In their recent article, The Strategist explores a topic that many mattress shoppers may overlook: how body weight can influence the kind of mattress you need. The piece explains that heavier sleepers tend to compress mattress materials more rapidly, which can lead to sagging, alignment issues, and a shortened useful life of the mattress.
What’s more, heavier sleepers may require firmer support, higher-density foams, reinforced coils, and strong foundations to properly maintain spinal alignment and comfort.
Jeff Brown’s Insightful Leadership at Big Fig
Enter Jeff Brown, President of Big Fig Mattress, who brings strategic experience and a deep conviction around mattress design for bigger bodies. In an interview, Brown explains that standard mattresses often weren’t built with heavier consumers in mind, and the mattress industry had little incentive to cater to that segment until recent years.
Under his leadership, Big Fig has zeroed in on the structural needs of “real bodies” (their phrase) by emphasizing high-performance materials, reinforced edges, high coil counts, and platform/frame compatibility. For example, Brown recommends high-density foams and quality steel coils as foundational elements rather than simply stacking lower-quality layers into a thicker mattress.
He also emphasizes the importance of what is underneath the mattress, the base/foundation, because even the best mattress can underperform when placed on a weak frame.
How This Translates Into Real Benefit
For a shopper in the market, especially someone with a heavier or plus-size body or who shares a bed with a heavier partner, Brown’s guidance is actionable:
- Prioritize mattresses rated for higher weight capacities and built with durability in mind.
- Don’t focus solely on thickness or fluffiness; a 14-inch thick bed made with lesser materials may compress faster than a 12-inch bed built with premium support.
- Ensure your bed frame or foundation supports the weight of sleeper(s) + mattress, and has proper construction (e.g., slats no more than ~2.5 inches apart as one guideline suggests).
- Use a mattress-matching quiz or tool (such as Big Fig’s Bed Builder quiz) to align your sleep style (side, back, combo) + body type + frame choice.
Why It Matters for Big Fig’s Audience
From Brown’s vantage point, this focus is more than just a niche marketing opportunity; it’s about inclusive product design and lived consumer need. The Strategist article observes that many mattress companies have followed Big Fig’s lead by launching “plus-size” lines.
By grounding his strategy in material science (coil gauge, foam density, zoned support) and honest-to-goodness support for heavier bodies, Brown helps big-figure consumers steer clear of the too-common scenario of buying a standard mattress only to find it sagging, uncomfortable, or unsupportive after a short time.
The Takeaway
If you’re shopping for a mattress and you have a bigger body (or share the bed with someone who does), Jeff Brown’s message is clear: one-size-fits-all doesn’t cut it. Opting for a mattress built around heavier weights and targeted design creates a stronger foundation for comfort, longevity, and healthy spinal support. The Strategist article serves as a useful wake-up call: body weight does matter when it comes to what kind of mattress you need. Pair that insight with Brown’s expertise and you’re in a much better position to choose wisely.
Check out the article for more tips from Brown and other sleep experts.
