I've been chasing a cool pillow my entire life. Purple Harmony, Eight Sleep's Air Pillow (just a regular pillow), random Amazon finds that claim to stay cool. Nothing worked. I just have a really hot head. Flipping and rotating the pillow throughout the night has always been part of my system.
So when Eight Sleep released a $1,000 actively cooled pillow cover, I was pumped to try it. It comes in king or standard size for the same price. I went with standard on my king bed.
Four months later, it works, I like it, and I’ve stopped flipping my pillow. But the second hub and the hose are real annoyances.
My Concerns Going In
Comfort on the coils. The pillow has an active water grid, just like Eight Sleep’s mattress cover. You're sleeping right on top of the water and coils, so I thought it might be uncomfortable. Surprisingly, this hasn't been a concern at all. I don't notice any of the tech under my head. I just don't love the idea of it being there.
The second hub. Eight Sleep requires you to use a second hub instead of your existing mattress hub. You’ll probably want your pillow at a different temperature than your mattress cover, so it makes sense. For example, I like my mattress cover around -4 or -5, but I like my pillow around -7 or -8. Even my wife, who likes her bed neutral to warm, would probably want a cool pillow.
But here's the thing: two hubs take up a lot of space, give off a decent amount of heat, and make noise. When the bed and pillow are cooling at the same time, I can stand next to my nightstand and feel the heat like a space heater. That’s free heat in the winter, but in the dead of summer, when your room is already struggling, it’s a lot of extra heat. I always say one hub sounds like a computer tower fan in maintenance mode. With two, it’s louder than just a hum.
One thing that surprised me: the pillow hub actually seems to work harder than the main hub. You'd think the smaller surface area would mean less work and less noise, but I usually hear it over the mattress hub. It’s just a hum when working normally, then it revs up when actively cooling, especially when the room is hot or you change temperatures. Maybe it’s louder because the pillow needs to be set colder than the mattress. Or maybe Eight Sleep is using older tech for the pillow hub. Either way, it’s noticeable.
The Hose Factor
Eight Sleep smartly only covers one side of your pillow. There's no reason to waste a grid on both sides. There's a hose about 8 feet long connecting the pillow to the hub.
You can move the pillow around and hug it if you want to. The hose is long enough and doesn’t really restrict the pillow. The problem is all the extra slack. It sometimes gets caught under my nightstand or wedged between the bed and headboard. And even if it doesn't get stuck, it still rubs against the headboard awkwardly if you flip the pillow vertically.
The hose is also kind of ugly and there's no hiding it. It's just going to be there. Pillowcases aren't made to work with it either, so my pillowcase won’t seal all the way, which can occasionally make the pillowcase get bunched up a bit.
In the past, I liked to crumble up my pillows or orient them in weird ways. You’re still limited in how you can position the pillow, and the hose will probably hit the headboard if you move it around a lot. But it’s more manageable than I originally expected.
Two Pillows, One Hub?
If you and your partner both want a cooling pillow, you can run two pillows off one hub. We haven't tried this ourselves, but I'd worry about the hose situation. The far pillow's hose would need to stretch across the entire bed, which means it's either crossing into the other partner's space or running behind the headboard.
The partner closest to the hub has more flexibility, but they also have to deal with the other person's hose in their face. And if the person on the far side of the bed likes to move their pillow around, that extra distance could make it harder to reposition. It could work, but it's not ideal.
Did It Solve the Pillow-Flipping Problem?
I never flip my pillow anymore. Mostly because I can't (there's no cooling grid on the opposite side), but the urge to flip is never there either.
That said, I do make subtle movements throughout the night, shifting my head about 12 inches here and there to enjoy fresh coolness. The heat from your head can warm up the spot you're lying on, so moving to a fresh area of the pillow feels great.
Side Sleepers vs. Back Sleepers
I'm a side sleeper about 90% of the night, so a lot of my face is in direct contact with the pillow. I get the full cooling effect.
Back sleepers probably won’t get as much out of it as I do. With most of your face exposed to the air, it's less about cooling your face and more about cooling the back of your head and neck. I'm guessing back sleepers don't flip their pillows as often in the first place. But if you regularly wake up with sweaty hair or a hot neck, it should still help.
Too Cold?
I didn't think "too cold" would be a thing before buying this. I started at -10 temperature thinking it'd be a no-brainer. But it kind of felt like frostbite and made my face feel really tingly. Which is especially weird when only one side of your face is feeling the coolness.
My sweet spot is starting at -7 or -8, then ramping down to -5 or -6 overnight. That's still cooler than I keep my mattress.
The Frustrating Part
You'd think because the pillow and mattress cover are on completely different systems and hubs that you'd be able to buy just the pillow cover. But Eight Sleep doesn't let you do that.
I've talked to a friend and my mom who both said they're interested in buying the pillow cover. I tell them it's $1,000 and they're like, "Okay, that's interesting." Then I say, "Well, you need the $3,000 mattress cover first, and then you can spend that additional thousand dollars." That's when they check out.
I don't work for Eight Sleep, but if I did, I'd let the pillow to be purchased as a standalone product. The pillow is an obvious gateway product. Let people spend $1,000, get hooked them on active cooling, then upsell them on the mattress cover later.
Eight Sleep likely won't do that because there's no subscription to sell for a pillow or maybe it's breakeven product for them. Whatever the reason, they're leaving a standalone pillow market untouched.
Who is this for?
Get it if: You already have an Eight Sleep and you flip your pillow a lot. Side sleepers with a lot of face contact will get the most benefit.
Skip it if: Your bedroom already runs hot. Two hubs pump out a lot of heat and sound. If you can't get your room to a 75-degree baseline in the summer, the extra hub will make things worse.
Bottom line: I like it. After four months, the pillow cover has become part of my sleep setup. I'm no longer flipping pillows all night, and the ability to dial in the exact temperature I want for my head is genuinely awesome. I was worried I’d feel the coils under my head. I don’t feel them at all. The hose can be annoying, but it’s not a deal breaker.
I’m also using it every night in the winter. A hot head is something I deal with year-round, regardless of season. My Pod 5 mattress cover? I keep it pretty neutral around -1 or -2 during winter and don't find it as valuable in colder months. The pillow cover stays useful all year.
Is it worth $1,000 on top of the $3,000 you already spent on the mattress cover? That's a tough sell for most people. But if you're an owner and a fan of the Eight Sleep mattress cover and you run hot like I do, it's a great addition.
(Check out my full review for the Eight Sleep Blanket and Pod 5.)
Disclosure
I'm an Eight Sleep affiliate, but I buy every product myself and won't change content for their brand. My link saves you $250 on the Pod 5 or $50 on the Pillow Cover. These are the best discounts on the internet, but they're not exclusive. Use whatever link works for you.
