If you’re a weightier person you may find some mattresses very uncomfortable to sleep on. You need adequate support for your entire body, and a mattress that won’t sag so you don’t end up sleeping in a hole. If you weigh 200lb plus, you might want a plus-size mattress that’s a couple of inches thicker than normal, giving you real compression support.
You’ll also want a mattress that is durable. Some cheap mattresses are great for a few months but develop a body-size indent or sagging sides within as little as a year, becoming very uncomfortable.
Not every mattress is able to deliver what you need. Fortunately, some mattresses have been designed specifically for the larger sleeper. We’ve researched the market and tested several, which has provided us with a list of the best mattresses for heavy people. We’ve also canvassed public opinion, as its long -term users who really get to know how a mattress performs over several months and years.
Best Mattress for Heavy People In 2020
Brooklyn Bedding Titan Mattress – Best Overall
The Titan is a great value pick – but it’s also a very good mattress period. And it has been designed specifically for plus-size sleepers.
The Titan is a hybrid mattress with three different layers of foam as well as a core made of heavy duty, separate pocketed spring coils. On the top, an inch of quilted gel foam helps keep sleepers cool, while a further 2″ of TitanFlex foam helps provide pressure point relief. It comes in at 8 out of ten on the firmness scale, so it provides strong support, though the top memory foam layers also enable it to conform well to the body.
Edge support is good, thanks to a 2% base layer of high-density foam. This is great news for those who sleep on the edge of their mattress. You also no longer need to worry about crushing the sides if you like to sit on the edge of your bed. The mattress has a bit of bounce, thanks to the coils, but makes no noise, and motion isolation is very good too.
The Titan comes with a 10 year warranty and is worthy of being our top pick for heavier people.
Nectar Mattress – Good Density Rating
Nectar didn’t design their mattress specifically for heavier people, but it’s a great choice if you prefer memory foam mattresses, with cooling layers and good support.
It’s one of the softer alternatives for heavy sleepers, with a rating of just 6 on the firmness scale. It uses two layers of memory foam as a comfort layer to support, while providing contouring for the sleeper’s body and it has a removable Tencel cooling cover that helps keep sleepers cool by conducting heat away from the body.
Under those layers there’s a high-density support core that minimizes sagging and means you won’t sink too deeply into the foam. It’s an 11″ thick mattress, and that extra inch goes a long way to making it comfortable for heavier sleepers. This is reinforced by the 2.2 ILD rating for density which comfortably surpasses many other mattresses.
One of the big plus points of this mattress is the way it minimizes motion transfer. If you’re a light sleeper and your partner isn’t, insist on a Nectar mattress!
However, we wouldn’t recommend this mattress for exceptionally heavy sleepers. In our view, it’s not quite firm enough to support sleepers over about 600lbs – it will hold up, but you won’t get the best night’s sleep.
Nectar provide each customer with a 180 night sleep trial and their Forever warranty that is valid as long as you own the mattress.
DreamCloud Mattress – Best Memory Foam Option
This hybrid mattress is a great blend between body-hugging memory foam and 8% coil springs. It’s also one of the thickest mattresses around, at a sizeable 15″.
It comes in at medium/medium firm, so it may feel a little softer if you are a heavier person. There’s a quilted EuroTop that helps spread your body weight, so the memory foam doesn’t swallow you up, and there’s a layer of gel-infused foam to help diffuse heat and stop you becoming too warm during the night.
Underneath the foam layers, a pocketed coil system gives a little bounce to the bed. An important feature for heavier customers is the use of higher gauge, stronger coils around the edges to give good definition and edge support to the sides.
We recommend this bed for side sleepers and active sleepers – the quilted top means there’s not much resistance so you can turn over or spread out easily, while the memory foam will adjust to your sleeping position and ensure your body is properly supported.
The Dreamcloud comes with a 180 night sleep trial and an Everlong warranty that lasts as long as you own the mattress.
Casper Sleep Hybrid Mattress – Great for Active Sleepers
Casper is well known for its memory foam mattresses. The hybrid is the first time it’s mixed foam with pocketed coils.
The mattress has zoned construction making it firmer in the middle and softer in the hip and shoulder area. That’s great for side sleepers or for active sleepers who regularly change position, though back sleepers will also find the mattress gives them enough support.
It’s a 12″ mattress, with three layers of foam above a 7″ pocketed coil layer. Higher gauge coils are used at the sides which give increased edge support.
Although the top layers are memory foam, the coil springs promote air flow and help provide a cool night’s sleep, so you’re not overheating. The coils also make this quite a bouncy mattress. We should point out that the coils also add cost, so this mattress is a bigger investment than Casper’s memory foam products.
While it’s a strong supportive mattress, the Casper only offers slightly above medium firmness. While it’s a great choice for a plus size side sleeper, it might not be the best choice for someone weighing above 500lbs.
Amore Natural Latex Mattress – Best Organic Option
This 13″ mattress is thick enough to provide significant bodyweight support, and uses all organic materials including New Zealand wool, natural latex and organic cotton. It’s a medium firm mattress, 7-8 on the scale, and while it’s not designed specifically for the heavier sleeper, it has all the right qualities to provide a good night’s sleep for a plus-size person.
A layer of pocketed coils provides support to the base of the mattress. Above this, a 2″ medium firmness Dunlop latex comfort layer feels firmer than memory foam but has enough give in it to relieve your pressure points at the knees, hips and shoulders.
A fluffier pillow top latex layer adds another 2″ of pressure relief. Finally, New Zealand wool provides a fire barrier, but equally, helps to ensure that this mattress sleeps nice and cool.
A great choice for those looking for an all-natural mattress that performs highly.
Heavy Sleeper Mattress Buyer’s Guide
If you’re classed as overweight or on the heavy side, then buying the right mattress is critical for getting a good night’s sleep. You’ll need a mattress that is thick enough and firm enough to support your weight, and unfortunately some mattresses don’t cope well with people over about 200lb.
You’ll also need to invest in a quality mattress that is durable; taking risks with lower quality materials could mean you end up with a sagging mattress and sleepless nights after a year or two.
Sleeping Positions as An Overweight Person
Side
For side sleepers, pressure relief is important because your full body weight is pressing into the mattress across a narrow surface area. For many heavy sleepers in this position, a plusher bed is a better match because the softness allows your weight to sink in and conform to the shape of your body which will help to minimize pressure.
Heavier people need to be careful that their weight does not bottom out on a softer bed. You may find that a firmer bed may be better suited to your body, even if you routinely lie on your side.
See our side sleeper mattress guide for more information.
Back
Firmness preferences for heavy back sleepers tend to vary considerably. The main factor is where you carry your weight and the sort of feel you prefer. Some back sleepers like a firmer bed that offers more support, but a firm bed may not be as comfortable for some people. This is more likely to be the case if you suffer from sore areas or localized pain.
You’ll want to look for the right balance to support your size and shape while also supporting your lumbar region and ensuring good spinal alignment.
See our back sleeper mattress guide for more information.
Stomach
Larger people need to be aware that stomach sleeping has risks, as beds that are not firm enough can leave your hips uncomfortably sunk into the mattress. This makes it difficult for the spine to maintain a neutral position. If you are a person who carries most of your weight in your hips and stomach area, you will want to look at firmer beds for adequate support.
Stomach sleeping can also make breathing difficult, a serious health risk if you suffer from sleep apnea.
See our stomach sleeper mattress guide for more information.
Combination
If you are a restless sleeper or like to change position to get comfortable, you should look at beds which offer zoned support or feature a sleeping surface that is adaptable. You should also think about which position you most often find yourself sleeping in.
The needs of a side and back combination sleeper may be different than a back and stomach combination sleeper so keep this in mind.
See our combination sleeper mattress guide for more information.
What Type of Construction Is Best for Heavy People?
Memory Foam
Memory foam as we mentioned can sleep hot. It can also ‘hug’ your body too close for comfort, and if you’ve also chosen a slightly softer mattress, you may find you’re disappearing into a hole while sleeping.
On the other hand, memory foam insulates motion really well – important for light sleepers sharing a bed with a partner. It also contours well to the body, which is important for side sleepers. Heavier people who find their hips and shoulders often ache in the morning may find memory foam works well for them, particularly mattresses which are designed to support the body well while letting the hips sink in to relieve the weight on pressure points and keep the spine aligned.
Latex
Latex mattresses have many of the same advantages as memory foam but tend to be bouncier in feel. They sleep cooler than memory foam, which is important for many heavier sleepers as the material enhances air flow.
If you have allergies, organic latex can help you sleep better and if you’re an active sleeper and like to move around in your bed they’re also quick responding. You’re not going to wake up feeling you need to make an effort to roll over.
Edge support is often much better and latex has a high ILD density rating which is ideal for heavier people.
Innerspring
Traditional innerspring mattresses can be good, but quality is really important here – cheap innerspring mattresses can become uncomfortable quickly as the ‘bounce’ wears out.
Look for coil-on-coil or pocketed coil mattresses – they don’t make the squeaky noise of the old-style continuous spring mattresses, and because each coil is independent, they adjust well to your body rather than forming a hollow in the middle of the mattress. A big plus for heavier sleepers – because they contain so much air, innerspring mattresses sleep cool.
Looking for more information? Our innerspring mattress guide contains more detail.
Hybrid
Hybrid mattresses use an innerspring foundation with foam layers on top. You get all the bounciness of an innerspring combined with the plush feel and contouring of a latex or foam mattress. You’ll notice most of our recommendations are hybrid mattresses.
Additional Mattress Considerations for Heavy People
Size
The heavier you are, the larger the bed you require. This is especially the case if you sleep next to a partner.
If sleeping alone, a double or full-sized mattress is likely to be the smallest size you find comfortable. If sleeping as a couple, we recommend a minimum of a queen sized bed with a king sized bed likely to make the better option as they provide additional width.
See our mattress size guide for more sizing information.
Thickness
How thick a mattress do you need? A 10″ mattress is good for most people, but if you’re over 230lb or so you might want to think about a 12″ mattress. The extra thickness really does make a difference to your comfort.
Thicker mattresses are available which may be more suitable depending on your weight. If you are particularly heavy, we would suggest up to 15 inches of depth providing the mattress is designed for heavy people or it is constructed from suitable materials such as latex.
Firmness
How firm a mattress do you want? Heavier people should generally pick firmer mattresses for the higher levels of support that they offer. However, you may prefer a slightly softer mattress, particularly if you sleep on your side.
If so, rather than looking for just ‘soft’, look for a mattress that has the right combination of firm support layers and soft compression layers to deliver both the support your body needs and the comfort you want.
Edge Support
Edge support is particularly important for overweight or big people. A reinforced edge can help keep a mattress both looking good and feeling good to sleep on.
If you sleep near the edges of your bed, this feature is very important.
Some mattresses will utilize steel coils of a heavier gauge on the perimeter edge for increased load bearing and support. Innerspring, latex and latex hybrid mattresses are usually a good choice for this reason.
Sleep Temperature
Many heavier people find they get too hot during sleep. Memory foam mattresses tend to retain heat, though the more modern ones have cooling layers inserted to diffuse heat away from your body.
Depending on just how hot you get while sleeping, you might be better off with a latex or innerspring/hybrid mattress. This is because they breathe much better and provide superior ventilation.
Sleep Trials
Do you get a sleep trial? The best choices offer an extended sleep trial, so you can assess whether you’re waking up feeling better rested and without those aches and pains that come from sleeping without the right support. That’s one area where buying from Amazon can be better than buying from a store, because you get to sleep on the mattress for up to six months, against just trying it out for ten minutes in store.
Do watch out for shipping costs if you want to return the mattress – the best companies offer free returns.
Warranties
How good is the warranty? Industry leading products offer a warranty that’s good for as long as you own the mattress. Read the small print, though, as some warranties reduce the pay-out over time to reflect wear and tear (‘prorated’ coverage). Typically, you’ll be 100% covered for two or three years with a prorated cover.
Budget
And of course, how much is your budget? Mattress prices start at $100 but go as high as $500. A really good quality mattress will cost around $1,000. If you’re a heavier person, it’s worth paying for quality and durability – your investment will last longer.
Final Verdict
While if you’re on the heavier side it can be a challenge finding the right mattress, it’s certainly not impossible. If you’ve been putting off buying a new mattress for ages, take another look at your options. A saggy, squashy mattress won’t do your body any favors, and the last thing you need is to get up every morning feeling pain in your back, shoulders or hips from sleeping on a bed that doesn’t support you properly.
You may find you’re making quite an investment – and that’s as it should be. If you buy a mattress that will stick with you for years, even if you do pay a bit more, that’s a great investment compared with a cheaper but lower-quality mattress that ends up letting you down.
