Mattresses come in different thicknesses and for the most part, choosing how thick your mattress should be comes down to your preference. This is the case if you are of average height and weight. However, if you are larger or heavier than average, say over 200lbs, then you should take extra care in choosing the thickness of your mattress because a mattress that is too thin or too thick can pose some problems. There can also be some issues if you are shorter or smaller than average.

Thick Mattresses

• It can be harder to get in and out of if it is too tall, especially if you have a raised box spring/foundation/platform.
• If ever you need to top it off with a mattress topper because you need to make some changes with the comfort of the mattress, your options are limited to only the thinner models. Also, you have to take into account the depth of your existing sheets.
• More expensive.
• Harder to rotate, flip or move, if needed.

Thin Mattresses

• May not be comfortable enough or offer enough support, especially if you are around or over 200lbs.
• You may have to buy a mattress topper if it is not giving you the comfort that you want or need and this means additional expenses.
• If you are too heavy for your mattress, you run the risk of the mattress bottoming out.

Recommended Thickness

A mattress is basically made up of 2 layers; the comfort and support layer. The comfort layer is the one on top, the layer you actually lay on, and the support layer supports both you and the comfort layer. Choosing the thickness of both layers and ultimately, the overall thickness of your mattress, is entirely up to you, that is if you are of average height and weight and you don’t have any health problems that require a certain mattress thickness.

If you are of average height and weight, you should always go for a mattress not thinner than 9 inches, with the support layer making up at least 50-60% of the mattress. A mattress that is thinner than 9 inches may have have trouble supporting the full weight of a grown adult, and this will lead to problems with the mattress and more importantly, problems with your health as you may develop body aches and pain.

If you are heavier and larger than average, 200 lbs or more, you should go for a mattress that is at least 10 or 11 inches as this will be able to support you better. The more you weigh, the more support you will need and mattresses that are thicker usually offer more in the support layer.

Another factor that you need to consider when choosing the thickness of your mattress is how firm or soft you’d like your mattress to be. The thicker the mattress, the softer they are and vice versa.

The thickness of your mattress is usually up to your preference but as you can see from the info above, there are certain factors that you need to consider. If you need to know more about mattresses, visit our mattress buying guides for more information.