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The Birch Mattress is made with a layer of latex, and that translates to a unique experience. Latex is a springier, bouncier substance than something like memory foam. And so the question for our Sleep Foundation Testing Team was whether that feeling translated to better support and a better sleeping experience? Join Tom as he reviews the Birch Mattress, and tells you why there is ONE thing this bed offers that no other bed can.
For our full Birch Mattress review, visit our page at Sleep Foundation:
And check out top organic mattresses, too:
0:00 Latex vs. Foam
0:37 Who is Birch?
1:10 Birch Options
1:34 Construction
2:11 Support
3:23 Temperature Control
4:31 Pressure Relief
5:39 Organic Ingredients
6:25 The TL:DR
#mattressreview #sustainability #bestmattress
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If you've never slept on a latex bed Before the feeling is let's say unique Latex is made from the sap of rubber Trees and so you get a bouncier and Springier feeling than something like Memory foam unlike most hybrid Beds Which are going to be made with foam the Birch is made with a layer of latex on Top so the question for us in our sleep Foundation test lab was how does a Hybrid bed that's made with latex stack Up against one that's made with foam Well I'll say this there is definitely One thing about a latex bed that no Other bed is going to offer so let's dig In but before we get started if you like What you see check out the link in the Description where we have the latest Discounts on the birch Now you might not be super familiar with Birch but then again if you're watching This review maybe you're trying to Decide if this is actually right for you Either way Birch is part of a bigger House of mattress brands that include Companies like Helix bear Lisa and Brooklyn Bedding and we're gonna push That house metaphor a little further you Can think of each of these Brands as Having their own let's say room in the House and each room is kind of devoted To a certain kind of customer or Market Segment and the Birch well that's the Room you hang out in if you're into
Stuff that's you know made with natural Inorganic materials now you can choose From a couple of different Birch models We're gonna take a look at the base Model Birch there is also the Birch Luxe Which adds two more layers A zoned layer For more support and slightly denser Latex among a few other details but look Depending on when you're shopping the Birch Luxe could run you almost a Thousand dollars more than the basic Birch so that's what you're thinking About just make sure you really need What the Lux offers now when it comes to The Birch here is what you are buying This is a bed that is made with five Layers it starts with a breathable cover That's made from certified organic Cotton underneath that is a layer of Organic wool batting and natural Cashmere fibers then you get to a layer Of organic talalay latex and that latex Has been certified organic by two Different independent organizations Beneath that is a layer of individually Pocketed coils and by the way those Steel coils are decidedly not organic And then the base layer of the bed is Another layer of organic wool that's Going to add some overall stability to The mattress itself in total you get a Bed here that's about 11 inches high so How did it perform well generally Speaking this is a versatile bed it
Reads about a six on our 10-point Firmness scale and that means it's going To be suitable for most sleepers but if You are a mid-weight sleeper this is for You in our testing we found that the Birch offered excellent support Regardless of whether you slept on your Back or your stomach or your side now This is due I think in part to that Really dense layer of latex if you lay On foam for example you kind of sink Into and that foam is designed to Conform to your body latex though is Going to keep its shape it's going to Spring back and so the result is you lay On the surface well you're not going to Sink in too far to that surface latex is Really great at giving you that feeling Of sleeping on the bed rather than Sinking into it so again a very unique Feel you're also going to find that your Body is kept on a very even plane and You're not going to experience really Any compromises in your spinal alignment Our only caution here is for you folks Over 230 pounds we found back and Stomach sleepers especially in this Group sagged a little bit more into the Surface so if this is you you might Consider either upgrading to the Birch Lux which offers additional support or Maybe finding a bed that's a little Firmer so think something around seven Or higher on the 10 point firmness scale
Okay well I mentioned at the top that While this is a hybrid latex bed part of Our question was well does it perform Better than a comparable foam hybrid You're probably going to hear that latex Is better at sleeping cool than foam Just by the nature of the material Itself in our testing we measured how Much the Birch heats up over its initial Baseline temperature so as you can see From this chart it does heat up Marginally more than the average of our Hybrid beds and little interestingly it Holds on to heat much more than average Hybrids for us this is a little bit Surprising given that latex is more of a Bouncy or springier material like I Talked about in the presence of those Coils in the base we sort of anticipated This being much cooler than foam hybrids On the market and it just it just wasn't Now to be clear we don't think you're Going to sleep hot on this bed by any Stretch the Birch was cooler than many Other latex beds we tested and hybrids Just in general are going to offer much Better temperature control than those All foam beds it's just that you know Given the construction and the Reputation of latex hybrids the organic Latex on the Birch doesn't really give You a huge advantage over other hybrids On the market so what's our conclusion Well we think if you're a hot sleeper
You're gonna sleep fine relatively Comfortable okay the next test we run is On pressure relief and going into this Our hypothesis was that the latex and The wool layers along with those Pocketed coils in the base would help Alleviate pressure buildup so to test This we lay a pressure pad on the bed And then we measure how much pressure Builds up in certain positions as you Can see from these results our product Tester found minimal pressure in back And stomach sleeping positions for the Most part those latex layers are going To evenly distribute pressure across the Surface and that's going to translate to A pretty comfortable sleep for most Stomach and back sleepers of course the More dramatic results came from our side Sleeping test as you can see our Pressure map registered some yellow and Red around the shoulders and the hips Which indicates much more pressure in Those specific areas of course we see This across most beds I mean it's Natural that you're going to experience More pressure buildup in those areas and Latex by its nature is not going to Conform to your body the way foam does As we've been saying foam again is going To cushion your body as it heats up and Latex it just doesn't react in the same Way so if you're a side sleep who is Prone to pressure buildup in these areas
Or if you need relief from achy joints We recommend looking to a hybrid that's Made with foam layers now we mentioned At the start that the Birch has Something you're probably not going to See in other beds and that is the Certified organic ingredients that are Inside and outside of this bed so it's Not just that latex layer but the Birch Has a bunch of certifications to ensure It's free of chemicals pesticides and Other contaminants for example the Ecotech certification tests for over a Hundred potentially harmful substances Also because Birch doesn't use any of Those synthetic Foams you're not going To get any of that chemical off-gassing Which is also that new mattress smell You sometimes get with foam mattresses The Birch is also ethically and Sustainably produced according to fair Trade and Forest stewardship Certifications so for many of you these Certifications are just enough to offset Any of those foam versus latex hybrid Test results so look let's talk about The tldr on this is the Birch better Than a comparable foam hybrid I mean I Think what we found on our testing is Not particularly it performs about the Same in temperature control pressure Relief and support and that's not a bad Thing hybrids are great vents it's just That you're likely paying more to get
Those organic certifications and look This bed is not cheap so as a buyer just Think about how important it is to have A bed with some organic ingredients Inside latex is much more expensive to Produce than something like foam add on To that all those organic and fair trade Certifications we talked about I mean Think about shopping like at Whole Foods Or for you la people arawan you just Anticipate paying more for organic food If it's a must-have then the Birch is a Great choice if on the other hand Organic materials are sort of this nice To have kind of a cherry on top sort of Thing we think you might be able to find A better performing hybrid at a cheaper Price point we have much more on the Birch over at sleepfoundation.org and if You want some of our other favorite Picks for organic mattresses check out Our video on our top organic beds right Here thanks for watching everyone sleep Well [Music]