The best smart beds and mattresses allow you to hack your sleep simply by drifting off. Pushing the boundaries of sleep tech, smart beds come in a range of forms to supercharge your sleep and target the issues plaguing your rest. They go beyond the cozy comfort offered by the beds in our best mattress guide, but for cutting edge sleep tech, expect a high price tag.
The world of smart beds and mattresses can be complicated, so we've put together this guide to help you navigate what's on offer. That includes features such as dual-zone temperature changing for hot sleepers, adjustable firmness for restless nights, and sleep tracking for those who want to learn just what's happening while they're snoozing (or not, as might be the case).
Our team of sleep experts and mattress reviewers have looked to brands that are leading innovation in the smart bed space, such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. We've also studied reviews and data to put together this guide to the best smart beds and mattresses. And in the Labor Day mattress sales you can save on these pioneering sleep solutions. Let’s explore the best smart beds you can buy right now…
The best smart beds and smart mattresses in 2024
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Best smart mattress for cooling
We'll get to the point: our best smart mattress doesn't actually include a mattress. In fact, it's a cover – the Eight Sleep Pod 3 cover, to be precise – which goes over your existing mattress. But packed into that cover is a whole load of smart tech to help both you and your partner sleep well. Temperature is tricky to get right in bed, and if you’re too hot or too cold you will wake up frequently in the night. The Eight Sleep Pod Pro addresses this with dual-zone cooling and heating, where you can set each side of the smart bed to anywhere between 55°F-110°F and create custom heating and cooling schedules.
In addition to that, the smart mattress is designed with Smart Temp Autopilot, where ambient sensors measure the room temperature and humidity, with the Pod Pro automatically cooling or heating your bed to suit. There's also real-time sleep tracking on each side of the bed, with metrics including sleep stages, sleep time, and restlessness. There’s a Daily Health Check and HRV Monitoring too, with the Pod Pro tracking your respiratory rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability as you relax and sleep.
Sick of your partner waking you up with a blaring alarm? This smart bed uses GentleRise Smart Alarm technology to silently wake you up with a chest-level vibration and gradual warming of the mattress. The newest iteration (the Pod 3) promises improved Wi-Fi stability and a more powerful processor, for altogether smoother operation. The regular version fits up to 11" mattresses, and if you have a deeper bed than that you can opt for the version with 'PerfectFit'.
Previously, Eight Sleep did sell a version with a mattress included, but it was just a basic mattress with all the tech in the cover. This way, you get to pick your mattress, and you don't have to compromise on the smart features. It's an investment, but semi-regular Eight Sleep deals knock up to $100 off. We'll be testing the Eight Sleep Pod 3 soon so stay tuned for our in-depth review.
Best value for money smart mattress
If you aren’t sleeping well at the moment, then the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed could change that by making you more comfortable in bed. You can adapt the firmness and comfort on each side of this air mattress – meaning you and your partner can enjoy different levels of firmness – or you can let the i8 automatically adjust its firmness in response to your in-bed movements.
Hot sleepers are in good hands too, as the Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed is covered with a breathable Smart 3D fabric. The mattress absorbs excess heat then releases it as you cool down, keeping your sleep temperature perfectly balanced. Temperature makes a big difference to how well you sleep, so this is an important aspect of the design.
Sleep Number smart beds are well-known for generating a SleepIQ score, made up of metrics that indicate your sleep quality. The sensors also track your breathing and heart rate. Over time, the app will display personalized recommendations to help learn how to sleep better. Upon delivery of your smart mattress, Sleep Number technicians will either connect the bed to your WiFi or you can connect it yourself to the SleepIQ app. Each night the bed will work with the app to generate a unique sleep score, with suggestions for how to create the ideal sleep schedule to improve your quality of shut-eye.
When you pair the i8 Smart Bed with a FlexFit base (from $999), you’ll be able to enjoy a variety of adjustable head and foot positions. Raising your legs reduces pressure on them, while raising your head and upper body can improve digestion and, when you sleep on your side too, can reduce snoring. Sleep Number makes more technologically advanced smart beds, but we think the i8 Smart Bed is one of the best for the price.
Best smart mattress for back pain
The Saatva Solaire isn’t a smart mattress in the same way that the others are, but it still offers 50 firmness settings on each side, controlled via a remote (there’s no companion app here). That makes it the best option for people who have no idea what level of firmness is best for them during sleep, and who don’t fancy the idea of using an app.
Like the ReST Essential, the Saatva Solaire Adjustable Mattress is also an excellent choice for maximum pressure relief, as you can customize it to suit your body, sleep style and health needs. Saatva’s mattress range has also earned the Seal of Approval from the Congress of Chiropractic State Associations, so it’s well-suited to people with neck and back pain.
There are six layers to the Saatva Solaire, starting with a 3” pillow top with Lumbar Zone quilting to support your back. It’s also treated with Guardin, a botanical antimicrobial treatment to prevent bacteria, mold and mildew from growing on your mattress. Underneath that lies a 1” layer of five-zone natural latex for pressure relief and lumbar support, followed by a 2” layer of CertiPUR-US certified gel-infused memory foam to dissipate body heat and bolster pressure relief. Vulcanized air chambers handle edge-to-edge support in tandem with a reinforced power edge enclosure. This is where you’ll find the air inflator.
The inflator is designed to be low noise, so it shouldn’t disturb your peace when you’re switching to a new firmness level. The bedside remote control allows you to change the air chamber setting until it reaches your desired firmness, with a memory mode remembering your preferred setting. You can also add a Saatva Adjustable Bed Base (from $1,045), which enables you to raise each side of the mattress individually for various sitting and sleeping positions. For the latest prices, check out our guide to Saatva mattress sales.
Best smart bed with zero gravity technology
The Tempur-Ergo Power Base is a smart bed base designed to work with your existing mattress, as long as it in turn can be used with an adjustable bed. The ideal partner would be a Tempur mattress, which is why you’ll see Tempur-Pedic mattress deals giving you hundreds of dollars off both when bought together. Back to the Tempur-Ergo Power Smart Bed Base…
Outside of the Eight Sleep Pod Pro System, the Tempur-Pedic smart bed has the most diverse range of smart features and adjustable comfort. It’s geared-up to help you get a clearer picture of how you are sleeping, what might be disturbing your sleep, and then to coach you (via the companion app) on how to snooze better. It even has underbed lighting to help you make your way out of a darkened bedroom more easily at night.
Depending on your biggest sleep challenge (if you know what it is), one of the biggest draws with the Tempur-Ergo Power Smart Bed Base is Snore Reponse. This detects the sound of snoring in the bed, then responds by automatically adjusting the bed to raise your head around 12 degrees, into a position that opens your airways to help reduce or stop snoring. If you or your partner don’t snore, yet you aren’t sleeping well, the bed will work with the Sleeptracker-AI app to track various aspects of your slumber and to pinpoint what could be happening. The AI Sleep Coach will then give you tips and suggestions.
As it’s Alexa and Google-enabled, you can also get your voice assistant of choice to read out your sleep report each morning. As with all sleep trackers, this should be taken as a general insight - if you are concerned about your sleep, speak to a professional.
Relaxing before bed is a potent part of any effective bedtime routine, and Tempur-Pedic’s version here is in-bed head and foot massage. There are three levels of intensity to choose from, and you can experience massage vibrations in two or four zones. We’d use it directly before putting the smart bed base into a Zero Gravity position to simulate weightlessness. This takes all pressure off your back and joints, making it popular among those with neck, back and hip pain.
Best smart beds and mattresses FAQs
What is a smart mattress?
A smart bed, also known as a smart mattress, is designed to track your sleep and various aspects of your health. They're either fully app-controlled or use a mix of manually controlled features, plus further functions available via a companion app (iOS and Android are common platforms).
Smart beds essentially do away with the need for an under-the-mattress or wrist-based sleep tracker because they have baked-in sleep tracking functionality. While the accuracy of sleep tracking functionality differs greatly between smart beds, most aim to track your sleep cycles and how long you spend in each, plus your overall sleep quality (represented by a sleep score), how long you slept for in total, how long it took you to fall asleep, and any interruptions to your sleep that the smart bed picked up on.
Smart mattresses can also monitor your resting heart rate, breathing and temperature during sleep. Some can be programmed to the exact temperature that helps you fall asleep faster and deeper, and Eight Sleep is one of the best brands for this – especially if you want a smart bed with independent heating and cooling.
How to choose the best smart bed for your sleep
Technology is a key aspect of smart mattresses and smart beds, and most work with a companion app, giving you access to greater controls and sleep tracking data. It’s easy to fall down the rabbit hole of endless smarts with these beds, so we’d encourage you to think about what you actually want before you start shopping.
For example, if overheating in bed is your biggest sleep killer, then a smart bed that offers dual-sided cooling (and heating when needed) should be top of your list. You may also like to check out our best cooling mattress guide - they aren’t smart, but they are powerful allies in the fight against hot sleeping.
Dealing with back, neck and joint pain? Then the best smart mattress for you is one that offers tens of hundreds of different firmness levels that you can customize to your body weight via app or remote control. Smart air mattresses are normally top of the tree here, but we’d also recommend looking at a smart bed or bed base with adjustable positioning. The most well-known position for pressure relief is Zero Gravity, as this simulates a feeling of weightlessness. Integrated massage will also ease any pain, so look for either two or four-zone massage too.
How to choose the best smart mattress or bed
Like any mattress purchase, the most important things to consider when buying a smart mattress or bed is comfort and support. Cutting edge technology and features are excellent additional extras, but you need to ensure your basic sleep needs are catered for. This means choosing a mattress that compliments your sleep style, position, and comfort preferences.
If health and sleep tracking is what interests you most about buying a smart mattress, you might be better off buying a smart cover to go over your existing mattress, like the Eight Sleep Pod 3 mattress cover. You should also consider how easy the smart mattress is to navigate, as there’s little point in paying more for features that you have trouble accessing. The Saatva Solitaire Adjustable Mattress comes with 50 different firmness levels on each size, all of which are accessible via a remote as opposed to an app, could be a user-friendly alternative to a traditional smart mattress, especially if you aren’t keen on being on your phone in bed.
While there are some smart beds that contain natural materials such as latex, you won’t find many with fully certified organic materials. So if natural, eco-friendly sleep is important to you, then consider an organic mattress instead. Out of the brands featured in our best smart mattress guide, Saatva is the closest you’ll get to your needs as it uses latex and botanical treatments.
If you have a favorite mattress topper that you’d like to use on your new smart mattress, make sure that it’s compatible and won’t interfere with the design of the smart bed, especially if it’s adjustable. As with standard mattresses, make sure you cover it in the best mattress protector for your budget to keep it safe from spills, stains and germs.
There’s no denying that a smart bed is expensive, so make sure the one you’re considering comes on a trial basis. If you get one on trial, you can test it thoroughly during that period and if it isn’t right for you, you can initiate a return and get a refund. Look for a good warranty too - our guide answering how do mattress warranties work will provide extra guidance.
Are smart beds worth it?
This is a fair question, considering the cost involved with a smart bed. As we explain in our best mattress guide, the quality of mattresses in general is much better now compared to several years ago, so it's entirely possible to get a decent bed for less. However, if you want the very best sleep technology packed into your mattress, plus custom control of heating, cooling and firmness, then there is no better way to get that right now other than with a smart bed.
So if you want to control various aspects of your sleep comfort, then a smart bed is worth the money. They are also ideal for couples with different sleeping preferences in particular, as you can usually control each side of the smart mattress independently to create the perfect sleep oasis for each of you.
We'd recommend keeping an eye out for various big mattress sales throughout the year, as these will deliver some sizeable discounts on smart beds that will help you snag one of these high-tech sleep systems for less.
If you have a much smaller budget or you're just looking to upgrade your guest bed, then take a look at our best budget mattress guide instead.
