Who should buy a smart bed this Presidents' Day? Plus 3 people who shouldn’t

A couple on the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-ActiveBreeze smart bed. The man sits up with the head of the bed raised while the woman lays down sleeping next to him under grey blanket in chic bedroom with gold and white lamp, suede bed frame and a plant.

(Image credit: Tempur-Pedic)

With leading technology packed into a bed system, smart beds don't come cheap. If you're looking to take the plunge and invest in a smart bed this Presidents' Day, you need to be sure they are worth your money.

While smart beds can help those battling night sweats, muscle pain and snoring by offering helpful data and insights into our sleep patterns and adjusting our sleeping conditions, we're also confident our best mattresses of the year can meet many sleep styles and sleep needs. So who suits a smart bed and who doesn't?

We're taking a look at who we think will benefit from these high-tech mattresses and who's better sticking with a more traditional style bed. We'll also round up some of the best Presidents' Day mattress deals on smart beds so you can decide for yourself.

What is a smart bed?

A smart bed is any mattress, mattress cover or bed base that uses technology to create an ideal sleep environment and help you get quality sleep. Different smart beds have different specialities, but main features include temperature regulation, dual position control, adjustable firmness and sleep tracking.

Sleep Number i8 smart bed: was from $3,399 now from $2,399 at Sleep Number
Sleep Number is offering up to $1,200 off the i8 Smart Bed. Precisely, there's $1,000 off a queen size and smaller and $1,200 off a king size and bigger. Sleep Number offer great value on smart mattress all year round, and their deals only get sweeter during major sales like the current Presidents' Day. If you want a bed with innovative tracking and adjustable firmness at an unbeatable price, we recommend shopping now. You'll get free delivery with your order too.

Who should buy a smart bed?

Smart beds will suit specific sleep needs and styles. They will be a good match for you if you experience back pain, night sweats or restless legs. Here's why...

Hot sleepers

A selling point of smart beds is their outstanding climate control functionality. Namely, Eight Sleep pods offer dual temperature regulation and interesting climate features like a thermal alarm and bedtime cooling. The smart mattress covers are lined with water pipes connected to a control hub with a water tank.

A woman with an afro sleeping on her side covered in grey duvet while she sweats in her sleep, thinking of a cooling mattress. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

These pods help hot sleepers as they measure body temperature throughout the night and adjust the temperature of your bed throughout the night to keep wick away night sweats and keep you at an optimal sleep temperature.

Sleepers with muscle and joint pain

Smart beds with Zero Gravity positioning where the top and bottom of the bed elevate to provide the most comfortable sleeping position are especially beneficial for anyone kept awake by back pain or sore joints. This is become this adjustable positioning enables you to alleviate stress put on the usual pressure points. Sleeping in the most comfortable position possible also ensures your spine is aligned and supported to reduce back pain.

Additionally, smart beds are some of the best mattresses for back pain with responsive firmness that adjusts to your movements through the night, providing the right level of firmness for your sleep position.

You will need a softer bed surface when sleeping on your side and a firmer, more supportive one if you flip onto your stomach or back. So, these beds ensure you remain comfortable and supported no matter the way you sleep.

People who snore

The image shows a man sleeping on his back with his mouth open and his arm above his head — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Smart bed bases tend to offer adjustable, responsive positioning that elevates the head or feet. This feature is beneficial for snorers as adjusting the position of the head during the night can help open up airways and mitigate noisy breathing (ie snoring).

Smart beds like the Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Ergo smart base have specialised snoring mitigation technology that detects snoring and adjusts head position accordingly.

Couples who disagree

With dual temperature control and dual adjustable firmness and positioning, smart beds allow you to customize your side of the bed. You can make it as warm and cozy as you like without sending you partner into pools of sweat next to you.

You can elevate your head or foot position or adjust firmness to achieve optimal comfort without affecting the feel of the bed on their side. Couples with different sleep styles, sleep needs and body weight will particularly benefit from these features, especially if different sleep habits are calling for a sleep divorce.

A woman sits up in bed while her partner still sleeps — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Who should avoid smart beds?

There's no denying that smart beds can elevate your sleep routine, teaching you about different sleep metrics and keeping you comfortable all night long. But that doesn't mean they are a worthy investment for everyone. So, who don't we recommend a smart bed to? Let's take a look...

Anyone shopping on a budget

On sale or not, these high-spec smart beds are no budget buy. You pay for the plush sleep experience you get. Nightly body scans and sleep analysis reports can rack up a hefty bill. Although Sleep Number has some budget options under $1,000 like the c1 and c2 smart beds, most other brand's prices start upwards of $2,000 and reach up to $10,000.

Sleep Number C2 smart bed in bedroom. — (Image credit: Sleep Number)

Plus you have to consider extra costs incurred. Remember some 'smart beds' aren't actually complete beds and you must purchase a mattress or bedframe separately. Eight Sleep even has a monthly subscription fee to access its full smart functionality via its app.

People with little tech knowledge

Integrated with tech and mostly operated through compatible smart phone apps requiring WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, smart bed systems require technical knowledge to get them set up and to benefit from all the smart features.

That said, if you are looking to customize their bed without the need for mobile connectivity, we recommend the Saatva Solaire. This adjustable firmness smart bed has 50 precise firmness preferences and is fully operated via a remote control. Do note, however, you won't get sleep tracking or smart temperature regulation.

People who don't struggle to sleep

If you're sleeping soundly on your existing bed, be it a luxury mattress or one this year's best cheap mattresses, we reckon your money would be better invested elsewhere.

While a smart bed can help health issues affecting sleep, people without sleep troubles wouldn't benefit as much from nightly sleep reports or a customizable sleep surface. Instead you could revamp your sleep space with this year's best pillows or shop the current Black Friday bedding deals.

A woman wearing a pink sleep eye mask and silk pyjamas stretching her arms in bed waking up from quality sleep. — (Image credit: Getty Images)

Is Presidents' Day a good time to buy a smart bed?

Smart bed mattress sales coincide with usual mattress sales we see throughout the year, meaning Presidents' Day is in fact one of the best times to buy. As high-tech products produced by leading sleep tech specialists, savings are rarely huge on smart beds throughout the year. But Sleep Number is the place to go for the best savings right now - you can bag up to $3,799 off! Tempur-Pedic mattress sales are also cutting up to $1,000 off their luxury smart bed, the Tempur-ActiveBreeze. Meanwhile, Eight Sleep mattress sales aren't as generous as we saw during Black Friday, but you can save up to $150 on their celebrity-favorite smart mattress pods now.

Eve is a PPA-accredited journalist with an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University. She is a Sleep Staff Writer at Tom’s Guide and has four years’ experience writing health features and news. She is particularly interested in the relationship between good sleep and overall health. At Tom’s Guide Eve is responsible for coverage and reviews of sleep tech and is our smart and cooling mattress specialist, focussing on brands such as Eight Sleep and Sleep Number. She also covers general mattress reviews, seeks out the best deals to produce tried-and-tested buyer's guides for sleep accessories and enjoys writing in-depth features about sleep health. She has been involved in rigorous testing procedures for mattress reviews in our Sleep Studio and has interviewed experts including sleep doctors and psychologists. When not covering sleep at Tom's Guide, Eve enjoys writing about health and fitness, food and culture.