How to Choose the Best Mattress for Your Body Type

Of all the mattress buying variables we discuss with our customers, how to choose the best mattress for your body type is the one that tends to surprise people. And it makes sense; it can be difficult to talk about body types, and your typical mattress retailers may tend to avoid it.

However, not taking your body type into account when you purchase a mattress is doing yourself a major disservice. When buying a mattress, it is important to remember that one size does not fit all. Your body type plays as much of a role in determining your sleeping needs as your sleeping position or your preference for a softer or firmer feeling mattress. In fact, those elements are all interconnected, and you can’t really discuss one without touching on the others.

If your goal — like ours — is to find you a mattress that will give you the best night’s sleep possible, then you have to consider your body type when purchasing a mattress.

We are a body positive establishment dedicated to providing our customers with professional and personalized service. We will work with you to understand your needs and help you find the perfect mattress for your body type, sleeping position, sleeping temperature, and more.

What to Keep in Mind When Looking for the Best Mattress for Your Body Type

When talking about “body type” at Texas Mattress Makers, we typically break the discussion down to two different elements: your overall shape, and your height and weight distribution. These elements don’t act independently in how they affect how your body lies on the mattress, but it’s useful to think about them separately.

1. Body Shape

In reality, all of us are shaped differently, and no general review of “body shapes” will cover all the bases. But to present the general idea, Texas Mattress Makers breaks down women’s body shapes into four categories and men’s body shapes into three categories.

Women’s Body Shapes

Hourglass shape: Bust and hips of similar proportions and a narrower waist
Triangle shape: Hips proportionately broader than shoulders and bust
Inverted triangle shape: Shoulders and bust proportionately broader than hips
Square body type: Evenly proportioned in hips, waist, and shoulders

Note: Women with larger chests who also sleep on their stomach are typically more comfortable on a supportive mattress.

Men’s Body Shapes

Circle shape: Shoulders and hips proportionately narrower than chest and stomach
Inverted triangle shape: Shoulders and chest proportionately broader than hips
Square body type: Evenly proportioned in hips, waist, and shoulders

If you can’t remember whether your body type is more “triangle” or “square,” that’s okay. The visuals can be helpful, but when most people come into the store they just say they have broad shoulders or narrow shoulders, broad hips or narrow hips, etc..

2. Weight distribution and height:

In the context of buying a mattress, where you carry your weight is often more important than how much you weigh. If you carry your weight in your shoulders and upper chest, you will have different support needs than someone who carries weight in their midsection or hips. In other words, you can have two people of exactly the same weight who need very different mattresses because of where they carry their weight.

The best mattress for a lightweight person will likely not be the same mattress as the best mattress for a heavier person. In particular, if you are concerned about weight, you will want to look for mattresses that contain components with stabilizing coils. For example, if you weigh over 199 pounds, we typically recommend mattresses that feature our Quantum coil component, such as our Everest Mattress.

A person’s height tends to affect both how their weight is distributed as well as how their bodies lie on the bed. For example, tall and lean men often have hips and shoulders of roughly the same proportion, so their bodies lie evenly on a mattress’s surface. Of course, this isn’t true for all tall and lean men; a tall and lean man with a short torso and long legs is going to have different support needs than a tall and lean man with a long torso and short legs.

How Your Body Shape Interacts With a Mattress

When it comes to the importance of choosing a mattress that’s right for your body, seeing is believing.

If you don’t have time for the video, here are a few quick screen grabs to illustrate:

Body type — Both women are roughly the same height and weight but have different body shapes.

Non-Fitted vs. Fitted Bed — When Body Type A lies on this non-fitted bed, her hips are too sunken into the mattress, making her ribcage arch slightly and her legs sit on top of the surface of the mattress in such a way that neither are supported properly.

When Body Type A lies on the fitted bed, her hips receive more support, which in turn allows her midsection and legs to be more fully “in” the mattress, and thus supported.

Keep in mind that this video only covers what is best for these individuals if they both sleep on their back. The interactions may change if either woman was a side or stomach sleeper!

My Partner and I are Built Differently: How Do I Choose the Best Mattress For Me and Them?

The matter of how to choose the best mattress for your body type can quickly feel complicated if you and your partner have vastly different body shapes and sleeping needs. Fortunately, you never have to settle at Texas Mattress Makers, even if you are buying a mattress for both you and your partner. In fact, you have two main options that allow you both to get the best mattress for each partner, even if those mattresses are completely different.

Dual Comfort Mattresses

Our dual comfort mattresses are single mattresses that are custom-made so that each side caters to you and your partner’s specific sleep needs and preferences. That means that you each get the exact mattress you need. We typically recommend getting a dual comfort mattress in king-size or above, since each half of a king mattress is equivalent to a twin XL mattress.

However, we can make a queen-size dual comfort mattress; just keep in mind each side will be smaller in width than a Twin.

Since these are custom mattresses, they must be purchased at one of our locations or by talking to one of our experts online or over the phone.

Split King Mattresses

Split king mattresses are actually two separate mattresses housed within one bed frame, enabling you and your partner to each select their own type of mattress. Split king mattresses are ideal for sleeping partners who enjoy the luxury of having an adjustable base with sides that can be in different positions at the same time. For example, one partner can sit up and read while the other lies in a horizontal position for sleep. Split kings also practically eliminate the issue of motion transfer, since you are each sleeping on your own sleeping surface. They are also ideal for.

For more information, see our article about king vs. split king mattresses.

Don’t Know How to Choose the Best Mattress for Your Body Type? Talk to the Mattress Experts at Texas Mattress Makers

At Texas Mattress Makers, we know the importance of knowing how to choose the best mattress for your body type. With over four decades of experience helping customers find the mattress of their dreams, you can trust our professional and courteous mattress experts to find you a mattress that truly conforms to your body type.

If you’re not sure what your body type is, we are happy to work with you until we find the exact mattress for your needs. Just stop by any of our convenient Houston locations today!

Already visited one of our locations and know what you’re looking for? You can browse our full selection of handmade mattresses online. Simply choose to shop by either comfort level, mattress type, mattress size, or budget and chat with an expert online if you have questions.