Everything is getting smarter (I almost worry about being left behind). Your fridge will be able to order milk for you, Google can book you a haircut, and your lights can turn themselves on and off at the touch of a button (another button, not just the switch on the wall).
With everything being built with smart technology included, it was only a matter of time before we had smart mattresses. Eight Sleep is one of the first smart mattress manufacturers, and their goal is to merge technology and sleep to help us get a better night’s rest (see Eight Sleep mattress overview). The question is: how are they doing that?
Temperature control
The temperature of your body changes through the night. It is not quite as simple as either being too hot or too cold. Being too warm or too cold in your bed can greatly affect your sleep. If you are not in that Goldilocks-zone temperature, then you will not sleep as deeply, and you will not sleep for as long, waking up more during the night. Sometimes we share our bed with a pet, which brings the extra coziness and warmth. The Eight Sleep mattress does many things to combat this. There are layers of foam with a technology layer too. The mattress can feel your body temperature and change the temperature of the mattress. It can do this independently on both sides of the mattress. The mattress can also be hooked up to your thermostat to control the temperature of your room. Over time the mattress will learn your sleep pattern and make the minute changes needed to give you a better sleep.
Light
Light is another thing which can greatly affect your sleep pattern. Studies have shown that light in your sleeping space can cause you to have less sleep and rest than a dark room. My sticking point is, though, that I love to read in bed. When I do feel sleepy, I do not want to get up and turn the light off, or my body begins to waken again. An Eight Sleep mattress is built to sense your body and body movements. When you get into bed, the lights will dim. This makes it great for reading. When you do fall asleep, the mattress will sense this and turn the lights off for you. No longer do you have to get up to turn the light off for self or fall asleep with the light still on.
Sleep tracker
The mattress also comes with a dedicated app. The more you sleep on the mattress, the more the mattress leads about you. The app will then make recommendations based on your sleeping patterns. The smart alarm will try to wake you when you are in your lightest sleep pattern so that you wake more refreshed than if you were woken from a deep sleep. The alarm is designed to wake you gently with pleasant tones instead of a loud ringing or buzzing. With the app and tracker’s help, you will gain insight into when is the right time for you to be going to sleep and when is the right time to be waking up. Sleeping during these times will give you a deeper sleep, more sleep, and more rest through the night.
Wake up
I could not finish this article without talking about my favorite part. You can also hook the smart mattress up to your coffee maker. The mattress will begin brewing your coffee the moment you wake, so by the time you reach the kitchen, you will have a fresh pot of coffee. I would buy the mattress for this alone. Technology has come a long way, and soon it will be in everything. We often forget about our mattresses. Sleep has become such a part of our lives, that we take it for granted. It does not matter if you sleep well or not, a smart mattress will help you to sleep better.