EIGHT SLEEP POD 3 REVIEW
I love seeing mattress companies improve on already great products. We reviewed the Eight Sleep Pod Pro a few months ago (now call Pod 2 Pro), and it was the most impressive and technologically-advanced mattress we had ever tested.
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is the Eight Sleep Pod Pro’s big brother – the latest and most-advanced Eight Sleep Mattress.
Of course, if you love your current mattress, the Pod 3’s technology (cooling / heating / smart bed) is also available as Pod 3 Cover, zippable around your current mattress with all the amazing benefits of the Eight Sleep Pod 3.
While available, Eight Sleep will continue to sell the Pod Pro (renamed Pod 2 Pro), as well as its Pod 3, and the Pod 3 Max, which includes an extra MaxChill layer for increased comfort and tracking. All three models are stoppable from the Pod 3 Mattress shopping page, as a Pod type option.
Eight Sleep Company Policies
- Free shipping and returns
- 100-night trial
- 2-year warranty on technology
- 10-year warranty on foams
What's Inside The Eight Sleep Pod 3
In a nutshell:
- 12 inches of foams in 5 layers
- Dual-sided heating and cooling mattress
- Sleep and health tracking with improved sensor technology
In more detail...
12 Inches Of Foams In 5 Layers
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is a whole mattress, with the cooling / heating / smart bed technology integrated in its zippered active grid. The mattress itself is made of 5 layers of CertiPUR-US certified foam, totaling 12 inches in thickness. The layers work together to provide pressure relief and spinal support and we rated it as slightly above-average firmness.
Dual-Sided Heating And Cooling Mattress
The Eight Sleep Pod 3’s fame comes from its heating and cooling technology. The mattress can cool down to 55 degrees F and heat to 115 degrees, which is cooler and hotter than most people will find comfortable. Each partner can adjust its own side of the bed to fully customize his/her own sleeping temperature and temperature schedule. Thanks to improved sensor technology and real-time data, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 is able to better adjust bed temperature based on each sleeper’s sleeping pattern and the room temperature and humidity.
Sleep And Health Tracking With Improved Sensor Technology
If you enjoy tracking sleep and health data such as your sleeping times, phases, tosses and turns, heart rate, and respiratory rate, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 will send you a daily report through the connected app. The improved sensory technology in this latest Eight Sleep Cooling Mattress helps support advanced sleep and healthy tracking for better real-time data feed into the Hub and tracking through the night.
Eight Sleep Pod 3 Sleep Tests
Everything we felt in one box
| Firmness | Temperature | Maintenance | Sleeping Style | Bed Base |
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We ranked the Eight Sleep Pod 3 a 7 out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it a medium-firm mattress, just a little firmer than the average mattress. This all-foam mattress provides great pressure relief as the body sinks in the top 4 inches, as well as excellent spinal alignment, thanks to the higher-density foam at its base. We found the Pod 3 to have been greatly improved in terms of comfort, thanks to its Invisible Sensing technology, which makes the water tubes virtually un-noticeable. |
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 allows you to control your mattress' temperature between 55 and 115 degrees F, thanks to a water-cooling / heating technology traveling through tubes located in the active grid, just underneath the mattress' top foam layer. As your room's temperature and humidity change throughout the night, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 adjusts the temperature to maintain your desired temperature, using new ambient sensors. Those sensors, coupled with a re-architected Hub, provide more accurate and faster response to real-time environment changes, than previous versions of the mattress. |
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 requires very minor quarterly maintenance to keep the heating technology working trouble-free. When the app indicates to, simply fill the Eight Sleep's Hub reservoir with 2 liters of distilled water and 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. Depending on your heating / cooling usage, this process will be repeated every 2 to 3 months.
For stains, blot the mattress with a clean cloth, water, and a mild detergent, do not rub. We recommend the use of a mattress protector, as with any other |
The Pod 3 works well for many sleeping styles. We recommend it for side-sleepers under 200/220 lbs, all back-sleepers, as well as lighter-weight stomach-sleepers. |
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 can be installed on any hard base, but is not recommended for adjustable bases because of its technology. As long as your Pod 3 lays on a platform bed, slats, box spring, or any other firm bed base, including the floor, you will be fine. The recommended base for the Pod 3 is a slatted base, with slats spread no further than 3 inches. |
Soft —————- Firm
Hot —————- Cool
Non-Washable – Washable
Eight Sleep Pod 3 Prices & Discounts
While the Eight Pod Pro is no longer offered as such on the website, you have the option to add a mattress to the Eight Sleep Pod Cover, which get you the “old Pod Pro” and is what we are pricing below. Simply choose your Pod Cover size on the website, and click “Add 5-Layer Mattress”. Some seasonal discounts are even deeper when adding the mattress piece!
When purchasing an Eight Sleep Pod Pro, you are buying several products in one:
- a 5-layer 12-inch foam mattress
- the most-performing heating and cooling technology on the market
- a smart bed with sleep and health tracking capabilities
- an app to help adjust the mattress’ temperature and track your sleep and health metrics
- an AI mattress that learns your sleeping patterns to wake you up gently, at just the right moment
- an ideal mattress for couples with different sleep temperature preferences
Price List updated: October 2023 – PRE-DISCOUNTED PRICES
Full
- 52.5"W x 74.5"L
- Pod Pro Cover: $2,095
- 5-Layer Mattress: $1,600
Queen
- 58.5"W x 79.5"L
- Pod Pro Cover: $2,145
- 5-Layer Mattress: $1,800
King / Cal. King
- 74.5"W x 79.5"L (King)
- Pod Pro Cover: $2,395
- 5-Layer Mattress: $2,000
Detailed Eight Sleep Pod 3 Review Conclusion
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 took a beautiful product (the Eight Sleep Pod Pro) and improved it with extra computer capabilities for even better tracking and real-time adjusting, as well as a more seamless Active Grid you virtually can’t feel.
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is the perfect mixture of pressure relief, spinal support, temperature control, and smart-bed tracking. Thanks to its AI capabilities, it is able to adjust its temperature to prevent your body from waking up, as well as decide on the best time to gently pull you out of sleep in the morning.
The Pod 3 was designed with couples in mind, allowing each partner to set his/her preferred temperature and track their own sleeping patterns. Thanks to its improved tracking, the biometric health and sleep data is more accurate and better tracked than in previous Eight Sleep Pod versions.
If you are someone who sleeps hot or cold, a couple with different sleep temperature preferences and/or sleeping styles, or someone who likes keeping track of their heart and other health metrics, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 is the most performing mattress currently on the market.
Let’s look at our sleep test findings in more detail below, to see which type of sleepers we think the Pod 3 is best for.
Find all of our Eight Sleep reviews HERE.
Who Is Eight Sleep?
Since its launch in 2014, Eight Sleep has been on a mission to get everyone “sleep fit.” They believe that sleep, like other body functions, can be tracked and improved, when done right. Doing sleep right, means sleeping in the right environment, at the optimal temperature, and using technology to impact the quality of your sleep, track it, and learn from it. Night after night, Eight Sleep aims at helping you fall asleep faster, get more deep sleep, and experience fewer wake-ups for a sleep that is more rejuvenating and sets you up for success.
Eight Sleep has been recognized for its avant guarde technology over the years, gaining awards in Men’s Health, GQ, Time, Fast Company, and more. The Pod Pro has made our yearly list of Best Mattress in the Hot Sleeper category every year since the inception of the list.
Very few mattress companies cater to sleepers around the world, but Eight Sleep is making it its mission to bring better sleep around the planet, starting with Europe. It currently ships the Pod Cover (cover only, no mattress) to France, Germany, the UK, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Belgium. Europeans receive free shipping, free returns, no duties and a 30-night trial.
What Is Inside The Eight Sleep Pod 3 Mattress?
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is a technological wonder. Being the most tech-savvy mattress on the market, it is not only a smart bed, but also a heating and cooling mattress, as well as a whole mattress of its own. We will be first looking at the mattress itself, its different layers of foam, then touching on the heating and cooling technology, and finally discussing the smart bed health monitoring and app.
5-Layer Foam Mattress
Unlike most cooling bedding devices, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 is not just a mattress cover you add on top of your current mattress. When purchasing the Pod 3, you are a whole mattress of its own, as well as an Active Grid you zip around the mattress, for a perfectly seamless experience. There is not shifting or snapping, the Active Grid becomes an integral part of your mattress, the moment you zip it on. If you are not interested in getting a new mattress, you can purchase the Pod Cover, which is the technology part of the Pod 3, and comes as a cover you can add on top of your current mattress.
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is made of 5 layers of foam, including the foam-infused Active Grid, totaling 12 inches in thickness. All foams are CertiPUR-US certified and hand-sewn in custom fabric that deliver a moisture wicking experience for a cooler sleep.
The bottom layer is 4 inches of a high-density foam that give the mattress stability and years of life. It is a very common layer in foam mattresses.
Above, come 4 inches of FlexSpring Technology – a foam that is responsive and prevents you from feeling stuck in the mattress. Many all-foam mattresses lack responsiveness, making turning around difficult. The Pod 3 has a thick layer of responsive foam for ease of movement and a better performance during sex.
The next 2 layers up are 1 inch of Supportive Air Technology and 2 inches of Airflow Top Layer, letting air pass through the mattress. As your own body heat escapes down the layers, cooler air rises up to prevent over-heating in the foams.
The top layer is a 1-inch thick ComfortBlend topper acting as Active Grid and containing all of the awesome technology that makes the Eight Sleep Pod 3 the best cooling mattress out there. It is a soft and moisture-wicking mattress that sleeps very cozy thanks to the foam sewn on top of the Active Grid. This is the closest layer to your body at night, and the layer hosting the heating and cooling components on the Pod 3. It is a big improvement since the last Eight Sleep Pod, and now includes the new Invisible Sensing technology, which virtually prevents you from feeling any of the technology below you.
The Heating And Cooling Technology
The main reason for most, to purchase the Eight Sleep Pod 3, is the desire to control the temperature of your mattress.
The Pod 3’s dual-zone heating and cooling technology allows each sleeper to set his/her own side of the bed’s temperature, anywhere between 55 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, via a liquid-powered technology connected to the app via wifi. Water travels from the Eight Sleep Hub, through a ~6-foot long tube connected to the head of the mattress, into the Active Grid inside the 1-inch mattress cover, which is closest to your body.
Thanks for a re-architected Hub now powered by a quad-core CPU, the mattress is able to better use real-time data from its ambient sensors to respond even faster to changes in your sleep. The goal is to keep you asleep longer and deeper so you feel more rested in the morning.
The Hub emits negligible noise, which we qualified as white noise, and did not disturb our sleep. When you receive your brand new mattress, you will need to prep it through a process called priming. During priming, all bubbles will be pushed out of the active grid and replaced with distilled water. During that process, the noise will be slightly higher than when cooling / heating your mattress. Do not worry, as the noise will subsidize once priming is over.
Smart Bed / Health Monitoring
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is a highly-performing smart bed – tracking and monitoring several health points during the night for each sleeper. Its improved tracking capabilities use more complex data and algorithms to provide more accurate biometric data to include sleep stages (light, deep, REM), time asleep, tosses and turns, respiratory rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability.
As you wake up in the morning, your individual report includes sleep quality data and health data for each sleeper. Those heart and respiratory functions can be invaluable knowledge and can be linked to your health apps and sent to your doctor. If something feels out of whack, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 will alert you, helping you keep a close eye on your health.
The Eight Sleep App
With your mattress purchase comes free lifetime access to the Eight Sleep App.
Through the app, set up your mattress temperature, GentleRise Smart vibration wake-up alarm, and track your health and sleep quality data.
Every morning, wake up to a Sleep Fitness Score, ranking the quality of your sleep on a scale from 0 to 100. Factors such as time slept, wake-up time consistency, time to fall asleep, time to get out of bed, tosses and turns, and more, all contribute to your daily score, and can help you put a plan in place for better quality of sleep.
How Does The Eight Sleep Pod 3 Sleep?
Firmness
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 mattress sleeps a little firmer than average. We ranked it at 7 out of 10.
Its layers of foams provide a softer top for pressure relief in the high-pressure areas (shoulders and hips), and a firmer set of foams that allow you to move effortlessly on the mattress and align your spine.
The layers of foam allow each partner to move without disturbing the other sleeper. The motion transfer is minimal, allowing you to sleep through the night, no matter the movements of your partner.
The Pod 3 proved increased comfort thanks to an updated Active Grid layer, which includes new Invisible Sensing technology. The technology hiding inside the Grid is virtually undetectable, which is a huge plus on some of Eight Sleep’s competitors.
Sleeping Style
The foams used inside the Eight Sleep Pod 3 allow for different types of sleepers to have a comfortable and healthy night of sleep. We recommend it for side-sleepers under 200/220 lbs, all back-sleepers, as well as lighter-weight stomach-sleepers.
The foams provide ample pressure relief, relieving pressure build-up in the hip and shoulder areas, while aligning the entire spine, thanks to the higher density foams.
Because the Eight Sleep Pod 3 attracts different styles of sleep, it is a great mattress for couples with different sleeping preferences – both in position as well as in temperature.
Temperature
As expected, the Pod 3 performed incredibly well on the temperature control front. Our favorite feature is the ability each partner has to control his/her side of the bed.
We tested the full range of temperatures, from 55 to 110 degrees in ~81 degree bedroom temperature. All sleepers should be able to find a temperature comfortable for their own preference. The mattress became both colder, and warmer, than felt comfortable to us, no matter the difference between room temperature and temperature set on the Pod 3.
Another advanced feature of the Eight Sleep Pod 3 is its ability to adjust the mattress’ temperature based on sensors capturing both the body’s temperature and climate sensors (moisture / temperature) in the bedroom. The mattress will automatically adjust the temperature to ensure your body sleeps at the ultimate temperature. You are also able to set a temperature through the app, based on your personal preferences.
Motion Transfer
Thanks to its 12 inches of foams, the Eight Sleep Pod 3 performed really well on the motion transfer test. The movement of a partner tossing will not disturb another sleeper. Additionally, the Eight Sleep Pod 3’s mission is to reduce the amount of tossing around thanks to its temperature-controlling technology.
Other Notable Features
We think the GentleRise Wake Up technology is extraordinary. The Eight Sleep Pod 3 mattress will wake each sleeper up by gently vibrating at the chest level and slightly rising the mattress’ temperature, at just the perfect time, based on each person’s sleep stage. If you and your partner have different schedules, one partner’s GentleRide Smart Wake Up alarm will not disturb, nor wake, the other person!
We cannot think of a mattress better designed for couples!
The App
The Eight Sleep App deserves a review of its own. It is so much more than a tracking app.
Every morning, you can choose to receive your sleeping report. The report includes a sleep score, as well as health and sleep data. If something seems out of the ordinary, expect a notification. This ensures that you stay on top of arising issues and can make lifestyle adjustments as you see their impact to your sleep and the quality of your rest. The app provides actionable feedback to help you get “sleep fit.”
The app is also the medium you will use to adjust and schedule your mattress’ temperature. The longer you use SleepOS, the better it learns of your preferences and can optimize the thermal environment to your personal preferences.
Lastly, the Eight Sleep app comes loaded with relaxing content. Yoga, guided meditations and breathing, sleeping aids, and stretching exercises. It quickly becomes your best rest, sleep, and recovery partner.
Can I Control The Temperature On Each Side Of The Bed Independently?
Yes, each side is wired independently, while only requiring one Hub, which saves space and noise. Each sleeper sleeps on top of his/her own water system and sensors and each can download the Eight Sleep app and access their own schedule, sleep and health data, as well as AI.
Each sleeper can hence control the temperature of his/her side of the bed and get AI response to their sleep phases, movements, environment, personal body temperature, and even be woken up gently based on sleep phases, and independently from his/her partner.
It is recommended not to sleep with pets or children on the Eight Sleep Pod 3, in order to get accurate feedback and response from the sensors and Hub.
How Do I Care For The Eight Sleep Pod 3 Mattress?
Hub
After the initial priming, which is performed when the mattress is received and involves pushing out air bubbles and replacing them with about 2L of distilled water, the mattress will be fully functional. The priming stage is guided by the app and should take between 1.5 and 2 hours. You will need to have 2L of distilled water and some 3% household hydrogen peroxide handy for that process. Both products are readily available at your local supermarket.
The priming will last sleepers around 2 to 3 months, depending on how much the cooling and heating technology is used.
When prompted by the app to do so (every 2 to 3 months), simply top off the Hub reservoir with ~2L of distilled water, adding 2 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide each time, to keep the Hub clean.
Mattress
When it comes to washing the mattress itself, note that the mattress cover can not be removed. As with most other mattresses, blot any stain with a clean cloth, clear water, and a mild detergent. The faster you tend to a stain, the higher the chance of seeing it disappear.
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FAQ
Eight Sleep sent us this Pod 3 Mattress for testing purposes. This review is not sponsored and all opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The Pod 3 can be seen in Eight Sleep’s NYC showroom. Thankfully, it comes with a 100-night sleep trial so you can try it at home.
The Eight Sleep Pod 3 is made in the USA.
Eight Sleep currently offers the Pod 2 Pro (4 layers), the Pod 3 (5 layers), and the Pod 3 Max (6 layers). It also offer the Pod Cover, which is the technology piece only, which can be attached to any mattress.
Yes, Eight Sleep offers a foundation, bed frame, eucalyptus bed sheets, an organic Tencel mattress protector, a comforter, and the Carbon Air pillow.
Eight Sleep FAQ
Eight Sleep Pod Pro vs. Cover
The Eight Sleep Pod Pro is an actual mattress with the heating / cooling technology and health / sleep tracking capabilities sewn into the mattress cover. The Pod Pro Cover is just the technology portion and a cover than can be attached to the top of your current mattress.
Does Eight Sleep improve sleep?
The Eight Sleep app provides health tracking and actionable feedback to help its sleepers' improve the quality of their sleep and wake up feeling more refreshed.
How cold does Eight Sleep get?
The Eight Sleep Pod Pro mattress is designed to cool down to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In reality, expect the mattress to be able to reach a 10-degree Celcius increase or decrease on your bedroom's temperature. In other words, in a 75-degree bedroom, the Pod Pro can reach 55 degrees.
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Laura Georgieff
Laura is a mother of three who did not sleep through the night for the first 5.5 years of her kids' lives. She is passionate about sleep quality and loves sharing her experience and knowledge of all thing bedding! It is her mission to help you make the best decisions when it comes to sleep and help you get the best deal on the market!
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