Support vs Comfort for a heavier sleeper with medical issues?

Question

I'm a heavy person at 18st but have a medical issue that makes joints painful if I sleep on too firm of a surface. My partner however is around 16st and favours a firm supportive mattress. Is there any hope for us agreeing on something or should I be sleeping on a firm mattress anyway? Thanks

Lee · Accepted Answer

Hi Vanessa,

Many thanks for your question about finding the right level of support in a mattress for a heavy sleeper. It can be a minefield when looking for a bed for a sleeper who weighs 18 stone mainly because most retail mattresses support stops exactly at 18 stone.

Most people confuse support vs comfort when shopping for a new mattress. But we can help clear that up here and give an idea of a suitable mattress to meet your sleeping needs.

Mattress Support Explained:

Mattress support is provided by either a pocket spring unit (like our mattresses) or a slab of reflex foam (firm man-made foam). It should always be based on your bodyweight and not the comfort or feel of the mattress. Mattress comfort is provided by upholstery on top of this mattress support unit.

The video guide below on spring tensions helps explain in more detail. Alternatively, the mattress support table will help show you which spring tension each sleeper needs, in your case a 1.6 gauge for both sleepers.

https://youtu.be/JDbfPTUX1cw

[table id=7 /]

Mattress Comfort Explained:

Mattress comfort is always provided by the upholstery fibres or layers of natural fibres that are built up on top of the pocket spring or support base. The type of materials, GSM (Grams per square meter) and order in which they are layered all make a difference as to how firm the comfort of the mattress is.

The GSM is super important when looking for a new mattress as it allows you to then compare models. Have a look at our mattress compare tool to see how to accurately compare mattresses side by side.

Softer fibres create a soft feel mattress. Firmer fibres will create a firmer feel mattress etc. Have a look at the table below to see how different fibres feel - take note that the way they are layered and with which other fibres will change and tweak the overall feel.

[table id=160 /]

Firmer feel mattresses for heavier sleepers:

Below are two of our mattress models to help start you off if you want a firmer feel but with deep comfort layers for shoulders and hips. The Artisan 1500 is the softer of the two if you're concerned with the Artisan Bespoke our firmer 100% natural fibre mattress.

The Artisan Bespoke is the firmest 100% natural fibre mattress we can provide. This mattress paired with a firm 1.6 gauge pocket spring tension based on your body weight to ensure you are correctly supported underneath the natural fillings.
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Artisan Bespoke Mattress

1: 500GSM BRITISH WOOL

2: 1200GSM BLENDED BRITISH FLEECE WOOL AND COTTON

3: HAIRPROOF CAMBRIC COVER

4: 1200GSM PURE HORSETAIL

5: 1200GSM HORSEHAIR

6: 1000GSM WHITE CASHMERE INSULATOR

7: 1600 CALICO ENCASED POCKET SPRINGS [49MM] [1.28MM]

TOTAL 5100GSM

DEPTH 27-30CM

CHEMICAL FREE COVER

Next up would be our Artisan 1500 mattress which is a medium firm feel. Softer than the Artisan Bespoke but still a 2 sided natural fibre mattress albeit at a lower price bracket due to the mix of natural and man made fibres.

Artisan 1500 Mattress

1: 500GSM WOOL

2: 600GSM REBOUND POLY COTTON (50/50 BLEND)

3: 700GSM POLYESTER

4: 600GSM REBOUND POLY COTTON (50/50 BLEND)

5: 700GSM POLYESTER

6: 1200GSM CASHMERE HAIR PAD AS INSULATOR

7: 1500 SPUN BOND POCKET SPRINGS (SOFT, MEDIUM OR FIRM)

TOTAL: 4300GSM

CHEMICAL FREE COVER

We’ve also provided our handy beginner’s mattress buying guide below for more tips.

We hope that helps and if you have any more mattress related questions please get back in touch on info@johnryanbydesign.co.uk or 0161 437 4419.

Sleep well
John & Ryan

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