Birch Mattress Review

In This Review
Performance Tests | Firmness | Support & Sleeping Positions | Design | Materials | Comparisons | FAQs

At NapLab, we put each mattress to the test.

We test 10 different factors that impact the performance, comfort, and value of the mattress. We then take the results of that test and compare to every mattress we’ve tested to date.

Check out the full performance table below to see how this mattress ranks:

Factor	Birch	Average
Overall Score	9.44	8.57
Price (Queen)	$1,499	$1,614 (Latex Hybrid only)
Cooling – Score	10	8.7
Sinkage – Depth	2.00″	2.15″
Sinkage – Feel	Moderate	Moderate
Motion Transfer – Score	9.8	8.2
Motion Transfer – Acceleration	5.52 m/s²	8.79 m/s²
Response Time – Score	10	9.0
Response Time – Mostly Recovered	0.2 sec.	0.4 sec.
Response Time – Fully Recovered	0.3 sec.	0.9 sec.
Bounce – Height	14.91″	9.53″
Bounce – Feel	Extremely High	Moderate
Edge Support – Score	8.1	8.6
Edge Support – Sitting	4.50″	4.04″
Edge Support – Lying	Good	Good
Sex – Score	9.5	8.4
Pressure Relief – Score	9.0	8.7
Comfort Layer Thickness	3.0″	4.1″
Mattress Thickness	11″	12.0″
Off-Gassing – Score	10	8.1
Off-Gassing – Smell	None	Strong
Off-Gassing – Days	0 days	7 days
Company – Score	9.1	8.6
Trial	100 nights	178 nights
Warranty	Lifetime	25% have lifetime warranties, average of other 75% of mattresses is 13 years

How is Birch Different?

The Birch mattress has better-than-average overall performance and a price tag that is also below average—a savings of 7% compared to the average latex hybrid ($115 less for a queen mattress).

Advantages

The Birch mattress has better cooling than average, lower levels of motion transfer, faster material response time, and better sex performance.

Neutral Factors

Sinkage levels are 6.9% less than average and bounce levels are significantly higher than average (56% more bounce than average). Bounce and sinkage are more preferential factors, but may be worth considering if you’re hoping for a specific feel.

Disadvantages

The Birch has deeper edge compression, 12.5% deeper than average. It also has a thinner comfort layer and thinner overall thickness. Even still, pressure relief is still great (9.5 out of 10) so it’s hard to call the thinner profile a “disadvantage”.

The Birch mattress has outstanding cooling performance.

During our cooling tests, I felt that the mattress remained cool and breathable throughout. I did not feel any significant degree of heat retention or warmness during our test.

• Baseline Temperature – the temperature of the mattress before anyone lies on it
• Maximum Temperature (0 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after lying on it for 15 minutes
• Ending Temperature (5 minute) – the temperature of the mattress after being lied upon and having no one on it for 5 minutes

Some of the biggest factors that contributed to good cooling includes:

1. Perforated latex: Latex is derived naturally and has better cooling properties than memory foam. The perforated design further improves airflow and breathability.
2. Coils: The coil layer below the latex is also great for cooling as it allows a higher degree of airflow.

Latex plus the open coils allow for great airflow on the Birch mattress. In addition, it’s got a bit of a firmer feel, which prevents excessive sinkage and heat retention.

Heat Dissipation Over Time

The Birch mattress has all of the material and design qualities that result in exceptional cooling performance.

With our medicine ball test, the Birch mattress experiences 2.01″ of sinkage from the surface of the mattress.

This sinkage level is on the lower side relative to other mattresses we’ve tested. However, it’s more notable because the top layers that do create sinkage are predominately the cover and wool, neither of which provide a significant level of pressure relief.

There is not a significant level of contour on the mattress. The top comfort layer of latex foam, like most latex, provides excellent pressure relief, bounce, and cooling.

However, it doesn’t have the same type of contouring hug that memory foam and other poly foams are capable of providing. It’s more of a generalized contour.

Some sleepers will find this feel to be preferable, as it allows for better ease of movement and avoiding any type of “stuck” feeling. However, other sleepers, especially side sleepers, may prefer and need a more dramatic contour that memory and other poly foams provide.

The level of motion transfer is documented in the video below.

As you can see in the video, the Birch mattress has a very low level of motion transfer.

With a total motion acceleration range of 5.52 m/s², it has 37% lower motion transfer than the 8.79 m/s² average, based on all mattresses tested to date.

Upon the initial ball drop, motion spreads at a relatively high rate and slowly dissipates. It takes the Birch mattress around 0.6 seconds before motion has significantly declined.

These levels are generally lower than what you’d see with a classic coil-based mattress (like the Helix Midnight), but higher than a luxury memory foam mattress (like the Loom & Leaf).

Materials like latex and a hybrid design are a bit of a double-edged sword when it comes to motion transfer. These materials and design create high bounce and good cooling, but at the cost of increased motion transfer.

That said, the increase in motion transfer, while notable, is not dramatic. Most sleepers will still find the level of motion transfer to be more than acceptable.

The response time of the Birch mattress is extremely fast. This is largely due to the taught cover, firmer feel, natural latex, and hybrid design.

The level of responsiveness is documented in the video below.

Unlike memory foam, which is designed to hug and contour the sleeper, latex foam springs back faster and responds quicker to changing movements.

In our tests, we found that the Birch mattress was able to respond within 0.3 seconds back to its original shape. This is among the very fastest mattress response times we’ve tested to date.

The mattress has an extremely high degree of both bounce and response due to the combination of latex and pocketed coils. This mattress has the most bounce of any mattress we’ve tested to date by a large margin (nearly 50%). For reference, the average mattress has a bounce range of 9.53″.

Initial ball sinkage is pretty moderate, around 5.6″, but the upward bounce lands the ball over 9″ above the height of the mattress.

Levels of bounce this high are much greater than we’ve seen on other mattresses tested, even when compared to coil-on-coil and other hybrid mattresses.

The combination of coils, latex, and a slightly firmer feel yields huge results in terms of bounce. Some may find the level of bounce to be less than ideal, however, I think most will find it a negligible factor.

That said, for partners who engage in the “dance with no pants” the added bounce is a huge bonus and a benefit. We discuss sex performance a bit further down the page.

When you sit on the absolute edge there is a fairly high level of compression and sinkage. Even so, it still feels supportive and whether lying or sitting, it did not feel as if the edge was collapsing. The level of compression measured while sitting was 4.50″ whereas the average mattress measures 4.04″.

The level of edge support while seated is documented in the images below.

The level of edge support while lying is documented in the images below.

When you bring the body weight a couple more inches away from the edge the performance is notably better and support feels excellent. I would say the edges are good, not great.

Edge support should be suitable for most sleepers. Edge support at the absolute edge isn’t ideal. But as long as you bring your body weight in a couple more inches the mattress does a much better job at supporting you (whether sitting or lying).

The best mattresses for sex have high bounce, good edge support, quiet materials, and good pressure relief and cooling.

These 5 factors make up the NapLab sex performance score.

Sex Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Rating
Bounce	65%	10	Extremely High
Edge Support	20%	8.1	Good
Noise	5%	8.0	Moderate
Pressure Relief	5%	9.0	Excellent
Cooling	5%	10	Outstanding

Some of the factors that help sex performance the most include the extremely high bounce, balanced levels of sinkage, and outstanding cooling.

The edge support is good, but not great, which could negatively impact the sex performance for some partners. Also, the noise may be a bit of a factor, as the coils, do tend to make more noise compared to all foam mattresses.

Overall pressure relief is pretty good, with no significant cons to speak of. The mattress is a little on the firmer side, so sleepers need to be aware of that.

Lighter weight sleepers may find the firmness to be less than ideal, especially if they sleep on their side. But most medium to heavy weight sleepers are more than likely going to enjoy the feel. 

The mattress had zero off-gassing and virtually no smell. What little smell it did have smelled more like typical fabric / textiles, most likely the smell of the wool, which is neither strong nor particularly objectionable. 

On average, mattresses smell for roughly 7 days until they their odors fully dissipate.

Overall, I was very happy with the off-gassing performance of the Birch mattress. As expected, a mattress that uses all-natural materials should have no chemical odor or significant off-gassing.

The company score takes a look at factors that may influence your experience with the mattress.

Factors include length of the trial period, warranty, shipping / return costs, and country of origin.

The Birch mattress has been around since May of 2019 and the company, Helix, who manufactures Birch, has been in business since 2015.

Company Factor	Factor Weight	Score	Data
Trial Period	15%	8.0	100 nights
Warranty	10%	10	Lifetime
Shipping	5%	10	$0
Returns	20%	7.0	$99
Trust	50%	10	Outstanding
Country of Origin	0%		USA

Company terms and policies are pretty consumer-friendly, offering a long 100-night trial period, and a lifetime warranty.

Birch offers free shipping, but returns cost $99. You have 100 nights to decide if the mattress is a good fit with a 30-night break-in period.

What is the break-in period?

During the first 30 days, you will not be eligible to return or exchange your mattress. This time period is the length of time experts believe that you need in order to get used to a new mattress.

The Birch mattress definitely has a bit of a firmer feel than other medium mattresses.

On a scale of 1-10, where 10 is the most firm, I would say the Birch is around a 7 out of 10.

I would describe it as somewhere between medium-firm and slightly-firm. Lighter weight sleepers are more likely to call it slightly firm, while heavier weight sleepers would call it a medium-firm.

Latex hybrid mattresses have a certain feel to them that’s quite different than other foam mattresses or more traditional coil mattresses. The contour is more generalized around the body as a whole, and less specifically contouring to the unique shape.

For some, this is enjoyable, as it prevents any sort of stuck feeling, but others may not love this type of a feel. In addition, the mattress is a 7 out of 10, so it’s slightly firm, but only slightly.

Lighter weight sleepers, especially side sleepers, are the most likely to not be in love with this level of firmness. The hybrid design gives it a cooler feel, as does the top layer of natural latex and wool liner.

The table below shows the types of sleepers / body weights that we think the Birch mattress is best for:

Sleeper Weight	Stomach Sleepers	Side Sleepers	Back Sleepers
Under 150 lbs.	Yes	Maybe	Yes
150-250 lbs.	Yes	Maybe	Yes
250-300 lbs.	Yes	Yes	Yes

Design

The design of the Birch mattress is an organic hybrid blend of natural, organic latex, wool, and pocketed coils.

It is designed to offer faster response time, higher bounce, and a slightly firmer feel with excellent overall support.

Materials

The Birch mattress breaks down into the following four layers:

• Organic cotton cover (with wool liner)
• 2.0″ natural latex
• 8.0″ pocketed coils
• Wool base

The Cover

The cover of the Birch mattress is made mostly of organic cotton. It has a wool liner, which acts as the first part of the comfort layer as well.

The Comfort Layers

The comfort layer of the Birch mattress is made up of two layers, one being the organic cotton cover and wool liner (1″ thick) and the second layer being the natural latex (2.0″ thick).

This latex layer is perforated, which provides breathability and helps improve overall cooling on this Birch.

How is latex different from memory foam?

Generally speaking, latex is going to have more bounce, a faster response time, and a less pronounced contour. Natural latex foam is created from a milky fluid found in some plants, while memory foam is produced from petrochemicals.

The Support Layer

Pocketed coils provide the bulk of the support for this mattress. Each coil is encased in fabric, which allows each coil to move independently from each other.

These coils are reinforced at the perimeter of the mattress for better edge support. Below these coils is a wool base.

Product Evolution

Birch is a natural hybrid mattress manufactured by Helix. Helix launched in 2015, but the Birch mattress came out in May of 2019.

The evolution into the Birch mattress was a nice addition to the Helix collection, which originally did not offer a certified organic mattress option.

The Birch mattress design has not significantly changed since the mattress first launched in 2019.

Other Mattresses to Consider

Not sure if Birch is the best choice for you? Check out the other options below for alternatives to the Birch mattress.

Frequently Asked Questions