Is Eight Sleep Worth It?
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 costs $2,494. Is it worth it?
I thought about starting this IIWI with a cynical but scathingly honest, in-depth look at how depressing it is that we’ve become so obsessed with optimizing, to the point of wanting to optimize our unconscious hours. I was going to include stats about how many Americans are tracking their sleep (35% in 2023, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine) and how in 2014, the CDC called sleep deprivation a public health epidemic. I was prepared to wax poetic about how I used to be able to fall asleep ANYWHERE, but now I travel with a preferred white noise machine and a blackout eye mask, and how I’m low-key scared I’ve sleep-trained myself too well.
But. There are other Substacks for that (personally, I’m waiting for Rina Raphael’s take at Well to Do). This particular review boils down to two simple things:
I sleep hot. It’s not comfortable.
Eight Sleep says it’ll fix that.
After testing Eight Sleep Pod 3 since February 2024, I’m ready to cast judgment.
What is Eight Sleep?
Eight Sleep is a high-tech “sleep solution” consisting of a smart mattress cover and a Hub. The Hub holds about two liters of regular tap water, which it pumps through the mattress cover. The water is heated or cooled, depending on your preferences and Eight Sleep’s suggestions via its Autopilot technology.
The Autopilot tech is what really makes Eight Sleep stand out. Autopilot detects your health and sleep metrics—like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, your sleep stages, and even if you’re snoring—and makes adjustments to your bed’s temperature in real time.
Eight Sleep recently released the Pod 4, which also gives you the option to purchase an adjustable base.
Receipts, Proof, Timeline, Screenshots
Receipts
I received my queen-sized Eight Sleep Pod 3 courtesy of Jack Taylor PR for a media review back when I was working at Shape in February 2024. They also comped my Autopilot subscription. Let’s call the total value around $2,500.
Proof
I personally tested the Pod 3 myself, and after several months of refusing to download the app, my partner tested it as well. I also interviewed three close friends and family members who bought the Eight Sleep system with their own money to see how they felt about it.
Set up was incredibly easy, as you can see in the video below from my time at Shape:
Timeline
I can’t see exactly how many nights I’ve slept with my Pod 3, but it’s been since February 2024, with several breaks for vacations and a six-week stay away from home in the spring. Let’s conservatively call it 260 nights and 1,900 hours of testing.
Screenshots
The Deep Dive
Aside from sleeping hot, I am, in all honesty, what one might call a “good” sleeper. I rarely deal with insomnia, I fall asleep quickly, and fun fact, I lucid dream at least once a week. So when I started testing the Eight Sleep Pod 3, I wasn’t looking for anything to fix me, per se, but I was curious about how the system could make my evenings more comfortable. Here’s what I’ve learned firsthand.
Temperature Control and Regulation
I am a Hot Sleeper™. I frequently wake up with the covers thrown completely off my body, save for one leg (because if you have just one leg under the covers, the monsters can’t get you). I have sweated through my pajamas and been on the other side of pillow barriers built by partners trying to save themselves from the heat radiating off my skin.
So temperature control and regulation was the first and most important thing I tested for with the Eight Sleep. In that sense, the Pod absolutely delivers. When you use the app to adjust the temperature, you can feel the difference almost immediately—it’s very quick to heat or cool. You can choose to show actual temperatures in Fahrenheit or Celsius, or a more simple +1, +2, +3// -1, -2, -3 system when making your adjustments, both of which feel intuitive and easy to follow. Trust me: There is NOTHING cozier than snuggling into a pre-heated bed in the winter, and nothing more refreshing than a lightly chilled set of sheets in the summer.
Automatic Adjustments Based On Real-Time Data
Over night, Autopilot adjusts temperatures automatically based on your sleep cycle. This is the second area where I was really impressed. I have no idea how the Cover accurately tracks my biometrics and health data to make these minute adjustments, or how it figures out what stage of sleep I’m in. I’m sure that info is on their website somewhere, but the fact that I can’t figure it out impresses me even more. Who wants to feel a heart rate sensor or some weird slimy temperature-regulation fabric when you’re in bed? No thanks. None of my business.
Health Tracking and Data
I’m no bio-hacking bro, but I dabble in health tracking and data, especially when I’m training for something and want to keep a closer eye on my recovery. The Eight Sleep app lays your data out in a really clear, easy-to-read manner, along with helpful explanations for some of the more esoteric terms.
Two-Person Usage
Lastly: It really does work for more than one person in a bed. I have no idea what my partner’s side of the bed feels like, and frankly, I don’t care to find out.
Also, I have no idea what category this fits under, but before testing, I thought the Eight Sleep system would transform my bed into a water bed. Reader, it does not. The actual water-pumping effect is much more subtle than the aqua beds of the 90s.
The Airing of Grievances
Here’s what I don’t love about my Eight Sleep Pod 3—and what I wish they’d fix.
The Pod 3 only allows temperature control through the app.
Which to me, seems pretty counterintuitive for better sleep—aren’t I supposed to be staying off my phone in the bedroom? That said, the Pod 4 has remedied this with “tap zones” on each side of the mattress (although I’m unclear how well that works with fitted sheets and top sheets layered over the tap zones).
The Habit Tagging system doesn’t serve any functional purpose.
The app lets you add tags like “Alcohol,” “Stress", “Late Night Exercise,” and other lifestyle choices that may impact your sleep. But they don’t compile any practical trend reports with this data, and there’s no way to, say, aggregate all of the nights you had alcohol before you slept to draw larger conclusions about your sleep. In its current state, it’s not useful.
The company suggests “no dogs in bed” for the most accurate data.
Baloney. I have seen no difference in my sleep scores or biometric data regardless of Phoebe’s presence in my bed. The company also warns that pets may inadvertently scratch through the surface of the Eight Sleep, which is not covered under the warranty. To me, this is a “cover your ass” type of statement, because what dog is going to scratch through a comforter, a top sheet, a fitted sheet, AND the mattress cover? Unlikely—but technically possible.
Also, you’re telling me I have to kick THIS stuffed animal out of my bed? Impossible.
The Autopilot subscription is not 100% necessary.
I’m still within my 12-month period where it’s required, but I’ve spoken to friends who have ditched the app and been just fine. One friend says “Just look back in your history and see what your usual temperatures are, and you can preset it [using that info]. You don’t need the subscription.” (FYI: An Autopilot subscription is required for your first 12 months of owning the Pod—choose between a standard subscription at $17/month or and Enhanced version at $25/month. Both plans have the exact same features, it’s just that the Enhanced version also includes a 5-year warranty. After a year, you can cancel at any time.)
Is the Eight Sleep Pod Worth It?
Here’s where I net out.
Who would get their money’s worth from the Eight Sleep system?
Couples who have vastly different sleeping temperature preferences, to the point of considering a sleep divorce.
Couples in which one person is a devastating snorer (opt for the Pod 4 and adjustable base, in that case).
Anyone who deals with poor temperature regulation in the sleep environment. I have a friend whose AC doesn’t do a great job in her bedroom, and she was regularly struck sleepless due to the heat. Now, she calls her Eight Sleep “an essential utility.”
Anyone who has struggled with chronic sleep issues. The Eight Sleep Pod is HSA/FSA eligible—more info here. If you’re looking for creative ways to spend your FSA, I would run to this.
If my Pod 3 broke today, would I pay to replace it tomorrow?
I think so—and I think I would upgrade to the Pod 4 with adjustable base. *cries in money* Which is (gulp) $4,498 for a queen or $5,098 for a king (and in fact, I may be doing this soon because we’re moving and getting a king-sized bed). But my sleep has been foiled by male snoring ALL TOO OFTEN in recent years, and the Pod 4 with Adjustable Base is designed to mitigate that. If you’ve ever dealt with the kind of wet, irregular snoring that permeates white noise machines AND over-ear headphones, you’ll understand why I may be willing to shell out such major money.
I have also been so. ridicuously. peeved. at having to use my phone to adjust temperature, and I want that damn tap zone feature so I can put my phone to bed when I get into bed.
The Bottom Line
The Eight Sleep Pod is worth it if you and a partner can’t agree on a sleep environment or if you’re desperate to ease snoring. I’d also say it’s worth it in place of an extra AC unit in the bedroom or if you can use HSA or FSA funds for it. Otherwise, you can sleep soundly with an extra $4,500 in your wallet.
Got specific questions about the Eight Sleep system? Ask them in the comments!