Best Mattress for Heavy Sleepers

Mattress buying guide for heavy sleepers

If you are in a heavy weight bracket, shopping for a mattress comes with a few challenges. This is mainly because the bulk of the mattresses you peruse are likely not made specifically for the needs of people with large frames. That makes a little guidance around made-to-fit mattresses for weightier folks a good policy for shoppers. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with bigger figure brands and their features ups your chances of matching your sleeping preferences to the right mattress. Together with our expert advice, recommendations, and a few basic rules, use this guide as a starting point as you shop for your next bed.

Where to start: mattress materials

We do not recommend a memory foam mattress for a heavy person. While there are some incredibly strong memory foam brands out there which work for high-weight sleepers, our experience is that they simply do not offer the support and durability of hybrid alternatives. Your best bet will almost certainly incorporate coils. The made-for-weight hybrid mattresses on the market feature heavy-duty coils for extra strength, which gives you both support and extended years out of the bed.

High-quality (and sometimes high-density) foams should be on your radar as you shop. Foams can sag and lose their shape over time, so this makes a difference to durability if you weigh in on the heavy side.

How heavy people experience firmness and support

The more you weigh, the softer a mattress feels. Conversely, the less you weigh, the firmer it feels. This means that firmer mattresses tend to meet the needs of heavy sleepers more than softer models. This is because the mattress materials retain their shape, keeping the body aligned and supported. This is key to long-term comfort and to keep pain at bay from poor sleeping positions.

If you are a heavy back or stomach sleeper, this has special importance. Luckily, as you will see from this guide, there are a range of firm (and ultra-firm) options available, which does well to keep your spine aligned and your body supported – even in very high weight categories. Ultimately, a combination of your sleep preference and weight dictates your final choice – with firmness a central consideration as the needle on the scale goes up.

Why mattress thickness matters to heavy sleepers

Mattress thickness is especially important if you opt to go for a memory foam model, but it is a critical consideration when it comes to hybrid beds too. At some time in your life as a heavy person, you have probably had a bed ‘bottom out’ when you lie on it (your weight seems to sink right through to the support layers). This is where mattress thickness or height really matters. There is no ideal height here – this depends on you (although we would recommend mattresses taller than 12 inches wherever possible). However, opting for a higher profile mattress is a good idea to get optimal comfort from your new bed.

Heavy sleepers and mattress cooling

We have come across regular complaints of heavy (fat) people sleeping hot. This comes down to a range of factors. The more one sinks into the mattress materials, the more the body is in contact with the surface area of the bed, which can make for a warmer night’s sleep. Of course, elements like mattress materials and cooling technologies play a role here.

If you are worried about sleeping hot, here are a few tips:

• Think firm. The more on top of a mattress you are (rather than in it), the cooler you are.
• Materials matter. Some memory foams are notorious for heat retention and that uncomfortable muggy feeling at night. Gel-infused and cooling foams are becoming increasingly the norm in the mattress industry, with active cooling features like breathable, wicking covers and graphite conducting foams more readily available. Natural materials like latex are also lauded for being temperature neutral.
• Construction counts. The more air flows through a mattress, the cooler it is. Many companies help this process along through perforated foams and latex layers, working together with clever covers. Of course, the open construction of coils help in this regard too.

Considerations for heavy couples

Every mattress has a weight limit, with some catering for people in the region of 250lbs and others far in excess of that. If you are a heavy couple, here are a few things to think about as you shop for your next bed.

• Weight limits. Work out your weight and do some research into the manufacturer’s recommendations around your choice of mattress.
• Couples with different statures. Balancing the sleep needs of couples with very different body types is always going to be challenging. Where a middle ground is impossible, split options are a great way to cater for different body types and preferences.
• Edge support. If you are sharing a smaller bed or if you sleep right up to the edges, this is going to be a feature worth looking at. In many of the mattresses in this guide, the edge support has been specifically reinforced for strength along the perimeter of the bed, but also to give a secure feeling as you sleep and get in and out of bed.
• Motion isolation. Movement from a partner has the potential to disturb sleep continuity. The quality of motion isolation differs from bed to bed, but is a worthwhile consideration for couples.

Shopping for a foundation

The foundation you choose to use with your mattress is easy to overlook, but can be incredibly important. Bed frames affect the feel and overall support of mattresses, which means finding the right match is an important part of the process. Many brands have clear recommendations around bed frames (and, for good measure, you should always check the warranty terms on foundations).