Coway’s Smart Care Air Mattress at CES 2022 tackles a huge sleep killer

Two people sit on the Coway Smart Care Air Mattress

(Image credit: Coway)

Waking up in the night because you're trying to find a comfy spot to carry on snoozing is a major sleep killer for some people. Specific health conditions aside, this type of discomfort is often caused by pressure points, especially if you’re a side sleeper (your hips and shoulders take a hit here). So we’re intrigued by the Coway Smart Air Care Mattress, launched at CES 2022.

This smart sleep solution self-adjusts through nine firmness levels to better suit the pressure of your body lying on it. In our best mattress guide we talk a lot about choosing a bed that suits your sleeping position and weight, and the Coway Smart Air Care Mattress makes this easier.

It has another innovation up its sleeve too: it ditches springs in favor of Air Cells, contained within the mattress’ air pockets. These air pockets control their own air pressure, and after detecting your body pressure and sleep position they automatically adjust the firmness of the bed to suit you.

The Smart Air Care Mattress (price and release date TBC) forms part of Coway’s new smart sleep solution ecosystem, including air quality products to help you optimize your bedroom for sleeping.

Nectar mattress has a new sister brand: meet the $299 Siena Memory Foam

Three other mattresses that offer variable firmness

The beauty of the Coway Smart Care Air Mattress is that it automatically self-adjusts through nine firmness levels, so all you need to do is lie down and snooze. But if you can’t wait for it to arrive, there are other mattresses available now that offer flippable firmness (softer on one side, firmer on the other). Here are three of our favorites…

Saatva Solaire Mattress: from $1,977.30 at Saatva
The Saatva Solaire is an adjustable mattress offering 50 firmness options. You will have to press a button on a remote control to access these (it doesn’t self-adjust like the Coway), but it’s unbeatable for custom comfort. It’s quiet in use too, so don’t worry about any noise disturbing your rest. Saatva offers a 180-night trial on the Solaire, and right now you can save 10-15% on it in the current Saatva mattress sale, depending on the size you buy.

Layla Memory Foam Mattress: from $599 at Layla
If you just want to dip your toes in the world of flippable mattresses, then the Layla Mattress is a great place to start. The soft side is rated at a 4 out of 10 on the firmness scale, making it ideal for lighter bodies and side sleepers who need more cushioning. The firmer side is rated at a 7 out of 10 and is better for heavier bodies, stomach and back sleepers, and couples who enjoy a firmer sleeping surface. It’s also infused with copper for a cooler feel and natural odor control. The Layla comes on a 120-night trial.

Brentwood Home Crystal Cove Mattress: from $799 at Brentwood Home
The US-made Crystal Cove Flippable Hybrid Mattress sits more on the natural and organic mattress side of things, with materials including 100% natural latex. The best feature is the dual firmness design: the soft side is made from contouring memory foam for higher pressure relief, while the firmer side is made from organic Dunlop latex for extra support, firmer bodies and couples seeking zoned pressure-point relief. Brentwood Home offers a 25-year warranty on it too, plus a 365-night trial.

Soreness when lying down isn't something you have to put up with, so if your current bed is causing you discomfort and a good quality mattress topper isn't making a difference, then it's time for something new.

For maximum pressure relief, choose one of the best memory foam mattresses. If you sleep hot, check out our cooling mattress guide. Good sleep is vital for overall health and wellbeing, so we're pleased to see so many innovative products coming out this year to help us all snooze better at night.

Claire is a fully qualified journalist and Certified Sleep Science Coach with over 15 years’ product review experience. Claire is responsible for all mattress and sleep content published on Tom’s Guide, including our Best Mattress of 2024 buying guide. She is our expert on Saatva, DreamCloud, Nectar and Tempur-Pedic mattresses, and is also our in-house hybrid mattress specialist. Claire is certified to advise people on how to choose a mattress that best suits their sleep, body and budget, as well as helping them to create a nighttime routine and bedroom environment that promote good sleep. As Senior Sleep Editor, Claire takes the lead on developing and overseeing rigorous testing procedures for our mattress reviews, both at home and in our fully equipped Sleep Studio. Claire leads a team of experienced sleep and mattress specialists who report on and test a wide range of mattress and sleep products, and she also writes about all things related to sleep, and has interviewed a wealth of experts including mattress designers and buyers, neuroscientists, and doctors of sleep medicine.