Falling asleep quickly sets the tone for your whole night. The less time you spend staring at the ceiling trying to doze off, the more time your body has for the deep, restorative stages of sleep. That’s why we put the Eight Sleep Pillow to the test: can a temperature-controlled pillow actually help you fall asleep faster?
The answer: yes.
Key takeaway
- 23% faster sleep onset: On average, people fell asleep significantly faster with cool temperatures on the Eight Sleep Pillow, compared to nights without it.
- Real-life impact: 63% of people said it was easier to fall asleep with the Pod Pillow Cover, and more than half (54%) reported better overall sleep quality.
Over 380 nights of data were collected on the Pillow Cover
We conducted two separate studies to assess how the Pillow Cover impacts sleep. In Study 1 we objectively measured changes in sleep onset latency (i.e. how fast it takes you to fall asleep), to determine whether a temperature regulated Pillow Cover could improve sleep onset. In this study, 18 participants completed the following study design for over 130 nights of data:
- Slept on their normal pillow (no temperature control) for 3 nights to establish a baseline sleep onset latency (SOL).
- Slept on the Pillow Cover for 6 nights at temperatures of their choice.
- For each night of testing, SOL was calculated as the time difference between when participants tagged their “intent to sleep” in the Eight Sleep App and when the Pod detected they fell asleep.
In Study 2 we assessed how the Pillow Cover impacted perceived sleep quality. In this study, 28 participants tested the Pillow Cover for 9 nights at different temperature settings (for more than 250 nights total) and filled out a daily morning survey that asked various questions about their sleep quality.
The Pillow Cover helps people fall asleep 23% faster and enhances sleep quality
In Study 1 we found that sleeping on the Pillow Cover at cool temperatures decreased SOL by 23% on average.
In Study 2 we found that nearly two-thirds (63%) of participants said it was easier to fall asleep when using the Eight Sleep Pillow, and 54% reported better overall sleep quality.
Why it matters
Together, these results show that the Pillow Cover not only helps people fall asleep faster, but also improves how restorative their sleep feels.
