Can This $3,500 Smart Bed Improve Your Sleep? A Sleep Expert Tests It Out | WSJ

Smart beds tout features like sleep tracking and climate control. But does the technology actually produce a better night’s rest? WSJ asked Dr. Wendy Troxel, a clinical psychologist trained in sleep medicine, for her expert opinion. Photo: Andy Wiebe
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[@MoeShlomo]

The deal-breaker for me is that you have to pay either $180 or $288 for one of the two membership plans to get even basic features like sleep tracking and auto temperature adjustment - you've got to be freaking kidding me. Sell me the product so that I can own it, not have to rent it from you *after* I fully pay for it. Freaking sleazy company.

[@sefyboy7183]

Right? I really want one but the membership as you mentioned, plus ALWAYS needing WIFI otherwise it literally just bricks up (if they go out of business, there goes your money and a useless e-waste) is such a turn off. What a sleazy company indeed

[@MoeShlomo]

@@sefyboy7183 another good point. I ended up getting a BedJet for $400 (on sale) plus the sheet. Works great and comes with a high quality remote - no fees. Only drawback is it's a bit clunky where it attaches to the side of the bed, but not a deal-breaker.

[@Anonymous-ic7ty]

Honesty appreciated. WSJ make a series out of this please. I wouldn't be against seeing Dr. Wendy Troxel as the host, after her honest review, she has my favor.

[@SS-qx1un]

Imagine having sex on it, and next morning you wake up to a notification from bed saying "you guys are animals" or something else. LOL. I'd freak out.

[@cappincronch]

This is effectively a pump and radiator setup. The reason the pump needed to be re-primed was that she set it on a nightstand above the "radiator," which was was mattress cover. The tech-support guy should've caught that, but she may have put it there after the call. Never put the pump above the radiator, you want it at the lowest point possible so that any air pockets get stuck in the radiator and not the pump. Also, pumps like this are cooled by the liquid flowing through them; if you let air get trapped, it may overheat. Most people put their 8Sleep unit on the floor next to their bed; that's how it's designed and marketed. Also, they sell the cover separately so you can put it on whatever mattress you want. I love my Purple mattress and I'm considering getting one of the covers for it.

[@plvt0n1vm]

The average American can not spend 3,500 dollars on a mattress...nor would they because it's not frugal. These are obviously marketed toward the rich or "financially comfortable". "Sometimes, things that are expensive are worse."

[@Avantime]

Depends on priorities. People sleep ~8 hours every day of their lives, so a good bed is paramount for those who can afford it. But $3500 for a "smart" mattress with dubious features is a bit of a stretch. If only we could "test drive" different mattresses with zero hassle so we could find the right one.

[@wallacoloo]

@@Avantime pardon me if i'm missing the sarcasm, but most companies selling high-end mattresses like this allow for some "trial" period where you can return it no questions asked for just the cost of hauling it away (or even free).

[@Avantime]

@@wallacoloo Yeah, but a lot of companies (like this one) ship mattresses in a box to save on shipping, once opened it's near impossible to put them back in their packaging, which I assume is how they want you to ship them back. I used to travel a lot pre-COVID, and I brought my mattress based on a stay at a hotel - the big hotel operators all have their own mattress boutiques.

[@wallacoloo]

@@Avantime yes, usually the seller dispatches a van to your home to pick up returns (hence why it can be $100 or so to return it). a lot of times mattress companies which have a return policy just donate the returned mattress and eat the cost (it’s expensive to repackage flat-pack mattresses and it’s hard to resell even a lightly used mattress). they bank on the fact that most people don’t actually use the return policy, but that offering one makes their offering more attractive.

[@bestiebombshell6368]

Freckle reference?

[@JJs_playground]

If the manufacturer says you need at least one week, why did they only try it for 3 nights?

[@IW4TCH]

LOL did she actually used bottled water to fill that temperature thing?

[@d-32]

It could be distilled water which the manufacturer might recommend. I assume the water stays in that system for a long time and the minerals in tap water could cause problems.

[@daquidi]

distilled water it was. don t use regular water.

[@thetrison]

Before watching, I was like: "There are things called 'smart beds?'"

[@djcardwell]

Not everything needs to be smart. Sometimes the smartest thing to do is just stop using electronics at night. A guaranteed way to get better sleep and very cheap.

[@MrToritani]

Beds could be one factor that determines the quality of sleep but I personally think the most important things for high-quality sleep are good exercise, good eating habits, and environment with no noises. Especially, noises can disrupt our sleeping badly. Until 3 months ago, I had been living in an apartment near a railway, where many young guys who stayed up late playing online video games lived. I started feeling that something was wrong with my body after one and half year of living there. I felt dizzy and couldn't concentrate, made many mistakes at work. I decided to move out of there and now I'm very satisfied with my new apartment with little noises. The headaches and dizziness are gone now and overall quality of life has been improved.

[@Shinnosuki]

For a sleep expert to review a bed, she certainly did not contribute anything scientific nor was she even technical enough to provide aspects on how the system works.

[@jermainec2462]

She is a sleep expert not a mattress expert... She can't tell you about something she hasn't used... She might know regular mattresses but not smart mattresses

[@ventilator98]

This thing reminds me of a hospital bed with it's air mattress, and the sounds that it was making when it needed to be primed again. To be honest with you, when it made the noise it was making it sounded like a ventilator that was giving a patient breaths faster than it should be. Like there was a leak in the ventilator tubing, and the machine was stacking breaths into the patient's lungs because of the leak. But if I could get that bed, I CERTAINLY would. If I had the money. SERIOUSLY! I'm a ventilator dependent, patient, and sleep in a hospital bed, but it's not that fancy. But this bed would be cool!

[@stwtn]

A great series idea! Keep it up

[@sasstewart1222]

I'm sure the resale value of these will be huge! 🥴

[@emmanuele1986]

This looks more like an ad than a review or anything else.

[@kqiesaw.9385]

3 / 5 stars with a lot of complaints. Is this an ad?

[@soorajsanth0sh]

watching this video from the same laptop she used to video call that tech guy :)

[@trutharrow5311]

Congrats heres your cookie 🐂💩

[@auro1986]

question is can anyone find time to sleep on this $3,500 smart bed?

[@trutharrow5311]

Indians no ig lol

[@BobSmith-fx9sz]

There's probably a specific reason why you don't sleep well. Throwing money on a gimmick is unlikely to fix things.

[@zhangwei4622]

Ads are getting smarter.

[@mattsipes6186]

You don’t actually need the bed. You can just get the sleep system.

[@jeremiasrobinson]

I doubt it. I sleep on plywood and it works just fine.

[@paganlecter6819]

Why do you sleep on plywood?

[@jeremiasrobinson]

@@paganlecter6819 Because it is comfortable.

[@ClashSpiritChanter]

I'll wait for discounts.

[@o0jun0o]

nice AD, wsj

[@alparslankorkmaz2964]

Nice video.

[@dalithecat]

I had one of these (the bed, not just the pad on my mattress), and I’ve never slept worse. I’m not sure why because I liked the temperature regulation and vibration to wake, but it didn’t work for me at all.

[@tenzinrigdol5936]

For 150,000 years humans have done without this bed I think it’s safe to say we don’t need it.

[@grozaphy]

For 150,000 years, humans have survived without phones so I think it's safe to say we don't need it.

[@solsotherland]

@@grozaphy the irony in this comment.

[@michaelshelnutt3534]

Also medicine… does the commenter use ibuprofen or Tylenol? How about antibiotics?

[@banyantree8618]

Given the criteria for settling into a new bed, smart or otherwise, why limit this test to a sub optimal timeframe ?

[@pkk2009]

Sleep on a mat on the floor...you get good sleep and body pain is cleared ...simple and cheap!😏

[@trutharrow5311]

Dude what tf, where you from some cave?!

[@allansh828]

I can sleep better if someone give me $3500

[@rcdriver107]

Smart beds do not give miracles. Spend the money on a good quality, comfy mattress - you will be glad that you did!!

[@Lili-xq9sn]

And good pillows and linens too.

[@teamtryxgg281]

Some beds are ideal breeding grounds for bedbugs. I hate bedbugs.

[@roderickhinds8992]

Need for then 3 days.

[@importantname]

remember how they wanted us to buy fridges with computer screens? buy buy buy

[@MCorpReview]

Generally skeptical but these guys paid me big Time 🤑🤑

[@FrostbitYeti]

I'm a whopping 45 seconds into the video, but I wanted to comment. I have the Eight Sleep Pod Cover and it has been worth every single cent. Warm in the winter, cool in the summer, and OH MY GOODNESS THE VIBRATE TO WAKE IS AMAZING. I don't have to set an alarm on my phone. Is it perfect? Nope. For instance, I don't really care too much about the app metrics, and when I check, they are often incorrect. However, the pod is silent, easy to maintain, and has a wickedly large range of temperatures I can set. I've tried the Chili, BedJet and TEMPUR-breeze, but none have come close to the level of satisfaction I have had with my eight sleep cover. I slept on the same bed for over 20 years (through high school, college, and beyond), and last year splurged on a TEMPUR-breeze mattress and eight sleep cover. 10/10 in my unprofessional opinion. I've never slept better.

[@sunnymahe]

i sleep well simply knowing i saved 3500$ on my mattress

[@rmdanali]

This is an ad. Unsubed

[@gorrilaunit99]

How to sleep better? *E A R P L U G S*

[@littlebrayutd]

Wonder were ill be able to buy one!!!!!!! Amazon!!!!!!

[@user-vb2by7hz4s]

A lot of stress just to set up this bed….. hmmm,

[@nightknight9031]

Apple Watch - best sleep tracker

[@toddturner2356]

Forgot dumb subscription!

[@JBanks333]

🌬🌬🌬Is this a 👠ike sleeping 💤 😒n electricity⚡⚡?

[@importantname]

i like sleeping alot - dont need more of it

[@iwrotethis4712]

Gathers sleeping data and put it up for sale

[@abhishekdev258]

Beds running on electricity, great

[@KAZAM707]

3 nights is not enough! Silly ish video. Also of course the sleep metrics are incorrect.. What consumer smart device can give accurate sleep metrics?

[@carlosayala6192]

Sleep number has the best mart beds hands down

[@mclovin6537]

Wow this bed doesn’t sound great

[@freebie808]

Big data can't sleep without eh 🤡🤡🤡🤡

[@happyfunjenn]

Where's the Sleep Number bed??

[@chrislanejones]

I'm priming my bed... No Thanks!

[@BWT599]

At first I thought this was a meme because of the narrator's voice sounds like that generic computer female.voice 😁

[@porvoonosho]

That's cheaper than a normal bed.

[@LuisMendoza-pp9qi]

I don't think she is the main audience for this tech.... She is too old to be hip

[@sherlock766]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️ Smart bed expert. lol Where is the world headed?

[@mnoi6788]

So it's a legal scam. 👎 I am out

[@trex1448]

Cheaper than my bed. I realize expensive beds are not always the best. It's what fits your sleep preferences.