People with above-average weight usually prefer firmer and thicker mattresses as they offer great support and targeted pressure relief. If you are on a heavier side, Counting Sheep’s guide to choosing the best mattress for larger people can help you make an informed decision and buy the right mattress for your bedroom.
The weight of a person is an essential factor that affects your choice of mattress. Heavier people with more than 230 pounds have a difficult time choosing the right bed. They usually prefer models with additional cushioning in areas of the body where weight is often concentrated. Many people who have above-average weight prefer firmer and thicker mattresses. The firmer models offer great support, with spinal alignment and targeted pressure relief but without sagging. The thicker models are very quiet when moving in bed. Although there are not many models designed for larger individuals, there is still a wide range mattresses to choose from. In this article, we will discuss the best mattresses for larger people, suggest our top six models, and explain critical factors that may affect the sleep of heavier individuals.
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The recently introduced unique hybrid luxury model New Purple Mattress has a wide range of features and benefits. Like all other Purple products, it uses the polymer Smart Grid to provide the best comfort for all sleepers, especially for larger individuals.
This product is one of the best hybrid models you can find that offers the same benefits as memory foam and latex models. The comfort layers of the bed are made with the polymer Smart Grid and buckling-column gel and provide excellent pressure relief, good conforming and motion isolation. The Medium Soft model has a four-inch comfort layer, while the Medium model has a three-inch comfort layer. The bed has a long lifespan because of the durability of the Smart Grid.
This best luxury model is perfect for side and back sleepers of all weight groups (heavy, average, light), those who sleep hot and individuals who suffer from back or hip pain. Apart from that, the product is available in three thickness profiles – two, three or four inches, and in three firmness settings – ‘Medium Soft’ (4.5), ‘Medium’ (5.5) and ‘Medium Firm’ (6.5). Even though the price is above the average price of a hybrid bed, Purple has free shipping available in the U.S. for the New Purple mattress.
Qualities:
Heavier individuals generally don’t like memory foam beds because they are too soft and too thin, and thus more prone to sagging. However, the Nectar is an exception among memory foam models. The Nectar mattress weight limit is exceptional, and it is one of the best memory foam mattresses available for larger people. With its thicker than average design, it has four layers of foam that are aimed at giving you the optimal support without any sinking.
The cover of the bed is made from a combination of cotton and an environmentally-friendly material called Tencel. Tencel is a unique material, and it gives excellent breathability and softness. There is also a quilted layer of gel memory foam in the cover that offers comfort at the moment when weight is applied. Under the cover, there is a layer of memory foam that allows the sleeper to sink in the bed and get proper pressure relief. However, the transition layer with memory foam below is there to make sure you won’t sink too deeply and that you have a firmer bed that can contain your weight. The firm foundation layer with high-density poly foam at the bottom gives the bed stability and the ability to provide an even sleep surface.
The Nectar is the best value mattress available on the market. This unique memory foam model is suitable for all types of sleepers (side, back, stomach, combination) with more than 130 pounds (average and above-average weight groups) and for individuals who suffer from back pain.
Qualities:
The Brooklyn Bedding Titan is one of the firmest hybrid mattresses for larger individuals with exceptional support. It has a Firm (8) firmness setting with a stable and even sleep surface that has minimal conforming suitable for heavier individuals. The whole bed is made from extremely durable materials, providing a long lifespan to it.
The Titan was designed more sturdy for plus-sized sleepers that have a difficult time finding a suitable mattress. It has a more solid and dense feel than any other model. The durable blended polyester stretch fabric was used to make a very breathable cover. The cover is quilted to a layer of gel-memory foam that contours to the body and dissipates heat. The next layer contains Brooklyn Bedding’s signature material – TitanFlex foam. This foam has targeted pressure point relief with excellent responsiveness and motion isolation. The support system features TitanCaliber individually pocketed coils that are specially designed to provide spine alignment for heavier individuals. The last layer is a high-density base foam that provides the whole structure additional support and cushioning.
The Titan has a 120-month warranty with a 120-day sleep trial and free shipping available for any location in the U.S. The product is beneficial for people with more than 130 pounds who sleep on their back and stomach or lighter sleepers who like their beds to be firmer. People who sleep hot might also find this bed very suitable.
Qualities:
The Loom & Leaf is the best memory foam mattress that comes with better responsiveness than any other memory foam model you can find. It is made by the environmentally-friendly company Saatva in two firmness options – Medium (5.5) and Firm (8). The Firm has been established as one of the most responsive memory foam mattresses.
Since the company that makes the bed is very eco-friendly, the entire bed is made from natural materials. The cover is made from a combination of soft and organic cotton, and the layer below is made from high-density elastic memory foam. These materials give you a cool and stable sleep surface that will conform to the body without the sinking feeling. The bed will provide levels of pain and pressure relief, and along with that, exceptional spinal alignment.
The Loom & Leaf mattress comes with a 180-month warranty and a 120-day sleep trial, and like all Saatva products, with free White Glove delivery for the United States. The model is very suitable or back and side sleepers in the average and heavy-weight groups, and individuals with back and hip pain problems.
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The company PlushBeds has one of the best latex mattresses to offer. The Botanical Bliss Collection is an environmentally-friendly and available in several designs to suit the needs of every sleeper. You can buy it in multiple firmness settings with Medium (5.5) and Firm (7.5) as the default options and three thickness profiles – nine inches, ten inches, and twelve inches. The thicker profile is the best option for heavier individuals, while the others are for those who prefer softer beds.
In order to give a cool and very comfortable surface, the comfort layers are made from a combination of organic wool and organic Dunlop latex. These materials are responsible for all of the bed’s features, including great responsiveness, excellent motion isolation, exceptional conforming and pressure relief, and temperature neutrality that ensures that the bed sleeps fairly cool.
With its slightly higher price, the Bliss Collection comes with a longer-than-average warranty that lasts for 300 months, a 100-day sleep trial and free shipping in the U.S. The mattress is suitable for eco-friendly shoppers with a bigger budget, and side and back sleepers of all weight groups (light, average, heavy).
Qualities:
The WinkBed Plus was specifically designed to give heavier individuals a stable sleep surface that will make sure they sleep comfortably. The bed has a hybrid design that will give the appropriate pressure relief and body support without sacrificing support or sinking into the bed.
The cover is made from Tencel and quilted with polyfoam. Tencel plant-based material that has excellent moisture-wicking abilities. Along with the polyfoam, it gives immediate and proper comfort, while maintaining a neutral temperature. The support layer is made from pocketed system of individually wrapped coils that are responsible for the bed’s bounciness and lifting the sleeper from the mattress. With these coils, the sleeper will be able to move around the bed without sinking into it.
This Medium Firm (6.5) luxury and best latex mattress comes with a lifetime warranty, a 120-day sleep trial, and free shipping in the U.S. It is extremely suitable for all types of sleepers (stomach, side, back, combination) in the average and heavyweight groups, individuals that prefer more responsive surfaces and those who suffer from back pain.
Contrary to what is though, the sleeper’s weight is directly linked to the firmness level. Firmness is a significant factor that influences your sleep quality and depends on many individual factors like your sleep position, height, and weight. The firmness level is measured on a scale from 1 to 10, with 1 as the least firm level and 10 as the firmest level. Firmer mattresses offer better support for people who have more weight. People with less than 130 pounds prefer a soft firmness level (1-3). The medium firmness level (4-7) has excellent support for most weight groups, but heavier individuals in the above-average weight (more than 230 pounds) prefer a Firm level (8-10) because they can sink too deeply in softer models and experience pain.
The thickness is also an essential consideration for heavier individuals. However, thickness varies by mattress type, with foam mattresses being thinner than hybrids and innersprings. Heavier sleepers put more pressure on the bed, and they feel more comfortable on thicker models because of the better compression support. Thin mattresses can cause uncomfortable and excessive sinking. The best thickness that will properly support larger individuals would be from twelve to thirteen inches.
Even though it might seem like irrelevant, edge support is an important part of the bed. Models that are reinforced at the edges have the best support and prevention of sinking in areas where people tend to sit, as opposed to models that don’t have edge support and frequently tend to have a lot of sinkage at the edges.
Besides these factors, the position you sleep in is vital for your comfort. Sleeping on the side requires proper spinal alignment that softer mattresses have. Those who sleep on their backs and stomachs have good spinal alignment with their position, so they need firmer models to feel comfortable because they can sink in softer models. Back-sleepers with above-average weight feel comfortable on Medium to Firm levels of firmness. Side-sleepers with above-average weight are sensitive to mattress sagging and need a model with Medium Firm or Firm mattresses. Stomach sleepers generally put additional weight on the bed in the stomach area, which causes the stomach to sink and can cause spinal problems. Because of this, those with above-average weight who sleep on their stomach need a model with Firm level of firmness.
Iva is an art historian and an art lover who always had a passion for writing and sleep! When she is not researching and testing new mattresses on the market, you can find her binge-watching TV shows, eating tons of junk food or playing with her dog Bart.