With the Well+Good SHOP, our editors put their years of know-how to work in order to pick products (from skin care to self care and beyond) they’re betting you’ll love. While our editors independently select these products, making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission. Happy shopping! Explore the SHOP Sleep has become a sport, and after using the Eight Sleep Pod Cover ($2,195) and waking up to a sleep score of 100, I felt rested and ready to conquer the day. It may seem extravagant, but the investment in better sleep can have a profound impact on your overall well-being, particularly if you’re striving for peak performance in your workouts. The Pod Cover offers features such as “Autopilot”, which regulates body temperature to optimize each stage of sleep and lead to enhanced deep sleep, REM sleep, and total sleep time. It has been clinically proven to increase deep sleep by 34 percent, which is essential for recovery after intense physical activity. Additionally, it uses invisible sensors to track heart rate, heart rate variability, and respiratory rate, which determine real-time sleep staging, and in turn, provides you with a Sleep Fitness Score to inform your day and how you approach it. The Pod Cover’s technology is designed to tailor your sleep environment to your body’s needs, ensuring improved sleep quality and overall well-being. Alexandra Zatarain, the co-founder and VP of brand and marketing at Eight Sleep, states that “Sleep is undoubtedly one of the most crucial factors for an athlete’s mental and physical health and performance.” Research indicates that sleep helps to regenerate cells that repair bodily tissues and bolster immune systems, creating a stronger foundation for physical activity. Factors such as sleep routine, sleep quality, and total sleep time are all factored into the Sleep Fitness Score, giving you practical insights to optimize your workout efforts based on your sleep health.
The Pod Cover goes beyond giving you nightly data to help you understand the trends in your sleep quality. By using its features to adapt to your body’s needs, you can tweak the frequency and intensity of your workouts accordingly. On days when your sleep quality is lower, it’s important to adjust your workout routine to optimize recovery and prevent injuries. By keeping a consistent sleep routine, you can elevate your overall health and fitness. While it’s crucial to consider the impact of sleep on your workouts, it’s also important to acknowledge that our waking habits can influence our sleep, creating a cycle of wellness that must be maintained. Keep in mind that the quality of your sleep greatly impacts the efficacy of your workouts, so investing in better sleep can ultimately lead to improved physical performance.