'I tried Eight Sleep’s new AI-powered cooling mattress topper – here are my first impressions’ (2024)

As the Good Housekeeping Institute’s senior health and wellbeing writer, I’ve tried a lot of sleep tech over the years. I’m talking headphones, sleep trackers, sunrise alarms, meditation aids and everything in between. One of my favourites, though, is Eight Sleep’s smart mattress topper.

Not familiar? The high-tech bit of kit boasts automatic heating and cooling, in-depth sleep tracking, an AI-powered sleep coach and a smart alarm clock, to help improve your slumber in a meaningful way, not just monitor it.

We tested the brand’s Pod 3 cover at the GHI last year (it scored 78/100 overall) and were impressed. Panellists reported improved sleep quality and found the cooling technology in particular, “completely revolutionary”.

I trialled the cover for a month over the summer and as a hot sleeper, I found it made a huge difference to my snoozing. So, when I was invited to be among the first to try the brand’s new and improved Pod 4, naturally, I couldn’t wait.

On a balmy May evening, I headed to the 1 Hotel in Mayfair to take the newest launch for a test drive. Read on to find out how it went, plus everything you need to know about Eight Sleep...

Co-founders – Matteo Franceschetti, Alexandra Zatarain and Max Bassi – created the company back in 2014 to offer a personalised solution to improving sleep.

“We saw that there was a gap in the market for tech that addresses and enhances sleep,” Zatarain tells me. “Unlike wearables, the overnight data we provide is just part of the experience; we’re staging an intervention that will actually help you sleep better.”

How? Firstly, we know that temperature can have a major impact on both the quality and duration of our sleep, with studies showing that being too hot can disrupt REM and slow-wave sleep (the deepest stages), leading to frequent wake-ups during the night. This is because your core temperature needs to drop by a degree or two to help signal to the body when it’s time to drift off.

So, the pod features an ‘active grid’ (a thick fitted sheet that you slip onto your mattress) and a computer hub, which circulates cool water through the grid to regulate your sleep temperature.

Temperature control aside, it boasts a plethora of innovations to help you fall asleep and prevent tossing and turning throughout the night, including biometric sensors for accurate sleep and health tracking, vibrating and thermal alarms and even snore detection – yes, really! Below, we break down exactly what you can expect from the Pod 4.

Automatic temperature adjustments

The Pod 4 boasts an upgraded thermal engine and double the cooling power of the Pod 3. It can heat up to 43C and right down to 12.5C, helping you get a solid night’s rest during heatwaves and cold snaps alike.

You can adjust the temperature manually within the Eight Sleep app or on the topper itself, but the best part about the pod is its autopilot feature. It learns what settings suit you best and automatically regulates your temperature based on a range of individual data, including heart rate, heart rate variability (the variation in time between heartbeats), respiratory rate, sleep stages and environmental temperature.

Given that our sleep temperature needs are highly personal and can be affected by a range of factors, including hormone levels, environment, age and illness, this is super important.

Zatarain points out that Eight Sleep’s automatic temperature adjustments can be particularly beneficial for women, especially those going through the perimenopause and menopause.

“One of the main symptoms when women enter the perimenopause is that their sleep worsens,” she says. “They’re experiencing changes in their hormone levels, which can affect body temperature and lead to night sweats and hot flashes.”

Eight Sleep can help regulate unpredictable body temperatures overnight and stop hot flashes from fragmenting your sleep.

Dual climate control

Been contemplating a sleep divorce? There’s no need with the Pod 4, which has two separate zones on each side of the bed, so you and your bedfellow can set and adjust your own heating and cooling systems.

For me, this is a huge plus as my partner and I have very different temperature preferences. While I prefer to stay as cool as possible to stop me waking up in a sweaty heap at 3am, he likes to feel warm and cosy while dosing off.

You can also set separate vibration and thermal alarms, so you can wake up at your optimal time without disturbing your partner, and vice versa.

Clinical grade sleep and health tracking

The Pod 4 is fitted with 36 biometric and environmental sensors to track your sleep and overall health stats – it’s great for those who want to keep on top of their data, without having to wear a bulky tracker in bed.

It monitors key stats like heart rate, HRV and breath rate (with 99% accuracy, according to the brand) and will notify you if there are any changes to your normal patterns. It will also give you a daily ‘sleep fitness’ score’, based on your sleep routine, sleep quality, overall duration and snoring. You can view all your data via the user-friendly Eight Sleep app on your phone – I found this extremely responsive and simple to use.

Quiet and comfortable

If you’re wondering how relaxing it is to sleep on an active grid that houses a network of rubber tubing which pumps out water, let me reassure you, the Pod 4 scores highly in the comfort stakes.

According to Eight Sleep, the fitted sheet (which will fit on any mattress) has been redesigned using softer materials, it’s 20% slimmer than previous iterations and will mould to your body’s shape better than ever. Additionally, it won’t change the firmness of the mattress it’s placed on.

Sure enough, when I tried it, I thought it did feel plusher than the Pod 3 – in fact, I barely noticed it was there.

What’s more, the power hub has been redesigned to decrease the noise level of the thermal engine and cooling fans, so it’s virtually silent. Again, I noticed it was significantly quieter than the Pod 3 – it emits a tiny bit of white noise, but it certainly didn’t keep me up.

It is worth noting, though, that the Pod 4 will take up some space by your bedside and may not slot right in with your interiors. When delivered, there are three large boxes to contend with. To make the set-up process as easy as possible, the brand's 'sleep pros' are on hand via a chat function on the app and they also offer a white glove service.

Hands-free temperature control

The Pod 4 features brand-new tap controls, so you don’t have to get your phone out and subject yourself to any dreaded blue light if you want to make adjustments as you’re winding down.

The tap sensors are embedded into the cover and are placed conveniently on either side – you simply double tap to cool, triple tap to warm and tap twice to snooze your alarm. For me, this was an excellent addition as I’m making a conscious effort to limit my screen time when I’m in bed.

Snore detection

Another new and exciting feature is snore detection. While snoring affects up to 41.5% of people in the UK, most aren’t clued up on their snoring habits and the impact it has on their sleep (and those around them).

The biometric sensors within the Pod 4 detect snoring through vibrations emitted from the body. They’re able to determine which side of the bed the snoring is coming from as well as the intensity and, each morning, users can check their snoring stats within the app.

I was under the strict impression I wasn’t a snorer (regardless of what my partner told me) but apparently, I spent 52 minutes snoring during my night on the pod!

If snoring is a major problem for you or your other half, it’s worth considering the Pod 4 Ultra, which takes things one step further with a self-adjusting base. It sits underneath your mattress, and when snoring is detected, it will automatically elevate your head position. According to Eight Sleep, this practice has been proven to decrease snoring by up to 45%.

The adjustable base – which fits into existing bedframes – also allows you to tweak your body position manually when reading or if you want to find a comfier sleeping position. The pod’s sleep positions are designed to distribute pressure evenly across the body and can help back pain.

I only trialled the Pod 4 for one night, so I’m not able to comment on whether it improved my sleep. But I will continue to put it to the test at home over the next month, along with three other GHI testers. Once the trial period is complete, we’ll report back on our findings.

What I can say is, I had a thoroughly good night’s sleep with the new Eight Sleep topper. It’s noticeably quieter and comfier than its predecessor, and I love the new tap controls for hands-free customisation. For me, Eight Sleep stands out from the sleep tech crowd because it doesn’t just highlight problems, it offers helpful solutions. Plus, it’s based on my individual experiences, not general population data.

There’s no getting around it, it’s a serious investment, with an additional monthly subscription cost. It's also a bulky bit of kit and the set-up process is a tad arduous. Still, if you have the funds and you’re serious about improving the quality of your sleep – particularly if temperature regulation is an issue – then it’s undoubtedly worth it.

The Pod 4 and Pod 4 Ultra are available to buy directly from the Eight Sleep website.

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