Best Mattress For Heavy People — Our Top Picks



Body weight is an important factor in choosing a mattress. Heavy people have different needs from their mattress. A mattress that sinks in beneath someone and makes getting up difficult certainly isn’t cutting it. The best mattress for heavy people is usually one that provides extra support, prevents sinkage, is durable, and provides a cushioning effect to areas like the abdomen and hips. A heavy person for our purpose here is not necessarily overweight, but weighs more than a threshold (more on that in a bit). Here’s our selection for the best mattress for a heavy person.

  1. Over Weight Bariatric Mattress Specially Designed for Heavy People 300-400 lbs
  2. Elements Latex by Dreamfoam Bedding
  3. Saatva Luxury Innerspring Mattress
  4. Layla Sleep Memory Foam Mattress
  5. The New Purple Mattress
  6. Sealy, 12-Inch, Mattress in a Box
  7. Sleep Innovations Taylor

 

What Should Heavy People Look For In A Mattress?

A heavy person has to look for a few extra factors in their mattress, mostly as a concern towards durability, support, and the overall capability of the mattress in ensuring a good night’s sleep.

Limitations

Please note, we are considering a weight more than 250 pounds for the purpose of this article. We’ve selected that simply as a conventional weight range. It does not mean a person weighing this much is necessarily overweight, or that someone weighing less is not overweight or obese. The 250 lbs is simply a benchmark in terms of weight a mattress can handle, and need not necessarily reflect the health or similar physical indicators of a person.

How Durable Is This Mattress?

Durability is an important factor for anyone purchasing a mattress, but heavier people have to be more careful. The extra wait can strain the mattress and cause an overall decrease in its life. Mattresses built for heavier people usually do have durability as a natural result of the specific requirements like coil count and high-density foams. If the mattress you’re considering isn’t durable for people with regular weight, you can bet it’s not the best mattress for heavy people.

How Well Can This Mattress Support Me?

Simply by virtue of construction, all mattresses have a weight limit that they can comfortably handle. Look for a mattress weight limit that is suitable for your use. If you are well overweight, keep in mind that most mattresses may not be able to handle your weight. In such a situation, you might want to consider the best mattress for 400 pound person.

The best mattress for overweight couple should be able to handle the individual, as well as the combined weight of both people. Most mattresses achieve support for heavy people by following one of the following (or both) solutions:

  • High-density foams do not compress easily and hence are a great material for the best mattress for heavy people. These foams are less likely to bottom out, and thus will continue to provide desired support and prevent sinkage. Also look for “sag proof” foams that are better at retaining their firmness over time.
  • Taller and higher grade coils in innersprings or hybrid mattresses are designed to handle more weight. The idea is to prevent the mattress from reaching the position where it bottoms out and causes discomfort for the sleepers. A higher number of coils may also be employed for greater weight handling.

What Should My Mattress Thickness Be?

As a rule of thumb, the best mattress for heavy people is usually thick, often having a height profile of 12-14 inches. Now, this isn’t necessarily true for all mattresses, but a higher height profile is usually desirable in the best bed for an overweight person. A thinner mattress may not be able to handle the large pressure created by a heavy person, and in turn bottom out, in some cases going as far as making you feel you’re sleeping on the base.

A thicker mattress with an extra-thick comfort layer or a similar design will keep you comfortable by providing deep compression support. This is something that is more of an issue the heavier you are, so yes, look for a thick mattress with a good comfort layer.

Do I Need A Special Bed Frame?

Well, maybe. This isn’t so cut and dry. If your current mattress base or bed frame is consistent enough and capable of handling your weight, there is no reason to switch. A bed frame also has to put up with spikes in force and weight when someone sits down or moves on the mattress. Simply being able to handle your weight isn’t enough.

There are also going to be other activities like sex and you don’t want the bed frame that gets cranky and creaky with every movement. The best bed frame for heavy person could be something made from steel to accommodate the extra weight and force. Some frames even include rails for support should the sleeper need them.

Edge Support And Sleep Preference

Apart from the above factors, you may also look at edge support and compatibility to your preferred sleep position.

Some mattresses have reinforcements around the edges to keep the edge better in shape. If you often find yourself sitting at the edge of the bed – whether to wear shoes or for other activities – edge support is important for you. Hybrid mattresses and innersprings are usually better at edge support than foam mattresses. The issue is less visible for thicker foam, but foam mattresses often struggle with providing good edge support, especially for heavier people.

Your sleep preference i.e. being a back, side, or stomach sleeper will also play a role in deciding the mattress of your choice. Generally speaking, side and stomach sleepers will prefer a firmer mattress to keep up with the more localized weight distribution. You might prefer something in the range of 8-9 firmness, depending upon your weight.

 

7 Best Mattresses For Heavy People

1. Over Weight Bariatric Mattress Specially Designed for Heavy People 300-400 lbs

Specially designed and built for heavy people, the Overweight Bariatric Mattress by Ultimate Sleep is designed to be used by overweight people, including those going all the way to the weight of 400 lbs. Although if you need one for a higher weight, contact the company, and they will build a custom mattress for your use.

Comfort layer on this mattress is 5-inches of 36 ILD Talalay Latex. That puts the mattress in a fairly firm category (39 ILD is considered very firm). The latex comfort layer is followed by Ultra Cell High Resiliency (HR) foam that is both firm and supportive, creating a mattress that has great compression support, making this the ideal mattress for heavy people. The mattress is wrapped in a premium micro-lux cotton blend fabric cover.

While the conventional wisdom is that the best mattress for heavy people should be at least 12-inches, this mattress limits itself to 10-inches. That height is mainly due to the use of high-quality latex and foam that makes this mattress a convenient choice for heavy people, however, since the company allows customization, you can choose a greater height profile should you need it.

Pros Cons
Excellent support and comfort for heavy people Expensive
Customized specifically to meet the needs of heavy people Due to customizations involved, the mattress does not have a comprehensive trial period
Materials used are anti-microbial and pest-free Due to mattress firmness, heavy people may find their hips sink in deeper than their legs, sometimes creating an awkward sleeping position

 

2. Elements Latex by Dreamfoam Bedding

Best Mattress For Heavy People — Elements Latex Willow by Dreamfoam Bedding

Elements Latex by Dreamfoam is a somewhat customizable mattress is a great fit for heavy people. The customization comes in the form of a Eurotop zipper enclosure that allows you to adjust firmness by adjusting the 1-inch quilted soft reflex foam top layer and the 3-inch layer of Talalay Latex.

Converting the comfort layer into a zipper enclosure Eurotop mattress opens doors to customization, where you can adjust (or replace/remove) the soft reflex layer or even the Talalay Latex comfort layer to suit your firmness preference. The mattress is available in three firmness options; soft (19 ILD), medium (28 ILD), and firm (36 ILD). The firm option is best suited for heavy people.

Confining the comfort layer to the Eurotop could also have a positive effect on the longevity of the mattress. Since the comfort layer is the one that deteriorates faster, you could simply replace the comfort layer when required and get a few more years out of the mattress. The comfort layer is followed by an 8-inch layer of convoluted base foam designed to offer greater airflow and conformability. Total height profile of the mattress is 12-inches.

Pros Cons
Excellent choices in firmness and size Many customers complain that the mattress lacks durability
Easy customization and replacement for comfort layer Some customers complain that the mattress is prone to sagging
Made from high-quality and high-grade materials

 

3. Saatva Luxury Innerspring Mattress

One of the most popular choices and a favorite amongst many, Saatva is probably the easiest innerspring mattress to recommend. An interesting thing about this mattress is that it is built to offer luxury while staying affordable. To that end, the mattress includes several elements usually seen in high-end luxury models.

Saatva has a base with a coil-on-coil pattern to give you the best of innerspring, while minimizing the motion transfer that usually comes with innerprings. These two layers of coils start with a conventional innerspring layer of interconnecting coils at the base. It is topped with a layer of pocketed coils. Overall, this means that the mattress has the same bounce and comfort as a conventional innerspring, but the pocketed coils absorb motion transfer, making the mattress more comfortable.

The comfort layer is an organic cotton pillowtop, with an antimicrobial treatment. Natural thistle is used as a flame retardant, avoiding the use of any toxic chemicals. Saatva Mattress is made from eco-responsible materials. Apart from the use of organic cotton and natural thistle, the mattress extends eco-consciousness to its innerspring by using recycled steel coils. Saatva mattress is available in three firmness options, though the firm setting is best for heavy sleepers.

Pros Cons
Excellent price for features and comfort offered Lacks the conforming support of foam mattresses
White glove delivery available across continental USA Can get noisy with age
Several size and firmness options available for choice

 

4. Layla Sleep Memory Foam Mattress

Best Mattress For Heavy People — Layla Sleep Copper Infused Mattress

Layla takes a somewhat rare approach to the modern mattress by being flippable to include two firmness settings. Nevertheless, its firm side is suitable for heavy sleepers, allowing this mattress to grab a spot on our list. Plus, it’s pretty adept at handling sleep-hot problems that can trouble heavy sleepers on memory foam mattresses.

The ability to stay temperature neutral comes from the copper-infused cooling system used in this mattress. Working with the thermogel-infused cover, the copper-infused memory foam quickly absorbs heat and dissipates it throughout the mattress, giving it a larger cooling area and allowing the mattress to stay temperature neutral.

Layla Sleep mattress has two firmness options, rated at “medium” and “firm”. Since the firm side is to our interest, we’ll start our exploration of mattress layers from there. Following the thermogel infused cover is a 1-inch layer of copper-infused memory foam. This is followed by 4.5-inch 36 ILD support foam, 2-inch convoluted support foam, and finally, 3-inches of copper-infused memory foam.

Pros Cons
Flippable mattress offers quick and comfortable firmness options Some off-gassing problems
Stays temperature neutral Only two firmness options; both limited to flipping the mattress
Good motion isolation Poor edge support

 

5. The New Purple Mattress

The New Purple Mattress is designed to offer more customization and comfort options, going a step further than the original Purple Mattress. New Purple Mattress is available in three variants, simply named the 2,3, and 4. These numbers represent the thickness (or height) of the hyperelastic polymer layer (or the Purple smart comfort grid) used in the mattress.

Following the layer of polymer is a thin layer of comfort/transition foam, which then makes way for pocketed coils forming the support layer. By virtue of its construction, the mattress sleeps cool, is responsive, and can be comfortable to most weight ranges and sleep preferences. The New Purple 4 mattress is one of the few mattresses where a heavy person can enjoy a relatively “soft” mattress. The total height of the mattress is 13-inches. However, if soft isn’t your thing, head over to the New Purple 2, and enjoy the firmer feel.

The price is fairly high for the New Purple, and at this price point you may also consider other brands like Tempurpedic or the slightly lower priced Amerisleep. The latter also came at the top in our Best Mattress Reviews 2018.

Pros Cons
The mattress is durable Expensive option
Hypoallergenic and non-toxic Polymer and spring combo may not be the most comfortable feel
Longevity of polymer for greater height profile (4” in Purple 4) is a bit of an unknown

 

6. Sealy, 12-Inch, Mattress in a Box

Sealy is one of the largest and best-known mattress companies in the USA. While there are several viable options, some people just might be more comfortable with a brand they know well and believe can be trusted. Sealy 12-inch Mattress in a Box is rated at medium-firm and may be able to provide the conforming, and body-hugging support that memory foam is best known for.

The mattress starts with a 5-inch high-grade conventional foam base, topped with 4-inches of responsive memory foam, followed by 3-inches of adaptive memory foam. These dual layers of memory foam create an amazing and deep memory foam mattress capable of providing excellent pressure relief. Due to the firmness of the mattress, it is likely that your legs will match the sinkage in the rest of the body, allowing a more comfortable sleep position and overall convenient sleep.

Pros Cons
Excellent pressure relief and body conforming No edge support
Minimal motion transfer Some reviewers complain that the mattress offers very little support
Competitively priced Possible sleep-hot issues for heavy sleepers

 

7. Sleep Innovations Taylor

Best Mattress For Heavy People — Sleep Innovations Taylor

Sleep Innovations Taylor is an excellent budget option for heavy sleepers. This memory foam mattress has a height profile of 12-inches, with 2-inch gel memory foam layer at the top. This is followed by another 2-inch layer of air channel foam to keep the mattress ventilated, and finally 8-inches of support plus foam.

Sleep Innovations Taylor works fairly well for heavy sleepers, though some sinkage can be expected. Customer opinions and reviews say the mattress works satisfactorily for heavy sleepers.

Pros Cons
Competitively priced budget option Can take some time getting used to
Stays temperature neutral Poor edge support
Questionable longevity, though claimed warranty is 20 years

 

Best Mattress For Heavy People — Conclusion

Finding the best mattress for heavy people can be a very challenging task. One that increases in complexity if you have to find the best mattress for an overweight couple. Ideally, you should look for a firm mattress with a good height profile, and also take a look at the weight limit. The options listed here are preferable options for heavy people, and are a generally well-regarded choice.