An expensive yet groundbreaking bed gadget that promises to revolutionise the way we sleep and share a bed has launched in Australia.
Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Lewis Hamilton are early adopters, while actor Kevin Hart is such a big fan that he invested in the company.
The latest iteration of Eight Sleep’s Pod, the Pod 4, boasts state-of-the-art sensors in its $3,000 smart mattress cover. It can regulate your bed’s temperature, detect and prevent snoring, assess sleep quality without a wearable device and wake you up with subtle temperature changes and vibrations.
Resembling a thick fitted sheet, the device is also clinically proven to provide up to one extra hour of sleep per night.
It reads like a wish list written by the sleep-deprived.
Co-founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, ex-skier Matteo Franceschetti, compares it to “sleeping on a stethoscope” due to its health advantages.
“We have self-driving cars and rovers on Mars, yet, most humans spend one-third of their lives sleeping on foam mattresses that do nothing to improve their sleep,” he said.
“With the launch of Pod 4 Ultra we continue to prove that technology can be used to understand what each person needs for optimal sleep and then deliver solutions.
“We are once again raising the bar for what sleep should feel like by eliminating worries about temperature, comfort, and elevation while providing the most seamless sleep experience adapted to each individual every night.”
So how does that relate to relationships?
Well, given that each side of this bed gadget can be tailored to individual sleep preferences via tap-to-control sensors, whether you’re a hot or cool sleeper, a snorer or a saintly non-snorer, it means you – potentially – won’t have to fight over settings or file papers over sleep deprivation.
The top of the Pod 4 – known as the ‘Active Grid’ – is connected to a hub about the size of a computer tower, that sits beside your bed. This quietly heats and cools water which is then circulated through the grid to regulate the temperature for each user independently.
Temperatures range from as low as 13˚C to as high as 43˚C, which seems extreme, but might come in handy if the heating fails on a chilly night or January sees the mercury go through the roof.
The grid tracks sleep and health data and an accompanying app provides a comprehensive breakdown of sleep metrics, dubbed your “sleep fitness score,” each morning.
The Eight Sleep Pod 4 has stats to add to its brags, too.
According to Eight Sleep, it improves sleep quality by up to 32 per cent and detects and reduces snoring by up to 45 per cent.
The more expensive Pod 4 Ultra, it claims, can also reduce or even completely stop snoring through its Base by automatically elevating a user’s head when snoring is detected.
The only downside seems to be the price, which starts at $3,800. Although, it could be a worthwhile investment compared to the potential costs of divorce, ranging from $50,000 to $100,000 or more.