • Sleepers in need of personalised support |
The mattresses from Sleep Number 360 are all very smart and the iLE Limited Edition mattress is potentially one of the smartest mattresses available today. Consisting of 6 comfort layers, this mattress is designed to provide great pressure relief combined with cooling properties and support.
This 30 cm thick mattress comes with the brand's own SleepIQ technology, sending useful data to your app so that you can keep track of statistics such as sleep duration, efficiency and the exact time you went to sleep. This can help you get a better insight into your sleep habits and improve them if need be. The app can also give you daily useful tips on how to achieve better sleep quality.
The mattress is also designed to respond to the sleeper's movement and automatically adjust in order to provide the correct support and pressure relief depending on the position of the sleeper. You can adjust the firmness and comfort of both sides of the mattress, making sure that you and your partner don't need to compromise on this. It is also temperature balancing and is meant to absorb heat and release it so that you don't feel overheated while sleeping.
How Smart Is Smart?
Wouldn't it be great to wake up every day in a bed that is just the right temperature - not too cold, but also not too warm -, freshly brewed coffee, your curtains slightly open to let some sunlight in and why not have your shower starting to heat up? All of this is possible with today's advanced technology and there are companies that offer integrated solutions like this for your entire house to make your life as seamless as possible.
The possibilities are almost endless and so is the price that you can pay for these solutions, although some of them are getting a bit more affordable. Many people already use more basic smart solutions such as Alexa from brands like Amazon, Arlo and Google and what seemed like something from a sci-fi movie ten years ago is today a reality for many people.
Research✓ shows that a smart mattress could also be used to substitute invasive polysomnography in order to analyse reliable sleep data in people with sleep disorders.
What Is A Smart Mattress?
A smart mattress is exactly what it sounds like - a smart mattress. It's a regular mattress that has a series of additional smart features that can add value to your sleep and thus to your daily life and, in some cases, even your health. Depending on the brand, the mattress can include different types of smart technologies such as for example Artificial Intelligence (AI) to be able to offer you personalised features, while some others are a bit less smart and offer a series of advanced features that a normal mattress doesn't but not necessarily tailored to your needs.
What Can A Smart Mattress Offer You?
Smart mattresses are still quite new to the market and are getting smarter by the day. As mentioned earlier, there are not really any limits to what you can achieve with AI but it takes time and processing power to collect and analyse data which costs a lot of money. The smart mattresses that are available today all include different features but some of the most common ones are:
- Adjustable firmness of the mattress
- Customisable support and pressure relief
- Adjustable temperature
- Tracking of biometrics
- Other additional features
Smart Mattress Firmness
Mattress firmness is something very subjective and personal which can sometimes make it hard to compromise with your partner. What is firm to one can be soft to the other and sleeping with an incorrect firmness is never a good idea. Some smart mattresses offer adjustable firmness, either for the entire mattress or even dual tension, meaning that you and your partner can set your own preferred firmness on your side of the mattress.
Some mattresses offer fixed firmness modes that you can switch between through an app or remote control and let you customise it exactly the way you want it. If being able to adjust the firmness level is the only thing you're looking for in a smart mattress you might want to check out some customisable mattresses before spending thousands of pounds on a smart mattress. Chances are that you'll find a much cheaper mattress that can solve this problem.
Smart Mattress Support And Pressure Relief
Similar to being able to customise the firmness of the mattress, some smart mattresses offer the possibility to adjust the support and pressure relief of the mattress. Normal foam mattresses often come with castellated zones, meaning that they have cut-out parts that will allow certain parts of your body to sink a little deeper into the mattress to help with spinal alignment which mattresses for back pain are designed to do.
With a smart mattress, you can decide exactly where to add support and where to relieve pressure based on your own needs. Studies✓ have shown that automatic pressure adjustment to the mattress could lead to better sleep. It is often done through built-in motion fields that can move up and down, providing tailored support and pressure relief to zones like your neck, shoulders, lower back, hips, knees and ankles. These are managed through an app or remote control and are usually completely silent to not disturb you while sleeping.
Adjustable Temperature In Smart Mattresses
We've all struggled to get out of bed on a cold winter morning, snoozing our alarm until the very last minute, just to be able to stay in our warm bed. Having the possibility to lower the temperature of your mattress a degree or two a few minutes before your alarm goes off could potentially help combat those snuggle snoozes.
There are also those who have a hard time regulating their temperature at night, especially during the warmer months of the year. If you're suffering from a feeling of overheating at night there are a ton of mattresses with cooling features such as gel mattresses and similar available on the market, but if you want the latest technology to help you cool down a bit, a smart mattress could be just what you need.
Did you know?
According to a study✓, temperature-regulated mattresses that include water pipes showed a higher cooling performance in comparison to standard cooling latex foam mattresses.
Depending on the brand, smart mattress temperature regulation can work differently. Some smart mattresses feature a layer that includes sensors that can measure your body temperature and thus regulate the temperature of the mattress accordingly. Others have a layer that you can feed warm or cool water to through an external water hub, adjusting the temperature as you see fit.
Biometrics Tracking And Data Analysis
One of the most common reasons why people decide to get a smart mattress is to get a deeper insight into their sleep habits. Similar to smartwatches that can give you lots of input while you sleep, a smart mattress can often offer you the same amount of data and more. Some of the most commonly measured data is:
- Body monitoring - As previously mentioned, some mattresses come with a layer that has thousands of sensors that can sense your sleeping position and potentially also adjust the firmness and support to suit that exact position so that you are always receiving the support you need to keep your spine correctly aligned.
- Sleep-tracking - Those who enjoy getting into detail can get real-time stats in their app on how often they move, how deep they sleep, and exactly how much and when you sleep at night.
- Biometric data analysis - A smart mattress could also feed your sleep app with data on how you breathe, your heart rate, your body temperature etc. throughout the night. This, in combination with the sleep-tracking, can help you get a better idea of how well you really sleep and if there's anything you need to adjust in order to sleep better. We all know that good sleep is vital for our daily lives to function smoothly and this can be a good way to ensure that.
Other Smart Mattress Features
A smart mattress could also offer a ton of other interesting features such as built-in alarm clocks that can wake you up gently by vibrating softly or audio features that can play soothing sounds or music as well as connecting to other smart devices in your home through IoT (Internet Of Things) as mentioned earlier, making sure that your coffee is ready once your alarm goes off and your bed has cooled down a bit.
Who Can Benefit From A Smart Mattress?
Although not everyone really needs a smart mattress there are a lot of reasons why you could benefit from one. Some of the most common reasons why people are looking to get a smart mattress are health-related, but there are also others that should consider getting a smart mattress:
- Those sleeping next to a partner with different a firmness preference.
- Sleeper's in need of tailored support and/or pressure relief.
- People interested in getting in-depth insight into their sleep habits in order to improve their quality of life.
- Sleepers who have a hard time finding their ideal temperature in bed.
- Individuals who need some extra motivation to get out of bed in the morning.
- Those looking to make their day-to-day more seamless by integrating smart solutions at home.
How Much Does A Smart Mattress Cost?
Smart mattresses are not cheap so make sure to do your research before buying one. The more basic models usually start around at least a thousand pounds and can easily go up to several thousand depending on the brand, the size and the features it offers. If possible, try going for one that offers a trial period so that you can see if the mattress is really worth the money, and of course make sure that it has a decent guarantee so that your investment is covered for many years to come.
Smart Mattress Pros And Cons
| PROS: | CONS: |
|---|---|
| ✓ Can potentially help improve your sleep habits and quality | ✗ Very expensive compared to other mattresses |
| ✓ Some can connect to other smart devices for an easier day-to-day | ✗ Very limited options on the UK market yet |
| ✓ Can give personalised support to those suffering from pains in joints | ✗ Can be more high-maintenance than other mattresses |
| ✓ No more compromising with your partner on the firmness | ✗ Still quite young technology |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a smart mattress?
A smart mattress is a mattress that comes with smart features to add value to your sleep, such as advanced cooling techniques, adjustable support and firmness or tracking and analysis of sleep data.
Where can I buy a smart mattress?
There are very limited options in the UK at the moment but keep an eye on your favourite brands to see if they are about to launch any smart models soon.
How much does a smart mattress cost?
Smart mattresses are currently very expensive compared to standard mattresses and usually start somewhere around £1000 minimum and can cost up to several thousand pounds.
