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The Best Mattress for Heavy People
Having been a heavy person for much of my life, I know how much of a pain it can be to find a good bed. Not only is comfort an issue, but carrying that additional weight can also put strain on a mattress, causing it to not last nearly as long as it should.
Fortunately, there are options out there for bigger folks, and I’m not talking about custom-made products. Finding the right one just takes a little bit of searching to make sure you’re looking for the right features needed to make your investment worthwhile.
Hopefully by the time we’re done here you’ll feel confident you’ve found the best mattress for heavy people.
Table Of Contents
Best Mattresses for Heavy People Comparisons
Brand | Details | Our Rating |
|---|---|---|
Ultimate Dreams Total Latex Mattress |
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Novosbed Mattress |
| |
Avocado Green |
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Saatva Mattress |
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Amerisleep Americana |
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What to Look For
Determining the best bed for a larger person is going to involve a few factors. Some are related to the quality of the product and the components from which it is made. Others yet are going to be based on your sleeping situation and how you sleep. Are you a stomach sleeper or a side sleeper? Do you sleep alone or are you in the market for the best mattress for an overweight couple? How much do you weigh? It’s all important to find a quality mattress.
The Benefits
Before you begin, you might be wondering why you want to get a mattress while taking your weight into consideration instead of just getting the cheapest one you can find. There are a few I can think of, the most important of which are reducing pain and sleeping better.
As bigger people, we put a lot of stress on our bodies. This can lead to aching joints, sore muscles and back pain. If you just get any ol’ mattress, there’s a fair chance these issues will continue, if not become exacerbated. A mattress which is too firm won’t keep your spine straight. A mattress which is too soft will cause your body to bend in peculiar ways and make it exceedingly hard to get out of bed. And I don’t mean in the “I don’t want to get up” sense, I mean in the “This is difficult because I’m sunk too far in and too heavy to lift myself out.” Trust me, I’ve been there.
Size
It should be no surprise that mattresses come in multiple sizes. As a bigger person, the first one you’re going to want to cross off is the twin size. Don’t get me wrong, it can work, but you’re not going to be all that comfortable. If you’re upwards of 300 pounds, you’ll fit, but you won’t have a whole lot of room to maneuver.
If you’re a single person, you don’t want anything smaller than a full-size bed. In fact, for many mattresses, the cost to upgrade to a queen isn’t all that much, and sometimes they cost exactly the same, which makes no sense to me. With a queen, you’re getting added inches both in the width and the length, so this is a solid choice for us bigger folk.
If you’re sleep with a partner, like me, whether one or both of you are heavier, a king is going to be your best bet. Ample room and less motion transfer to the person next to you.
Now, there is a California king as well, but don’t be fooled. On the California king, you’re going to be trading some of your width to make the mattress a little longer. If you want room, you want a standard king. On top of that, finding sheets and such for a California king can be a bit of a hassle, though it’s far from impossible.
Foam
As a heavier person, foam can actually be a great benefit to you. Most people would want to go for a very soft mattress in order to really feel that sinking in feeling. This is especially true for side sleepers. The best mattress for large side sleepers, however, can actually stand to be a bit firmer as the additional weight will help it better mold to your body.
One of the biggest complaints you may come across from light people is that their memory foam mattress isn’t working the way they had expected. This is because they bought a mattress which was too firm for their weight. Whether sleeping on your side or your back, I would suggest avoiding a mattress which is on the very soft side as you’ll likely be spending more money than you need.
Another factor is foam density. The density of the foam determines the longevity of it and, typically, the higher the better. In particular, as a heavy person you’re going to want to aim for any memory foam in the mattress to have a density of at least five pounds per cubic foot. Be sure to ask when you’re doing your shopping. Any regular polyfoam, like the kinds found in furniture and cars or those egg crate bed toppers you may have had as a kid, should have a foam density of at least 1.8 pounds per cubic foot.
Springs
Innerspring mattresses are absolutely still a thing, and the hybrid mattress, which blends memory foam and innersprings, is a pretty big deal. If you’re looking at anything with springs, there are a couple things to consider here, too. First off, keep an eye out for the types of coils used. If they are the tradition linked kind of coils used as the primary support layer, run away. As a heavier person, you’re going to need some precise support which can adjust well to your body.
Connected innersprings all tend to move together, which means your shape isn’t really being taken into consideration. What you want are individually wrapped coils. These are almost magical in a way. A support layer with these things is a much better way to distribute pressure across our body as each coil can move independently of the others.
Warranty
Let’s be honest for a second. As bigger people, we’re more likely to wear out mattresses at a faster rate. With that in mind, you will want to have a top-quality warranty. Most of the warranties I have come across include protection from any sagging over a certain amount, and I haven’t seen a single one say weight factors in at all. They all simply say it needs to be handled in a normal fashion and placed on a proper foundation. So, keep an eye out for a warranty that not only will lost the lifetime of the mattress, but will also allow you to return it should you find your weight has a bigger effect on it than expected.
Top 5 Mattress for Heavy People Reviews
With the idea of a heavier sleeper in mind, we’ve got a few mattresses you may want to consider take a look at. They feature different constructions, each of which may address a different situation.
Peruse these with us and see if you can’t find something which might appeal to your desires for a better night’s rest.
Ultimate Dreams Total Latex Mattress
I have been in love with the idea of a latex mattress as of late. Latex foam is a very interesting material. Not only is it made from renewable resources, giving it a lower impact on the environment, but it has many of the same properties as memory foam while still having a fair bit of support and springiness to it.
The Ultimate Dreams Total Latex mattress is 10 inches deep, nine inches of which are latex. The latex used in this mattress is created using the Talalay method. There are two ways to make latex foam, one is called Dunlop, the other is Talalay. Dunlop creates a denser foam which isn’t necessarily as soft as that made with the Talalay method. Using completely natural latex for this, however, can make up for that a little bit.
The Talalay method is the same as Dunlop but with a couple additional steps. These steps allow the latex to be less dense and softer, but have a cell structure to make it more durable, since it is less dense. It’s all a bunch of sciency stuff, but Talalay is typically going to be softer.
There are three firmness options with this mattress. Two of the options are Talalay featuring ILD levels of 32 or 36. ILD stands for Indentation Load Deflection. The testing of it and the exact meanings of the measurement are complex, but, basically, the higher the number, the firmer it is. Latex is commonly found between 20 and 45 ILD, so at 36, you’re nearing maximum firmness. The company also offers a natural Dunlop layer if the other two don’t suit your fancy.
They also offer the option of switching it out after purchase, which is made possible by the removable outer cover and the two separate latex layers.
Pros
Cons
Novosbed
The Novosbed, a fully foam mattress, is available in three firmness levels. As the medium firmness is their most popular model, and likely the best of the bunch for a heavy-set sleeper, we’ll focus on that one.
The bed is composed of three primary layers, two memory foam comfort layers and a support foam layer. The good news: Each of these foam layers meets the suggestions I made earlier. Both memory foam layers are five pound per cubic foot and the support foam is a sturdy 1.8 pounds per cubic foot. As such, this should give you a fair amount of support while lasting a good long while.
Up top, over the comfort layers, is a removable ultra-soft stretch-knit cover. If you get some sweat on it, you can pull it off and toss it in the wash. Around the whole thing is a layer of elastic material which protects the inner foam without squishing it too much.
The top layer of foam is perforated to allow for better airflow to combat the heat issue which sometimes occurs in memory foam. I would have liked to have seen this with a gel layer, but the vertical shafts in this mattress are intended to push air in and out as you move in your sleep. To me, that means if you are one of those people who can sleep perfectly still, you’re in for a warm night.
Pros
Cons
Avocado Green
Avocado’s big selling point for this mattress is how eco-friendly it is. On top of that, it also appears to be a really good mattress. They use natural, recycled and non-toxic materials throughout the whole thing, which is pretty cool.
Functionality-wise, the mattress has quite a bit to offer. First of all, it comes in two versions, one with a pillow-top and one without. Since I feel the pillow-top is going to provide a better experience for a heavier person, I’ll focus on that one.
The mattress with the pillow-top is 13 inches thick and has some great features. Each of the three foam layers use Dunlop latex foam. The first two layers, one being the pillow-top, are two inches of 24-28 ILD foam. If you recall, that’s pretty soft. This only makes up four inches, however, and we’ll get to why I think that’s okay. The next layer is an inch of 36-38 ILD latex foam. This is at the higher scale, which is good.
Below these is where the real support comes in. The mattress features hundreds of individually wrapped coils, all made from heat-treated steel. The heat-treatment, just as with a sword, gives it additional strength. These are in three different gauges in different parts of the mattress to provide multiple levels of support across the body. As such, sleeping on this should allow your weight to be evenly distributed and still feel supported overall.
Between each layer is a half inch of wool meant to help keep you cool by wicking away moisture, and a breathable cotton cover should assist, as well.
Pros
Cons
Saatva Mattress
The Saatva mattress comes in three firmness levels. The Luxury Firm level is their flagship model, and likely the best for heavy people, so I’ll focus on that one.
I’ve written about the Saatva for several situations and it always seems to offer great options for people. With its multiple layers and technologies, the mattress pretty much has something for everyone.
A pillow-top above everything works as a good comfort layer. It’s overstuffed to give you a very soft sensation when you touch it. Below this is an of memory foam which serves as lumbar support. Next up is 884 individually wrapped 4-inch coils. These are what really help the mattress match the shape of your body.
The support layer looks a little more traditional and features 416 connected 7-inch hourglass-shaped coils. As with a traditional mattress, these will move together, but any problems which may have occurred with the older technology should be avoided thanks to the springs in the comfort layer above.
Surrounding it all is an edge system designed to not only keep everything in place, but to make sure you get the best out of your mattress and don’t experience that rolling feeling you sometimes get when you’re on the side. It will also keep the edges solid for longer.
Pros
Cons
Amerisleep Americana
The Americana is the firmest of the Amerisleep mattresses. Designed for back and stomach sleepers, it has several features to keep whoever is on it nice and cool.
Though the technology is advanced, the construction of the mattress is fairly simply. It features an outer cover made of a fabric called Celliant which contains materials they claim can turn your body heat into infrared light. This sounds like complete magic to me, but if it works, that’s fantastic.
As an additional defense against heating, their Bio-Pur foam, which is used in the comfort layer, is made to pull heat away from your body while you sleep. The final layer is what they call Bio-Core foam and they promise it won’t sag. At two pounds per cubic foot, I believe it. Both of these materials are plant-based, which is good for the environment.
The Bio-Pur foam, in addition to keeping you cool, also has a quicker response time, meaning it will adjust to your body faster than standard memory foam.
Pros
Cons
The Breakdown
For my money, I think the best mattress for heavy people is the Avocado mattress, but I really feel like the Saatva comes in as a close second. The fully-foam mattresses don’t really inspire a lot of confidence in me as I’ve seen the effects weight can have on a fully foam mattress. I will say, however, it’s entirely possible my experience has been with lower density foam.
My primary reasoning for liking these two, however, is the inclusion of springs. As heavier people, we need to make sure we have very good support. The heavier you are, the less likely it is foam is going to provide that support. Springs, especially individually wrapped ones, are going to be able to give you precise support exactly where it’s needed. I can appreciate that in the Avocado, and I can even more appreciate the fact it has multiple support zones to provide different parts of the body different levels of support.
Also, the added softness from the pillow-top option of the Avocado makes it, in my opinion, the best bed for large side sleepers and, frankly, the best bed for a larger person in general. Everything with the mattress sort of just molds together to become excellent for this purpose. It’s also not at all a bad thing that it’s so eco-friendly.
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