Best Mattress For Heavier People
What is the best mattress for heavier people? This is a question I hear a lot from my patients. The answer is a supportive mattress! Support is important for every person, but even more so for bigger bodies or those looking to improve their quality of life.
Why Does Your Mattress Matter?
We spend 8 hours a night on our mattress – is it giving you the support you need? Mattresses are not all built the same – and they are not all made for everyone. If you are waking up in the morning with back pain – it is likely that your mattress is not cutting it.
Do you feel like your mattress is sagging? Mattresses built with limited support will start to sag overtime – ruining any chance of getting a good night’s rest. Sleeping on a saggy mattress will negatively impact your spine and neck health and can very quickly lead to chronic pain.
Finding a right mattress for bigger bodies is important for reducing your risk of developing chronic back pain – make sure you are getting enough support overnight!
The Health Effects of a Non-Supportive Mattress
If you are not sleeping on a mattress that supports a heavier person, chronic pain and health issues will arise. I see it all the time in my practice. Many patients come in complaining of terrible back pain because they sleep on an unsupportive mattress.
Some common health impacts of sleeping on a non-supportive mattress:
- Chronic lower back pain
- Muscle spasms
- Mid back pain
- Spinal disc bulge/herniation
- Sciatica
- Spinal instability
- Facet syndrome
- Sacroiliitis
If you have been sleeping on a mattress that doesn’t support your weight you can develop chronic pain, neurological issues, and can even accelerate spinal degeneration. All these problems, just because of a poor mattress!
Choosing A Mattress For Heavy People
So, before you go out mattress hunting, what makes the best mattress for heavier people? There are a couple of factors to take into consideration when finding a mattress for bigger bodies.
Mattress Type
Mattress type is an important factor to consider when buying a bed for heavier people. I recommend a latex bed. They offer wonderful contouring, a great balance between support and pressure relief, and tend to be more responsive and resilient overtime. If you’re looking for a high level of support and stability, then check out a hybrid latex which has an inner coil core, which allows for more support. Latex is also a natural material, so you don’t have to worry about sleeping on any harsh chemicals.
Quality Materials
A bed made with quality materials means the mattress will last overtime and remain resilient. If a mattress is made of low quality materials it will begin to sag overtime leaving your body unsupported, thereby lowering the quality of your sleep. A mattress made of quality materials will last 6-8 years, whereas a poor quality mattress will only last 2 years or less.
Support
Support is essential! When we talk about support, we are talking about the mattress’s ability to push against your body weight. A supportive mattress will push against your bodyweight equally – and a bad mattress will sag and cave under pressure. Poorly supportive mattresses prevent proper relaxation of the muscles, discs, and joints in your lumbar spine throughout the night, and without that time to rest your body is left constantly working to support itself.
Pressure Relief
Without pressure relief a mattress will have an increased amount of pressure built up on the hips and shoulders of heavier sleepers, and especially if you’re a side sleeper. Side sleepers may experience more pressure in that position because the hips and shoulders naturally stick out and push into the mattress.
Responsiveness
Responsiveness, or the “bounce” of the mattress, is important for all sleeping types. Without it the sleeper might feel stuck because the material is slow to respond, this leaves the sleeper feeling like they are sinking into their mattress.
If you’re looking for a responsive mattresses, look for something that is a hybrid (inner-coil) and latex. Latex is generally a more responsive material than memory foam, and the inner-coil core of the mattress will traditionally allow for even more bounce back.
Firmness Level
Firmness level depends on several criteria: weight, sleeping position, and personal preference. Generally, the more weight a person carries the higher the level of firmness they need. A person weighing 230lbs or more needs a firm mattress, whereas a person weighing 230lbs or less needs a medium-firm mattress. However, if you weigh less and sleep on your side then medium firmness is recommended. If you sleep on your back or stomach then pick firm.
With all this being said, what is the best mattress for a heavier person?
The Saatva HD Mattress – First Luxury Heavy Duty Mattress For Bigger Bodies
In my opinion, The Saatva HD Mattress is my choice as the best mattress for heavier people. If you have a bigger body and you need a supportive mattress, then this one is for you!
Saatva HD meets all 5 of the following criteria:
Support
Rest easy knowing that this mattress will support your weight throughout the night. While still maintaining a high level of comfort, this mattress uses tempered 12.5 recycled steel coils that are 25% more supportive than the leading industry mattress spring. This mattress won’t sag – and you can have a restful and supported sleep.
Pressure Relief
This mattress was built specifically with bigger bodies in mind. It is engineered to balance pressure relief and support for all bodies. Their patented spinal zone technology supports the lumbar spine throughout the night, reducing the presence of any pressure points throughout your sleep.
Materials
Selecting a mattress made of the correct materials is essential – and I haven’t found a mattress company that offers a better quality product than Saatva. The Saatva HD mattress is made of six layers to provide you with the best sleep:
- Durable Edge Support – high-intensity foam rails prevent sagging and create firm edges.
- High-Durability Coil Base – 25% stronger than the average industry coil, these springs are built for long-term support of heavier bodies.
- Comfort Foam Layers – a special blend of CertiPUR-US certified memory foam is used to contour to your body shape throughout the night for maximal comfort.
- 5-Zone Talalay Latex – these five distinct zones provide density and support to the mattress. The addition of this technology to this mattress creates pressure point relief and maximal lumbar spine support.
- 3 Inch Euro Pillow Top – a comfortable and cushiony layer of hypoallergenic and organic cotton adds a luxury feel to this supportive mattress.
- Hand-Tufted Finishing – the cherry on top of the mattress to hold the other layers together. It successfully eliminates any previous body imprints to improve support.
Endurance
This mattress is built to last! Because Saatva uses high-quality materials, these mattresses can be used over many years without compromising support.
Breathability
Keeping cool and allowing for adequate air-flow is essential during your sleep – and all Saatva mattresses meet my breathability requirement.
The Saatva HD Mattress is the best mattress for heavier people on the market. If you are in the market for a supportive and comfortable mattress, I cannot recommend this mattress enough.
I hope this article helped shed some light on the importance that your mattress has on reducing chronic back pain – it’s something I unfortunately see too often in my practice.
Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you have a very supportive sleep! 🙂