How to choose the boxed mattress that's right for you

The 100% completely handmade Birch mattress is a stellar and smart pick for eco-conscious shoppers because of its environmentally-sound construction and its amazing warranty (25 years!), making this our pick for the best eco-friendly mattress.

The six-layer mattress is made completely from organic materials, and breaks down as follows:

• Layer 1: Constructed from highly breathable soft organic cotton.

• Layer 2: Made with natural wool fibers and rayon to create a fire-retardant layer that is free of plastics.

• Layer 3: The comfort layer — it's 100% all-natural, organic cotton that provides amazing comfort and temperature regulation. Retains shape and elasticity for years. 

• Layer 4: Natural responsive latex that cushions pressure points and provides contour support.

• Layer 5: Individually wrapped pocketed coils made from steel give reinforced support for side, back, and stomach sleepers alike. 

• Layer 6: A base layer made of all-natural, organic wool batting to round out the mattress' durability factor. 

Birch describes their mattress as "farm-to-bed," citing their ethically sourced organic cotton. (You can read more about their practices on the website.) If anxiety about the environment is keeping you from getting a decent night's sleep, then this mattress is an excellent choice.

Comfort, durability, natural cooling, and easy setup make The Original Mattress by Casper a great pick for a good night’s sleep, no matter what your sleeping position is. 

Great for back, side, and stomach sleepers, this Casper mattress has three foam layers — each one adding extra full-body comfort. The top layer is soft and made with cooling, breathable Airscape material to keep the night sweats at bay, the second zoned support layer minimizes aches and pains by cradling your natural curves and supporting pressure points, and the base layer rounds out the comfort factor by reinforcing the layers above, minimizing sinking and sagging while you doze off. Its durable construction means that out of all the online memory foam mattresses out there, it's a bit firmer than other options you'll find — so be mindful if you want a super soft mattress that has a lot of give. If that's you, Casper may not be the best pick. 

The high-quality memory foam layers aren’t the only perk of the Casper mattress. It has a tough, removable cover made from recycled water bottles that’s built to withstand wear and tear for years to come (and a 10-year warranty if it doesn't). Need assistance with mattress assembly? Casper offers in-home setup, where their team will hand-deliver the mattress to you, set up any products that require assembly, and remove all the packaging once they’re done so you can use your mattress right away.

If you’re not satisfied with your purchase, you can contact Casper for speedy and helpful customer service support, which many claim to be top tier in terms of customer problem-solving.

Paul, a Casper customer, writes: 

"From the delivery of the box to the magical unfolding of the king size mattress to the first time laying on the bed, all smiles here! I have traveled for work for years, often sleeping on different beds at different hotels night after night. None of those beds compare to our Casper Mattress and I've probably tried them all. Every time I climb into bed I smile and tell my wife I love our mattress. I think you will love it too."

If you're willing and able to upgrade from your classic Purple mattress, the newer Hybrid Premier version is well worth it. 

The biggest change here is the addition of the "Purple Grid" — it's their newest, most comfortable top layer yet, which "adapts to your body and stays cool for superior comfort, support, and overall better sleep."

You'll even get the benefit of being able to choose how thick you want the Purple Grid top layer to be — there's an option for three inches (which provides optimal support for all kinds of sleepers), or four (which Purple describes as a "zero-gravity float"). Either one is great for couples who share the same bed and have different mattress-feel preferences. 

There's a new base layer with the Hybrid Premier, too, which is made up of responsive-support coils that improve upon the comfort factor and the overall durability of the mattress. 

Along with that, you'll get all the perks of the original Purple mattress, including free shipping and home setup, the 10-year limited warranty, and the optional 100-night no-risk trial run. 

Purple claims that the Hybrid Premier is the best way to sleep, bar-none, and many of its users tend to agree — almost all the reviews you'll find on the web are glowingly positive. 

Body support is crucial for a good night’s sleep — especially if back aches are routine for you — and the Leesa Mattress can help you drift off to dreamland, sans pain.

Leesa's three-layer memory foam construction helps you stay comfortable while you sleep all through the night. A two-inch responsive memory foam layer hugs your curves, delivering just the right amount of bounce for shifting positions, which in turn keeps those wake-up-aches at bay. The center of the mattress is a two-inch recovery foam layer, which contours even more to your body shape, and eases joint pressure. At the bottom, a six-inch core foam layer gives extra support, tying it all together. You won’t have to worry about stiffness or sagging either, thanks to Leesa's construction.

White glove delivery is available (fancy!) for the Leesa memory foam mattress, but it's honestly simple enough that you can probably set it up yourself. Just unbox the mattress on its side, position it on a solid or slatted foundation, remove the outer layer of plastic wrap, and tear away the inner plastic. Since it's a memory foam mattress, it will then slowly expand in about an hour, and will take a few days to achieve a firm shape. It's seriously fun to watch it grow. 

Another upside to Leesa's mattress is its 10-year limited warranty — if there’s a defect covered under the warranty, Leesa will repair or replace the mattress, no questions asked. It doesn't cover comfort preference or damage from improper equipment, though. As with any product, you can contact the manufacturer (AKA Leesa) if you have any issues. 

Christine S., a Leesa customer writes: 

“I did a lot of research about mattresses that are supposed to be good for people with back problems and ultimately chose Leesa. The very first time I slept on my Leesa, I woke up in the morning and thought “Wait a minute...my back doesn’t hurt...am I dreaming?” I could hardly believe it. Even the pain upon getting out of bed was greatly reduced. My back problems aren’t completely gone, because no mattress will solve the underlying issues, but my back feels so much better since I began sleeping on my Leesa. It’s been about six weeks now and I truly couldn’t be more pleased with my Leesa.” 

Layla is a bit newer on the boxed mattress scene compared to the likes of Casper, Purple, and other big brands. But, they've reinvigorated the category in a big way with their Flippable Hybrid Mattress that hopes to provide a solution to a bevy of sleep ailments. Two unique features separate Layla's mattress from the rest: Its flippable nature and copper infusion.

The fact that the Layla Hybrid bed can be flipped and used in different ways makes it a no-brainer for those who change up their sleep position at a moment's notice. Craving a softer mattress one night, but a firmer one the next? Layla is both — all you have to do is flip.

Layla's employs copper-infused layers, making for a specially designed pocketed coil system that helps achieve enhanced support no matter what side you end up sleeping on. 

Here's how Layla describes each individual layer of the mattress:

1. Cover (Soft Side): A super-soft fabric, breathable material, integrated handles for easy flipping, and zipper for easy removal to clean.

2. Copper-Gel Memory Foam: A 2.5-inch layer of soft and plush feeling memory foam for those who prefer the soft side, rapid cooling and body heat transfer, variable support for deep compression areas, and an antimicrobial odor control to keep you sleeping fresh.

3. Max Airflow Support Foam: 2-inch layer of deep channels for maximum cooling and a zoned Surface Modification Technology (SMT) for customized support to conform to each individual’s body.

4. Infinity Edge Individually Wrapped Coils System: Thick, 6-inch layer of pocketed coils for maximum motion control and a double coil perimeter for superior edge support.

5. Another Max Airflow Support Foam Layer

6. Another Copper-Gel Memory Foam

7. Cover (Firm Side): A super-soft fabric, breathable material, integrated handles for easy flipping, and zipper for easy removal to clean.

Eight Sleep's super high-tech mattress combines dynamic temperature regulation, biometric tracking, Alexa integration, and sleep coaching, to make one of the "smartest" beds you'll ever have the opportunity to sleep on. The key feature of The Pod is the aforementioned “dynamic temperature regulation," and yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like. 

Basically, The Pod tracks and learns your sleeping habits, then makes adjustments to the bed’s temperature for optimal comfort through the night. So when you’re getting too hot, The Pod will cool your mattress down for you, and vice versa. Temperature options range from a chilly 55°F, all the way up to 115°F.

The Pod mattress also employs a "thermo alarm" feature, which begins cooling the bed slowly before its set wake-up time in an effort to ease you into your day. So if you hate being jolted awake by your alarm clock, this will be good news for you. Of course, the Pod will also allow users to manually adjust the temperature however they see fit.

Eight Sleep’s Pod mattress also provides its users with an AI-powered sleep coach that enlists biometric tracking to analyze patterns and share insights on your overall sleep health. The bed’s smart home capabilities even allow it to integrate with the rest of your smart home devices too, including Amazon Echo, Google Home, Nest, and Philips Hue.

The Pod by Eight Sleep is literally the mattress of the future, so if you usually like to be an early adopter of cutting-edge tech, this is the mattress you want, hands down.

Parachute's mattress is a great option for anyone who needs a little bit more back support and pressure relief throughout the night.

Designed to be firmer in the middle and softer at the head and feet, your back will feel reinforced while your pressure points are relieved (it's also great for spinal alignment). No matter how you sleep, you'll be getting ergonomic support from the Parachute mattress — it has five times the coils of a standard mattress.

In addition to its spine-friendly features, every part of the mattress is recyclable, breathable, and non-toxic (like most modern memory foam beds), plus, you'll get minimal motion transfer, and thus won't feel a ton of movement while your partner tosses and turns.

Parachute customers love the mattress — one reviewer said:

We didn’t realize how much we’d grown accustomed to our Parachute mattress until we visited family for the holidays and slept on their older beds. My husband pointed out how amazing of a night’s sleep we get with our mattress by comparison and he was right. (Mostly, it’s because we can’t feel each other roll over in the middle of the night). 9 months into owning this mattress and it was definitely the right choice!

Another reviewer praised Parachute's supportive design:

I am too young to have back problems but I’m on my feet all day at work and this mattress provides the perfect support so I can reset every night. Definitely worth it.

So, if you find your back feeling inconsolable by the end of the day, Parachute's mattress could be the bed to fix that.