Should you buy a Sleep Number bed in Black Friday sales? I'm a mattress writer — here's my advice

The Sleep Number i8 smart bed is the most popular model in the brand's ground-breaking Innovation Series; a collection of sleep tracking beds that deliver customizable firmness and pressure relief tailored to your body – and 100% independent to your partner's side of the bed. Most Black Fridays we see a huge sale from Sleep Number and this year is no exception with 30% off the i8 bed at Sleep Number. 

This big Black Friday mattress deal gets you a queen size Sleep Number i8 smart bed for $2,799.30 (was $3,999). That's still very expensive and nearly double the cost of some of the top picks in our official best mattress guide, so how do you know you're spending your money wisely here?

As a mattress writer, I feel that smart mattresses and beds can either be a magic cure or pure overkill for your sleep, depending on what you're looking for in a bed. Here I’ve compiled a list of reasons for why you should and shouldn’t buy the Sleep Number i8 this Black Friday, depending on key factors. Let's get started...

• Black Friday mattress deals live blog – we're tracking the sales as they arrive

Sleep Number i8 Smart Bed
Was: from $3,399
Now: from $2,379 at Sleep Number
Saving: Up to $1,740

Summary: The app-controlled Sleep Number i8 bed is a best-seller for the brand and no doubt on the wishlist of many sleepers this holiday season. One of the big draws with Sleep Number beds is sleep tracking, with the mattress using a range of sensors to monitor different aspects of your sleep (duration, quality, sleep stages). It then generates a Sleep IQ score so that you can see what's happening when you close your eyes at night and what could be improved. The other big draw is Smart Adjustability, which means the i8 smart bed adapts itself constantly to your body pressure on the mattress. I think this is a great feature as it ensures that you have the best pressure relief for every inch of you body. The smart bed’s pressure-relieving properties also come courtesy of supportive and plush layers of CertiPUR-US certified foam designed to provide comfort and soothe pressure points. I think this is an excellent cooling mattress for hot sleepers too as the Sleep Number i8 bed is made with ceramic gel to draw away heat all night. I'd also recommend it to couples who need different firmness levels to sleep comfortably, as you can set a different firmness for each side of the bed. The i8 can also automatically adjust the firmness by responding to movement. That's smart.

Price history: At the beginning of Sleep Number's early access Black Friday sale, prices started from $2,599. However, thanks to 30% off all i8 bed sizes for Black Friday, prices now start as low as $2,379 ($220 cheaper than the previous discount).   

Benefits: 100-night trial | Free premium delivery and set-up | 15-year warranty 

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Why you should buy the Sleep Number i8 bed this Black Friday

✅ 1. The Sleep Number i8 suits all sleepers 

From sink-in softness for side sleepers to supportive firmness for stomach sleepers, the Sleep Number i8 bed’s customizable firmness should please all sleepers. Not only can you adjust the firmness levels to suit your current weight and sleep style, but you can also adjust them whenever you like if your build and sleep preferences change at some point down the line. Couples will also enjoy the feature which allows different firmness levels for each side of the bed. 

✅ 2. As a smart bed it keeps hot sleepers cool  

Along with deep pressure relief, the i8 bed offers advanced temperature balancing properties, making it a suitable choice for those who tend to overheat at night. Hot sleepers should stay cool with the bed’s breathable design and cooling ceramic gel-infused layers, which absorb and release excess heat as you cool down so both you and your partner can strike the right temperature balance.  

✅ 3. It could help you sleep better and longer

When paired with the free Sleep Number app, the i8 smart bed can give you personalized insights into– and recommendation based on — your sleep patterns using in-built sensors. This is perfect for anyone who’s health-conscious, athletic, or eager to improve their overall sleep quality and wellbeing. 

These insights are in the form of a SleepIQ score, which arrives every morning so you can see whether your sleep is improving. On top of that, SleepIQ scores, you can also get personalised weekly snapshots of your sleep patterns and manage stress and energy levels with recordings of your heart and breath rate.  

Why you shouldn't buy the Sleep Number i8 bed this Black Friday

❌ 1. A lot of extras are sold separately 

While your mattress will be delivered and set up for you by professionals, removal of your old mattress has a $49 fee and will be cancelled if the removers feel it is not in adequate condition. The i8 bed is only compatible with certain bases, and the adjustable base optimised to fit the smart mattress (the FlexFit base) is sold separately, as is the remote to adjust firmness. These extras can unlock some of the bed’s features, so it’s a huge minus that you need to pay for them separately. 

❌ 2. There are cheaper ways to sleep better

While smart mattresses are designed to improve your sleep and overall health, they can be astronomically expensive even in the Black Friday sales. If you’re not interested in keeping track of your sleep, but want an adjustable mattress to keep you cool, there are many tech-free cooling mattresses with customizable firmness levels out there. 

If the idea of smart mattress still intrigues you, you can modernise your regular mattress with a smart mattress cover instead as they’re much cheaper than a full-blown smart bed. Our guide to the Eight Sleep Pod 2 cover, for instance, points out that the app-controlled mattress cover can cool you down and give you health insights without having to swap your trusty mattress. 

7 other top Black Friday mattress deals to shop

• Helix Sleep: 25% off + free sleep bundle via "BF25"
• Saatva (exclusive): $400 off $1,000 or more via this link
• Emma: up to 58% off boxed mattresses
• Bear: 35% off + free bedding worth up to $400
• Nolah: 35% off sitewide + free bedding worth up to $259
• Sleep Number: up to 50% off adjustable smart beds 
• Tempur-Pedic: up to $2,399 off last season cooling beds