Our Tom's Guide sleep experts always recommend choosing the best mattress for your sleep style. But might the ERA smart mattress topper be the best choice for everyone's sleep type?
This adaptable, intelligent and responsive topper has been awarded the Innovation Award in the Digital Health Category at CES 2025. While most mattress toppers simply slip over your mattress to make the bed softer or more comfortable, the ERA Smart Layer promises "unrivaled comfort, enhanced health, and peak performance" — for every mattress.
Integrated smart technology isn't exactly new to the mattress market, but as a bed topper, the ERA Smart Layer can potentially turn even a simple innerspring mattress into your next health solution. That's a lot for just 3 1/25 inches of material...
What is the ERA Smart Layer?
At 3 1/25 inches thick, the ERA Smart Layer is of a similar thickness to the best mattress toppers. It sits on top of your existing mattress and should be thick enough that you don't really feel the bed beneath — especially once you consider all the technology packed into the Smart Layer.
For a start, the ERA Smart Layer features integrated BCG (ballistocardiogram) sensors to monitor and analyze breathing, alongside heart rate monitors. Cloud connectivity allows you to link the mattress topper with other IoT devices (so you should be able to connect it to your smart ring or fitness monitors).
This creates a picture of your health throughout the night, with AI algorithms suggesting sleep and lifestyle improvements the next morning. Via the ERA app, you'll receive detailed data analysis of your nocturnal movements, plus advice on how to sleep better.
As you sleep, the ERA Smart Layer uses active spinal alignment to keep you continually comfortable. Multiple configurable elements ensure the topper can self-adapt to your body shape, even if you move around.
So when you lie on the ERA mattress topper, you should feel it adjust to your sleep style. And not the usual sink-in effect of first climbing into bed. This is an active and adaptable movement to keep your spine cradled and relieve pressure build-up.
If a moving mattress doesn't immediately catch your eye, another soothing feature might have more appeal: "multizone relaxation elements". Ignore the dry, techy description — these are integrated massage zones.
And to top it all off, the ERA mattress topper includes active and passive thermal regulation. Temperature plays an important role in how well we sleep, and the ERA design allows you to take control over how snug you feel in bed.
How does the ERA Smart Layer compare to other smart mattresses?
Integrated smart tracking can be found in many of the best smart beds and mattresses, beyond the ERA Smart Layer. Tracking your sleep habits and provide feedback, these informative beds are a growing market — in a few years time you might find smart mattresses have replaced wearable sleep trackers.
Temperature control also isn't unheard of in a smart mattress, although it's not exactly common. The Eight Sleep Pod 4 system offers hands-on temperature control, as does the Sleep Number Climate360 mattress. Similarly, Sleep Number mattresses are known for their adaptable firmness levels, while the Bryte Balance Air Mattress adapts to your body to keep the spine cradled and supported.
However, it's rare to see all these features combined into one package, and even rarer for that package to measure just 3 1/25 inches tall. The ERA Smart Layer has the potential to transform any bed into "a powerful device for improving sleep and recovery". And as a relatively thin layer, it could even be transportable (for those who hate compromising their sleep with travel).
And we all know that sleep is vital to recovery, but with Cloud connectivity allowing you to hook up your mattress to your smartphone, it might be easier than ever to see just what an impact your sleep has on your wellbeing.
If you are struggling with insomnia or sleep deprivation, we advise speaking to your doctor for advise and solutions.
