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Comparison And Review Of Mattresses For Heavy People

This post may contain affiliate links. Affiliate links allow Fatgirlflow to earn commissions on products we recommend. All opinions are our own.

We have created a more comprehensive review of several more plus size mattresses since this article was published. You can read the most recent review here.

I have been so excited to write this comparison. Let’s start by saying this: this post is not sponsored. I utilize affiliate links in this post, but have not been paid by any of these brands to make this mattress comparison review. I know that it feels impossible to sort through which reviews are honest and which aren’t. I want to make shopping for mattresses for heavy people as easy as possible for shoppers, so here we go!

Who is this review for?

I’m fat. If you’re reading this, you’re likely somewhere near fat as well. Or maybe you have a partner that’s fat. Either way, we’re plus size people looking for a mattress that works specifically for plus size bodies. I don’t cut open mattresses or even really care much about how many coils a mattress has in it – I care that it holds up to my body. I have slept on each of these mattresses for extended amounts of time (4+ months each). Alongside me, has been my partner who is also fat. If you’re dying to know just how fat we are you can check us out here.

Why does buying a mattress made for your body matter?

4 years ago I returned a $3000 bed after sleeping on it for 2 months and realizing it was sagging excessively. I exchanged it for a $4000 (yes. really.) mattress. Within 48 hours the foundation of my new mattress I spent thousands of dollars on busted. I couldn’t exchange it because the store only allowed one “sleep guarantee”. I was stuck with a $4000 mattress with no foundation. I put my wildly expensive mattress on the floor and slept on it until, not surprisingly, it started to sag 6 months later.

Mattresses are an investment. This is not a small amount of money we’re talking about, and plus size people deserve to have great sleep too.

Helix Plus

Helix Plus is the name of Helix’s mattress for heavier people. Helix is one of the leading brands in “bed in a box” style mattresses and has done incredibly well for themselves as a lower price point competitor to luxury mattresses Wink and Big Fig. All 3 mattresses we’re reviewing have an innerspring core with pocketed coils, but the Helix Plus has a thicker layer of foam on top that gives it much more of a traditional memory foam feel. Helix does offer a split firmness mattress for couples who like different feels, however this option is not available in their plus size mattress.

Helix’s Plus mattress is set apart from it’s other offerings because they added two inches of extra support to the mattress. This bed is in the medium firmness range. When I received my Helix Plus I also got a cooling mattress protector that you can purchase for an additional cost (I encourage this as it’s made a big difference). The mattress has a 10 year warranty, the shortest of the 3 mattresses we’re comparing.

While this mattress is certainly more supportive than some of Helix’s other mattresses, I would say it’s best suited for people up to 300 pounds. As my partner and I slept on the mattress it seemed to break down much faster on the lower half of the bed (where our bellies and legs are). The mattress remained comfortable, but there was less support for my spine as a side sleeper, as my midsection and hips fell deeper into the mattress over the months.

The cheapest of the 3 mattresses, I think Helix is a slightly more affordable option for people who are looking for a plus size mattress that has slightly more support than the average mattress. The foundation is not included in the price, and I have not had a chance to try it. I would recommend this mattress be placed on a platform foundation so that you can get as much even support from a foundation as possible to combat any possible issues with breakdown.

Wink Beds

The priciest of our three options, Wink Beds is considered a “luxury” mattress and I’ve seen many review sites say that it compares to sleeping on an fancy hotel mattress. The Wink Bed is another innerspring bed with 3 layers of foam. The feel of this mattress is much softer than I expected and felt like the softest of the 3 mattresses. It’s still in the medium range but didn’t have the support that I expected out of a bed created for plus size people.

Wink Beds boast a lifetime warranty. While the mattress felt soft and less supportive than the Big Fig my partner and I did not notice any sagging or breakdown with our Wink mattress. As I mentioned in my review of the Wink Bed, the mattress feels much like a traditional innerspring bed but elevated to a more adult level. A big positive for Wink is that straight out of the box the mattress is totally odorless. Both the Big Fig and Helix were nearly scent free, but the Wink mattress is truly odorless right out of the box.

Wink is rated up to 900 pounds and along with the Helix, I think it’s best suited for someone on the smaller end of the plus size spectrum. Within a few weeks of using the Wink mattress and foundation we did hear a loud *crack* from the slatted foundation that signaled to us there would be no big mattress jumping parties in our future with the Wink Bed.

Big Fig

Big Fig was the first mattress company I worked with and the first company that got me excited about furniture made specifically for plus size bodies. Their mattresses have a 20 year warranty, are rigorously tested for durability, and are tested for weights up to 1100 pounds. This company designs their mattresses just for heavier people, and it shows.

This mattress is great for side, back, and stomach sleepers. It supports every inch of your body and you don’t have to worry about the heavier weight of your midsection or lower half creating any sagging in the bed. One of the most impressive things about Big Fig is that it’s not just the mattresses that holds up to higher weights, their foundations do as well. I have never heard so much as a creak from our foundation, unlike former beds who’s foundations have cracked under the weight of me.

Big Fig is the firmest of the three mattresses for heavier people that we’re reviewing. One thing that I think is important for people to remember is that you can always make a mattress softer, but you cannot make a mattress more supportive. Hands down, the most supportive mattress on this list is the Big Fig.

In addition to excellent quality, the Big Fig’s quilted top is treated with ThermoGel to help keep your body cool as it heats up.

Which One Is Right For You?

Every person has different needs while they’re sleeping, and mattress shopping is a big decision! I definitely can’t tell you which one is going to be right for you, but I hope we gave you lots of information to consider! So what is most important to you when picking a mattress? Price? Firmness? Warranty? Let us know, and check out the comparison chart below!

ps – If any of you are wondering (and I know you are), they’re all pretty great for getting busy. Plenty of support there!

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Chris L

Wednesday 10th of August 2022

hello. i have been debating between the big fig and the winkbed plus. your review was very informative, thank you. one question, winkbeds offers 4 different firmness levels with the "plus" being the most firm. can you clarify which of these winkbed mattresses you tested? thanks in advance.

fatgirlflow

Wednesday 7th of September 2022

we got the "plus" <3

Chris H

Wednesday 11th of August 2021

Thank you. Great review. Valued and appreciated.

Laine

Sunday 10th of January 2021

Loving the review. Settled on the Fig and ultra love the railroad steel frame. That thing is not going to snap apart or shift. Which mattress combo offers the best flexibility for the dreaded "elevate your head to reduce reflux" tho? I can't figure out how to get the 4-6 inches of lift that is recommended because none of the wedges seem ready for large/wide and as much as I love the frame/boxspring that I have, I feel like the BF is too firm to flex the top 3rd of the bed, be it the frame or inbetween boxspring and mattress. (and I squish all the hot sweaty wedge toppers I've tried)

Beatrice (Bea) Wise

Sunday 15th of March 2020

I really appreciate your mattress review. After buying several expensive ones that were supposed to support, they didn't. I see the Wink has a Plus version. Do you think that one is any better? I sleep alone but am 340 lbs. Thanks

fatgirlflow

Friday 3rd of April 2020

I really liked the wink mattress and it's VERY well made. It will definitely hold up for a long time!

Lil

Wednesday 26th of February 2020

Thanks for the info. We're still agonizing over the Big Fig vs. Winkbed Plus vs Titan decision. These seem to be the three that most plus size shoppers come down to. Reviews of the Helix are generally not quite as good. I think we are eliminating the Titan for now because of the firmness. Yes, you can add extra cushioning, but I hate toppers, in general, and the ones sold through Titan cost $600, making the total cost of the bed plus topper equal to or more than the cost of the other two mattresses. Between having been pregnant twice in the past four years and having lived through two horrible mattresses quite recently, I have learned how to sleep in almost any position. I used to be a 90% side sleeper and 10% stomach sleeper and was never able to sleep on my back, but a long lasting sinus infection last year combined with acid reflux, as well as a painfully saggy mattress has converted me into about a 75% back sleeper, 20% stomach sleeper, 5% side sleeper. Weird, huh? This makes choosing a mattress even more difficult because I'm not sure I have a clear preference for how I sleep really. My husband is a stomach/side sleeper. He's significantly smaller than me at 225, compared to my 315 lbs, and prefers a slightly more firm bed. I like a firm bed too, but a little cushioning feels decadent, so the Winkbed Plus definitely has a certain appeal for me, but I can probably handle sleeping on a comparatively boring but maybe more practical firm tight top like the Big Fig too. On the one hand, the Big Fig is slightly cheaper ($1599 with current discount and no foundation, which we don't want because, as space deprived as we are, a platform bed with room for underbed storage is critically important) vs $1699 for the Winkbed. Delivery and disposal of the old mattress is a feature we really appreciate and would definitely use with either the Winkbed or Big Fig. Titan does not offer these services. As renters who hope to get out of this much-too-small-for-our-growing-familly rental house soon, The Winkbed's lighter weight is surprising but a definite plus for us considering we plan to move sometime within the next year. The taller profile of the Winkbed, however, is not really my favorite...

fatgirlflow

Wednesday 4th of March 2020

Just from what you're telling me I think Wink might be the right bed for you. Your hesitance toward firmness and liking to sleep on your belly makes me think WINK but I may be totally wrong!!!

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