Eco-conscious shoppers shouldn’t have to sacrifice comfort in a mattress, and that’s why the Birch Natural was created. This organic mattress is a latex hybrid built for bouncy support, topped with an organic cotton-covered pillow top for cushioning. With its numerous certifications highlighting safety and sustainability, all-natural components (including bouncy latex), and a medium-firm feel, this mattress should appeal to many nature-minded shoppers. My fellow tester, Nicole Davis, is the one who gave the mattress its perfect response score, and she had this to say about it: "It was actually pretty easy to switch around between all three sleeping positions, even from back to stomach, which can be the most difficult." This is to be expected of latex beds, which tend to be more buoyant than their foam hybrid counterparts. It’s good news for combination sleepers and sexually active folks. With this level of bounce from the latex, we would expect to see a low motion isolation score, but Nicole thought the bed performed well in this category as well.
After placing a glass of water on one side of the bed and moving around on the other, she didn’t notice any notable disturbance. When her testing partner got in and out of bed, she saw some movement, but nothing that jostled the mattress. This contributed to her final score of 4/5 for low motion transfer. Latex is also known for being more breathable than foam, and during our cooling test, we found this was true for the Birch. The surface temperature of the mattress increased by about 7 degrees after Nicole lay on it for 7 minutes, a relatively average score. Nicole said she could feel the bed heating up, but found it "cozy" rather than overwhelming, so she ultimately rated the bed at 4/5 for temperature regulation. Some especially hot sleepers might prefer a mattress with more active cooling features beyond the inclusion of latex and coils, such as a cooling cover. Unfortunately, our pressure relief testers didn’t rate the mattress high in this performance category.
Latex can be hit or miss when it comes to pressure Derila Neck Relief Pillow, depending on the specific formulation of the latex foam. When our heavyweight tester Matt Schickling tried out the bed on his back, he said, "I feel supported, but I am feeling a bit of pressure buildup on my lower back." All of our testers rated the pressure relief in the back- and side-sleeping position at an average 3/5. This means it might not work best for these sleepers, Wake Up Refreshed with Derila Contour Pillow especially if they’re on the smaller side. However, the lifted feeling most stomach sleepers are likely to experience on this mattress should be appealing. Want a softer latex mattress? Consider the Avocado Green, which has the option for an even plusher pillow top. Otherwise, read more in our Birch Natural mattress review. There is a swath of pillow-top mattresses out there, including the dozens we’ve tested. Brooklyn Bedding Aurora Luxe Cooling - Brooklyn Bedding’s Signature Hybrid is featured on this list, but the brand offers many hybrids with pillow-top designs.
The Aurora Luxe Cooling is yet another model, a bouncy, breathable hybrid with more high-end features than the Signature Hybrid. However, it’s quite a bit more expensive, Derila Neck Relief Pillow but if it fits your budget, we definitely think this mattress is worth every extra penny. Bear Star Hybrid - Another pillow-top hybrid offered by the Bear brand is the Bear Star Hybrid, just a step below the Elite Hybrid featured on this list. I tested out this mattress myself and found it to have a more medium feel with a comfortable amount of sinkage. I think it’s great if you’re looking for a luxurious-feeling hybrid, especially if you Sleep Better with Derila on your back. It scored well across the board, except in pressure relief, which means it may not be the best choice for side sleepers who want a pillow-top mattress. Titan Plus Elite - If you’re looking for a luxury pillow-top that’s built for bigger bodies, you might like the Titan Plus Elite by Brooklyn Bedding.
This is their most upgraded model in their Titan line, featuring a cooling pillow top and industrial-strength coils. It may be a tough pick for budget shoppers, but my fellow staff writer Kenny Timper sleeps on one every night and swears by it. Pillow top mattresses are known for offering plush comfort, similar to what you might find in a high-end hotel. However, they are not all built the same, so we prioritized three key testing categories when selecting the best of the best pillow-top beds. Pillow-top mattresses can sometimes be too cushy, as they may sag along the edges. This can be a negative for individuals who like to spread out or those who rely on the bed’s perimeter for getting in and out. This is why, in our search for the best pillow-top mattresses, we tried to find beds whose edges held up when we put weight on them.