Latest news with #EightSleepPod
Tom's Guide
20 hours ago
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Garmin launches first sleep-only tracker — a screenless lightweight armband for maximum nighttime comfort
The rumours are true. Garmin has unveiled a new sleep and health tracking armband, designed to help you get on top of your rest and recovery for peak physical performance. Instead of a watch, the new screenless sleep tracking device sits in a machine-washable band that fits comfortably around your upper arm. The tracker keeps tabs on your sleep stages, heart rate variability (HRV) status, blood oxygen saturation, breathing rate, skin temperature and overall sleep quality while you snooze and even vibrates come morning to wake you up peacefully, helping you feel refreshed rather than groggy. The Garmin Index Sleep Monitor will be a sleep-focussed add-on providing insight to your rest, recovery and body battery rather than a replacement for your everyday health tracker. Instead, it leaves the fitness tracking and mile-logging to the best Garmin watches. Release date: June 2025 Sizes: Two sizes (S-M and L-XL)Warranty: 2 years Price: $169.99 at Garmin The Garmin Sleep Monitor is a screenless device, much like the wrist-worn Whoop band. In terms of sleep tracking, the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor will offer similar insights to the best smart beds and mattresses you can buy online (namely, the Eight Sleep Pod and Sleep Number mattresses), but for a fraction of the price. These beds are built with world-class sleep tech that measures every aspect of your sleep and generally costs upwards of $1000. Meanwhile, the Garmin tracker packs these sensors into a compact arm band that cost $169.99/£149.99. 'We are thrilled to add the Index Sleep Monitor to our suite of innovative health and wellness products. Wearing this smart sleep band every night can provide in-depth sleep insights and a more complete picture of fitness and recovery so users can wake up ready to seize the day," says Susan Lyman, Garmin Vice President of Consumer Sales and Marketing. Garmin Index Sleep Monitor: $169.99/£149.99 at GarminLevel up your rest and recovery tracking with this new Garmin device focussed on sleep insights. It is available at $169.99/£149.99 MSRP and pairs with the Garmin Connect app for a holistic view of your health. The Garmin Index Sleep Monitor is available in two sizes (S-M and L-XL), which will both retail at $169.99/£149.99. This price includes the sleep monitor and light-weight band. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. The cheapest Garmin watch (the Forerunner 55) retails at $149.99 /£179.99. For this extra $10 you can get a daytime health tracker alongside basic sleep tracking. But if you're looking for a device solely focussed on getting into the nitty gritty details of your sleep rather than daytime activities and steps etc, the Index Sleep Monitor is the one for you. This sleep tracker is the first of its kind from Garmin. The Index Sleep Monitor is its first product focussed purely on sleep quality and recovery. Therefore, we can only compare its price to sleep trackers from outside the brand. The most notable comparison is the Whoop 5.0 band released in May this year. Whoop operates a unique pricing system where, instead of paying for the sleep tracking device upfront, you pay an annual subscription starting at $199/£169 per year. Immediately, you can see the Garmin's one-off payment is less than a one year subscription, suggesting you're getting better value with the Garmin Index Sleep Monitor rather than the rival Whoop band. Though, a word of warning, Garmin has recently introduced a subscription fee putting AI-powered insights and an enhanced performance dashboard behind a paywall. However, existing features in the Garmin Connect app remain free and there's no indication that the new sleep monitor will require additional fees. Honing in on your sleep health, the new Garmin device gives you a personalized sleep score every morning based on sleep duration, sleep stages, stress levels and breathing rate. It features Garmin's well-loved Body Battery energy monitoring that helps you understand how well rested your body is, so you can decide whether to hit the gym hard or take it easy. Sensors in the band track your overnight respiration rate, breathing variations and HRV to help you understand how well your cardiovascular system functions while you rest. These metrics give an indication of stress levels and how restorative your sleep has been. It also measures changes in your skin temperature which can potentially indicate illness. This measurement can also help women stay on top of their menstrual cycle, providing period predictions and ovulation estimates and helping them track energy levels in line with menstrual stages. Another impressive feature of the Index Sleep Monitor is the smart wake alarm. The device identifies when you are in a lighter phase of sleep around your desired wake up time and gently vibrates to wake you up, making for a more gradual, smooth transition from sleep to wakefulness, helping you get over sleep inertia. If you don't own a separate Garmin smartwatch, the Index Sleep Monitor directly syncs your sleep data to the Garmin Connect app. If you're a Garmin watch-wearer, the smart band sends your sleep metrics to your watch and Garmin app, giving you a more comprehensive view of your fatigue levels and health, straight to your wrist. Garmin is the brand behind five out of 10 of the best running watches we've tested this year. So, they clearly know what they're doing when it comes to helping runners make and track, progress. But can they succeed in the sleep industry too? We'll report back with a full Index Sleep Monitor review.
CNET
14-05-2025
- Health
- CNET
The Eight Sleep Pod 5 Has Arrived: What to Know About the Newest Model of This Smart Sleep System
CNET's sleep team has long been testing mattresses, bedding and sleep accessories, and Eight Sleep has always been a crowd favorite. The latest generation of Eight Sleep's AI-powered system launches on Wednesday -- and this time, it includes a temperature-controlled blanket in addition to the mattress cover, hub and adjustable base. As with previous models, Eight Sleep's mattress is sold separately. The Eight Sleep Pod 5 is quite the investment; a queen-size Core model starts at $3,099, and the all-inclusive Ultra is $6,099. On top of that is a monthly subscription fee for accessing all of the Pod's high-tech features, ranging from $17 to $33 per month, depending on your chosen plan. Here's what we know about the new upgrades to a product that has significantly influenced the sleep fitness industry. What is the Eight Sleep Pod? The original Eight Sleep Pod launched in February 2019, and each iteration since has seen improvements in functionality, comfort and durability. Eight Sleep's primary function is to offer sleepers (both hot and cold) relief with its temperature-regulating mattress cover. Through real-time sensing and automatic adjustments, this smart cover helps sleepers fall and stay asleep by regulating body temperature throughout the night. It's dual-sided, so you and your partner can each have personalized settings. How does it work? Many brands claim their sleep products are cooling, but we find Eight Sleep to be one of the few that live up to the hype. It works by pulling water from the connected hub and circulating it through a network of thin tubes within the cover. Its ability to heat and cool is impressive, with temperatures ranging from 55 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The Pod has helped our own sleep and mattress experts find better sleep while sharing the bed, forgoing blanket battles and disagreements about bedroom temperature. The hub sits on the floor beside your bed and connects to the mattress cover, pumping water through its tube system. Eight Sleep Health and sleep metrics The Eight Sleep Pod does more than simply keep you temperature-neutral at night. It has clinical-grade sensors that connect with Eight Sleep's app to provide a detailed sleep and health metrics report, allowing you to analyze your data with what the brand calls Autopilot. The data includes your sleep (time asleep, time to fall asleep, time awake and sleep phases), cardiovascular biometrics (heart rate, heart-rate variability and breath rate) and snoring (snore times and intensity). What is new with Pod 5? Say goodbye to Pods 3 and 4, as these older models will no longer be available for purchase on Eight Sleep's website; however, if you're a Pod 3 or 4 user, don't fret. You can still use your current setup as usual and access the upgraded algorithms of the new Pod 5. If you want to upgrade your system, you'll receive discounted pricing through special member access. 1. Hydro-powered blanket In addition to the mattress cover, hub and base, Pod 5 now offers a hydro-powered blanket. Using a similar network of thin tubes, the blanket connects to the cover at the foot of the bed to provide complete heating and cooling coverage across your entire body, not just beneath you. Our team is particularly eager to test and share our thoughts on this new feature. The blanket can also be inserted into a duvet cover if you'd like to change the look of your bed Eight Sleep 2. Surround sound Also new is the integrated surround sound speaker system built into the Pod's base, which plays calming soundscapes intended to relax the nervous system. Selections include various white noise and meditations created in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and Stanford University professor. Through the Eight Sleep app, you can control the sound and choose if you want the audio to turn off once the Pod senses you've fallen asleep or continue playing throughout the night. There is no Bluetooth connectivity option, so you can't play your own sounds -- only what the app offers. We have yet to determine whether this feature meets the same criteria as the selections in our lists of the best white noise machines and meditation apps. 3. Cover control buttons Another improvement with the fifth generation of Eight Sleep is that there are buttons on the side of the cover for controlling your Pod settings. The Pod 4 had a flat sensor area you could tap to adjust, but many users found it difficult to tell what it was set to and what was changing without referring to the app. Eight Sleep The sides of the Pod 5 cover have three distinct physical buttons, so you know exactly what is being changed when you press them. You can program the middle button through the app to control certain settings, such as hitting snooze, stopping the alarm or turning on and off the audio. In addition to the vibration and thermal alarms, you can now choose to wake up to certain sounds. I already love Eight Sleep's alarm feature. Its gentle vibration and warming sensation are much nicer to wake up to than an immediately stress-inducing and annoying phone alarm. 4. Adjustable base and snoring mitigation Like the Pod 4 Ultra, Pod 5's base offers zero-gravity elevation, gently lifting your head when it detects snoring. This adjustable base can also be elevated whenever you please, so you can lie in a more comfortable position while reading or to improve your circulation. Eight Sleep So, picture this: You program your Eight Sleep base to automatically move into an upright position for reading before bed. At the time of your choosing, soothing audio, such as a crackling fireplace, begins to play softly, setting the perfect background noise. The mattress cover and blanket have already started to warm as you slide into bed. It's a cozy setup for reading and relaxing as your personalized environment eventually lulls you into a peaceful slumber. If you prefer, the bed can return to its original position, and the sound can turn off once the sensors detect you're asleep. Pod 5 Ultra's adjustable base fits most bed frames and can be used on its own with Eight Sleep's optional leg kit. The cover is designed to fit mattresses up to 16 inches tall. Eight Sleep 5. Health Check and Autopilot Pod 5 detects and reports all the same biometrics and sleep information as Pod 4, but it now includes enhanced algorithms programmed to monitor cardiovascular and respiratory abnormalities or disturbances as you sleep (such as abnormal heartbeat, increases in respiratory rate or drops in heart-rate variability). It compiles the information into a daily Health Check intended to be used as a preventative health solution. Because it's all monitored by the embedded sensors in the cover, you don't have to wear any tracking devices. It's also said to match the accuracy and performance of clinical-grade electrocardiograms. Autopilot uses AI trained using nearly 10 million hours of sleep data to monitor and analyze your real-time sleep and health biometrics. It automatically adjusts as needed to keep you asleep throughout the night, learning and assessing your trends over time. What is the price of Pod 5? You'll pay a pretty penny for the Pod 5, especially if you opt for the Ultra. A queen-size Pod 4 (hub and cover) retailed for $2,649, while Pod 5 Core (hub and cover) sits at $3,049 -- an increase of $400. A queen-size Pod 4 Ultra (hub, cover and base) retailed for $4,699, while the Pod 5 Ultra (hub, cover, blanket and base) is $6,099 -- an increase of $1,400. The Pod 5 also comes in a mid-tier Plus model, retailing at $4,099 for a queen. It includes the cover, hub and blanket, meaning you will still have double the cooling and heating capabilities with the hydro-powered blanket. Still, you won't have the adjustable base, snoring mitigation or surround sound audio features. To unlock all the features of the Pod and Autopilot, you must pay a monthly subscription fee. There are three options: Standard ($17 per month), Enhanced ($25 per month) and Elite ($33 per month). Elite is a new tier that Eight Sleep has introduced, which is required to access the Health Check feature. Like Pod 4, Eight Sleep will offer Pod 5 through a monthly rental program (in the US only) for a flat monthly fee. You can cancel anytime by returning your Pod. This program only applies to the Core model with the cover and hub, not the Plus or Ultra models. Eight Sleep Is the Eight Sleep Pod 5 worth it? Caroline Igo, a CNET sleep and wellness writer, recently tested and compared Pods 3 and 4, concluding that the upgrade wasn't worth the extra cost. If you're new to Eight Sleep, you'll have no choice but to purchase Pod 5, as the older models are no longer for sale. Until we test Pod 5 ourselves, we can't say for sure whether we recommend upgrading your current system to this new generation -- but stay tuned for a review from our sleep team. For years, members of CNET's sleep team have been testing and reviewing various models of the Eight Sleep Pod. Aly Lopez/CNET Eight Sleep Pod 5 models compared
