With leading technology packed into a bed system, smart beds don't come cheap. If you're looking to take the plunge and invest in a smart bed this Cyber Monday, you need to be sure they are worth your money.
While smart beds can help those battling night sweats, muscle pain and snoring by offering helpful data and insights into our sleep patterns and adjusting our sleeping conditions, we're also confident our best mattresses of the year can meet many sleep styles and sleep needs. So who suits a smart bed and who doesn't?
We're taking a look at who we think will benefit from these high-tech mattresses and who's better sticking with a more traditional style bed. We'll also round up some of the best Cyber Monday mattress deals on smart beds so you can decide for yourself.
What is a smart bed?
A smart bed is any mattress, mattress cover or bed base that uses technology to create an ideal sleep environment and help you get quality sleep. Different smart beds have different specialities, but main features include temperature regulation, dual position control, adjustable firmness and sleep tracking.
Who should buy a smart bed?
Smart beds will suit specific sleep needs and styles. They will be a good match for you if you experience back pain, night sweats or restless legs. Here's why...
Hot sleepers
A selling point of smart beds is their outstanding climate control functionality. Namely, Eight Sleep pods offer dual temperature regulation and interesting climate features like a thermal alarm and bedtime cooling. The smart mattress covers are lined with water pipes connected to a control hub with a water tank.
These pods help hot sleepers as they measure body temperature throughout the night and adjust the temperature of your bed throughout the night to keep wick away night sweats and keep you at an optimal sleep temperature.
Sleepers with muscle and joint pain
Smart beds with Zero Gravity positioning where the top and bottom of the bed elevate to provide the most comfortable sleeping position are especially beneficial for anyone kept awake by back pain or sore joints. This is become this adjustable positioning enables you to alleviate stress put on the usual pressure points. Sleeping in the most comfortable position possible also ensures your spine is aligned and supported to reduce back pain.
Additionally, smart beds are some of the best mattresses for back pain with responsive firmness that adjusts to your movements through the night, providing the right level of firmness for your sleep position.
You will need a softer bed surface when sleeping on your side and a firmer, more supportive one if you flip onto your stomach or back. So, these beds ensure you remain comfortable and supported no matter the way you sleep.
People who snore
Smart bed bases tend to offer adjustable, responsive positioning that elevates the head or feet. This feature is beneficial for snorers as adjusting the position of the head during the night can help open up airways and mitigate noisy breathing (ie snoring).
Smart beds like the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo smart power base have specialised snoring mitigation technology that detects snoring and adjusts head position accordingly.
Couples who disagree
With dual temperature control and dual adjustable firmness and positioning, smart beds allow you to customize your side of the bed. You can make it as warm and cozy as you like without sending you partner into pools of sweat next to you.
You can elevate your head or foot position or adjust firmness to achieve optimal comfort without affecting the feel of the bed on their side. Couples with different sleep styles, sleep needs and body weight will particularly benefit from these features, especially if different sleep habits are calling for a sleep divorce.
Who should avoid smart beds?
There's no denying that smart beds can elevate your sleep routine, teaching you about different sleep metrics and keeping you comfortable all night long. But that doesn't mean they are a worthy investment for everyone. So, who don't we recommend a smart bed to? Let's take a look...
Anyone shopping on a budget
On sale or not, these high-spec smart beds are no budget buy. You pay for the plush sleep experience you get. Nightly body scans and sleep analysis reports can rack up a hefty bill. Although Sleep Number has some budget options under $1,000 like the c1 and c2 smart beds, most other brand's prices start upwards of $2,000 and reach up to $10,000.
Plus you have to consider extra costs incurred. Remember some 'smart beds' aren't actually complete beds and you must purchase a mattress or bedframe separately. Eight Sleep even has a monthly subscription fee to access its full smart functionality via its app.
People with little tech knowledge
Integrated with tech and mostly operated through compatible smart phone apps requiring WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, smart bed systems require technical knowledge to get them set up and to benefit from all the smart features.
That said, if you are looking to customize their bed without the need for mobile connectivity, we recommend the Saatva Solaire. This adjustable firmness smart bed has 50 precise firmness preferences and is fully operated via a remote control. Do note, however, you won't get sleep tracking or smart temperature regulation.
People who don't struggle to sleep
If you're sleeping soundly on your existing bed, be it a luxury mattress or one this year's best cheap mattresses, we reckon your money would be better invested elsewhere.
While a smart bed can help health issues affecting sleep, people without sleep troubles wouldn't benefit as much from nightly sleep reports or a customizable sleep surface. Instead you could revamp your sleep space with this year's best pillows or shop the current Black Friday bedding deals.
Is Black Friday a good time to buy a smart bed?
Smart bed mattress sales coincide with usual mattress sales we see throughout the year, meaning Cyber Monday is in fact the best time to buy. As high-tech products produced by leading sleep tech specialists, savings are rarely huge on smart beds throughout the year. But you can now save big at our two leading smart bed retailers as Sleep Number mattress sales and Eight Sleep mattress sales are live, offering savings of up to $3,799 and $400 respectively.
