Sleep Number P6 Smart Bed Review: Advanced and Adaptive

I spoke with Raj Mills, senior vice president of partnerships and research at Sleep Number. “Our AI models take into account the depth of the foam and still maintain the same level of accuracy no matter how deep the sensors are under the surface of the bed,” she told me. She said that they coherently perform an echocardiogram, which monitors the blood flow produced by the heart and ultimately determines the heart rate score. How effective they are at doing this is debatable.

In the end, I found that there was a great deal of variance in terms of the night’s calculated score on both ends. On good nights, both indicated higher scores, but the final number could differ by up to 10 points. In the Sleep Number app, I found it worrying, as most of the time my Sleep Score numbers weren’t as high as I thought they would be, and my average for the three-week testing period was 74.

Matrix mattress

If you prefer a remote, that’s either a separate cost ($50) or potentially a different bed entirely. The only way to operate this mattress is to create an account and download the app beforehand. Personal data security is a top priority for many, and I wanted to know how the vast amounts of data accumulated by Sleep Number’s customer base are managed. When you first sign up for your account, you can either share your data with Sleep Number or opt out completely. For those who willingly share their data — about 550,000 individuals, according to Mills — Sleep Number’s data science team conducts research and presents findings from its consumer base at major sleep conferences, including SLEEP and the World Sleep Conference.

It’s a comprehensive data set to work with, and continues to evolve through adaptive AI during operation, which includes SleepIQ technology. According to Mills, the company’s AI models are designed to analyze sleepers on an individual level, because each sleeper has a different build, age, pain issues, and needs. In accordance with Sleep Number’s Privacy policy, the Company does not sell your information to third parties, and you may withdraw your consent to share information at any time. Ultimately, Sleep Number is a company that can use your data to develop new products, and whether that’s worth it or not is up to you.

Powerful couple

The adjustable base is what enables each side of the mattress to adjust the head and foot angles independently. I tested the FlexFit 3 adjustable base alongside the P6 mattress, which is Sleep Number’s best offering. It provides timed foot heating (which takes about 2 minutes to heat up and has a default setting of 2 hours) to help blood flow away from your heart and help you fall asleep faster. There’s also a zero-gravity setting, partner snoring (lifts the head and neck slightly to help open the airways), and under-bed lighting to detect motion. I loved the gentle light source for late-night bathroom breaks, and the split adjustability allowed me to engage in late-night reading without disturbing my partner. However, the only feature that separates the FlexFit 2 base from the FlexFit 3 is the inclusion of foot warmers, which is an additional $400 cost for the king size.

Photo: Julia Forbes