Traffic isolation: 3/5

We made sure to perform a motion transfer test on this mattress because this will give us a better idea of ​​how well it isolates motion. A bed with good soundproofing is especially important if you share a bed with a partner who moves a lot during the night, or if you like your dogs or cats to sleep next to you.

To conduct this test, we placed a can of green juice on the bed and our testers approached it on the mattress. The more the juice or can moves, the less movement the mattress isolates. Because this bed is springier than other hybrid mattresses, the isolation from movement isn’t too great—we immediately noticed the Green Juice shift a bit when testers got close to it. If you are easily awakened at night by motion, you may want to consider doing a 100-night bed trial or choosing a mattress with better motion isolation.

Responsiveness: 5/5

We also did a rebound test to see how reactive the mattress was. The first part of the test involved placing a 32-pound weight on the mattress and observing the firmness of the bed’s surface. This test can help you better understand how easy it is to change positions while lying in bed.

We found that when we placed the weight on the surface of the bed, there was a noticeable rebound. This tells us that this mattress has a springy, buoyant power that can greatly benefit mixed sleepers who frequently change positions during the night. It also tells us that Birch Natural can generally support better spinal alignment.

When we removed the dumbbell, we saw that the mattress quickly regained its shape and size. This means that this mattress may hold up better over time and not sag as quickly as others. This makes sense since latex is known for being stronger than synthetic foam.

Pressure relief: 4/5

We test how well a mattress releases pressure using two different methods: the rebound test and a tester who lies down on the bed himself to assess how it feels.

In the rebound test, you can get an idea of ​​how firm the mattress is based on how much weight sinks onto the surface of the bed. We found that this mattress holds weight well, but not as much as, say, a memory foam mattress. If you want to get that body-hugging feeling from the mattress, choose a pillowcase to put it on top of this pad.

When testers lay on this mattress in several different sleeping positions, they also found the bed to be supportive, but they didn’t experience the sinking, body-hugging sensation that other foam or hybrid mattresses experience. Keep this in mind when choosing the right bed for you.

Edge support: 5/5

Edge support is an important feature to look for when choosing a mattress, as it can prevent slipping, sliding, or rolling off the bed. We asked our testers to test this edge support while lying on the edge of the bed in three different sleeping positions. The Birch Natural has pretty good edge support, as it has strong perimeter coils and latex support, so testers felt secure during this test.