What Is a Smart Bed?

A smart bed is a bed that uses sensors and other technologies to gather data about how you're sleeping. It uses this information to self-adjust and improve your sleep.

Some also deliver your sleep information to your smartphone, where it can report how well you're sleeping and offer tips on how to sleep better.

Other smart beds don't necessarily focus on improving your sleep, but instead on creating a more enjoyable experience while in bed. For example, one might come with a built-in TV or alarm. Another might offer smart bedsheets to adjust to temperature changes in the night, or feature built-in network connectivity to merge with your home automation devices.

As promising as a smart bed sounds, the industry is still in its infancy, which means there's no clear-cut narrative as to what a smart bed should or shouldn't do. Whether one works for you is simply a matter of doing research to see which frame, sheet set, pillow, etc., suits you the best.

Smart Bed Technology

With a wide variety of beds considered "smart," there isn't a full list of smart bed features that encompass all the products on the market. However, below are some examples of the features that can be included in a smart bed.

• Sleep tracking: Monitoring how you're moving while sleeping is one of the most distinguishing aspects of a smart bed's mattress as opposed to a regular one. Using a single sheet of "smart fabric" or several sensors spread throughout the bed, the mattress tracks a variety of information such as respiration, heartbeat, sleep restfulness, and pressure to determine how to give you the most comfortable night's rest.
• Temperature control: Smart beds sometimes come integrated with a built-in thermostat that lets you (or the bed, if it can automatically) regulate the temperature of the mattress while you're sleeping.
• Air chambers: Inflated air tubes inside the mattress come packed with pressure sensors that allow it to adjust to your body posture while you sleep. These air tubes can also be controlled remotely via an app paired to the bed.
• App integration: Some smart beds connect seamlessly to the Internet of Things to control your other smart home items, including virtual assistants, thermostats, smart lights, coffee makers, and TVs, letting you control all these different devices without ever getting up.
• Position control: A smart bed with position control includes two entirely separate zones that can be adjusted independently of the other. This means one person could use the app/remote to physically move the mattress, like the head or leg area, while the other side remains flat.
• Audio playback: Some people feel more rested with meditation guides, nature sounds, or some other comforting audio. Some smart beds include Bluetooth connectivity so you can hook up your phone directly with the bed's speaker system to calmly fall asleep, or wake up to your favorite online radio station.
• Self-making: Although less common than these other functions, a self-making bed is able to (...can you guess?) arrange the bedding automatically! At least one iteration of this technology makes it work by using metal rails connected to sheets to stretch and smooth them over the mattress.
• Extra furniture: "Smart" can also mean the bed is cleverly designed. A smaller room might benefit from a smart bed that integrates a makeup mirror or a chair attached to the side.

Smart Beds to Choose From

Here are some examples of smart beds:

• Sleep Number 360°: Pick how firm each side of the bed should be, and pre-warm the bed before you get in. While you're sleeping, it senses how you're shifting around and automatically adjusts to keep you comfortable. Your SleepIQ score is sent to your phone every morning so you can see how well you slept, and it includes personalized suggestions on how to sleep better.
• ReST Smart Bed: Supports manual, targeted configurations for five areas of your body: head, shoulders, lumbar, hips, and legs. The bed keeps a memory of how you want to be comfortable and will adjust while you're sleeping to always ensure that your pre-chosen comfort level is met.
• Eight Sleep: This company sells the Pod Cover and the Pod Mattress. The Pod automatically heats or cools the bed before you get in it, and can adjust automatically based on your sleep patterns. It can reach temperatures as low as 55°F to as high as 110°F.
• HiCan: Unlike other smart beds, which are really just smart mattresses, HiCan's offering redefines the entire bedroom experience with a full-featured sleeping pod. It includes a 4K projector and a 70" screen, with HDMI ports, dimmable reading lights, a sound system, ambient lights, and privacy blinds. It's like walking into the future of urban homes.
• Ohea: A bed that makes itself? That's exactly what you get with the Ohea smart bed.
• Ultimate Smart Bed: This one claims to be the "best multifunctional bed ever." They have interesting options like one with a mini fridge (a normal one, not a smart refrigerator) and another that's round, with LED lighting, a bookcase, a hidden safe, and reading lamps.

Do You Need a Smart Bed?

A normal mattress, or a semi-smart one that can adjust with a remote, is probably enough for most people. However, you might have the money and a specific reason to get one.

If you want to mimic a smart bed, you can get some features of one from a variety of sources. For example, there are sleep apps that can monitor your movements while in bed, websites that help you sleep, heated blankets to control temperature, relatively inexpensive projectors you can beam to the foot of your bed, smart lamps, unique alarm clock apps, and wake-up lights/alarms.