Many factors contribute to a good night’s sleep, and the comfort of your mattress can play a key role in sleep quality. Using the wrong mattress can lead to hip and back pain, which may lead to tossing and turning, sleep deprivation, and mental health consequences.
Studies show that medium-firm mattresses generally lead to less low back pain and better sleep quality than firmer mattresses. However, people of higher weight (more than 250 pounds) may perceive a mattress as softer. When choosing the right mattress for your needs, it’s important to consider firmness, pressure relief capabilities, cooling technology, and responsiveness. These factors can help you get better sleep.
Our Handbook Team evaluates all these components and more when reviewing mattresses and ranks them so you can make an informed decision. This review focuses on the Titan Plus, a hybrid mattress specifically designed for higher-weight sleepers. Due to its excellent pressure relief, contouring, and support, we think the Titan Plus is ideal for higher-weight back and stomach sleepers.
Read on to see how our testers rank the Titan Plus in our Titan mattress review.
Our verdict
We think the Titan Plus is a great choice for higher-weight (over 250 pounds) sleepers looking for a mattress that offers cooling technology, good support, and excellent pressure relief. This hybrid mattress, which features high-density foam and individually encased coils, ranks as the best mattress for higher-weight couples in our recent roundup of the best mattresses for couples.
The Titan Plus has two layers of memory foam that feel like a gentle cradle. This can help relieve pressure points for higher-weight sleepers who sleep on their back or stomach. Side sleepers may find that the mattress is too firm to provide adequate pressure relief in the hips and shoulders and may wish to opt for a softer mattress.
Sleepers who change positions throughout the night may enjoy this mattress’s bouncy responsiveness, while those who tend to sleep hot should like the temperature-regulating cooling gel foam.
HelpGuide Handbook’s testing methodology and score breakdown
The Handbook Team has researched many mattresses online and in person and hand-selected about 130 (and counting) of the best models to test. We’ve also surveyed 1,200 total shoppers (in two 600-people surveys) and interviewed recent mattress customers to understand the buying process and how their new bed has impacted their sleep quality, physical health, and mental wellness.
Our mattress testing process
Purchase mattress as mystery shoppers.
Set up mattress in testing lab.
Lie on mattress and rank firmness.
Lie on back, side, and stomach to find the best sleeping position.
Place 10-pound ball in mattress center and measure sinkage.
Find biggest pressure points using pressure map reading.
Evaluate cooling capabilities by recording temperature differences.
Drop 10-pound ball onto mattress to measure bounce score.
Test motion isolation.
Test edge support.
Calculate composite “family” scores.
First-hand testing experience
The Handbook Team hand-tests every mattress we review. We evaluate brands and models by recording our findings on a 42-question standardized testing form to identify standout features and services, document issues with each product, and describe our personal experience lying on each mattress.
Mattress surveys and interviews
We pay close attention to specific considerations that sleepers of all ages seek, as identified by respondents in our surveys of 1,200 mattress owners. These include price, features, and the setup process. We also interview real people to better understand the motivations behind shopping for a new mattress and the benefits of purchasing one.
Objective and honest ratings
We use information from our surveys, focus groups, and expert interviews to determine the most important features in our brand and mattress testing scorecards.
We also weigh the following factors to determine an overall rating for each brand we recommend.
| Factor | Weight | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Customer Service | 15 percent | Customer care center hours, support options |
| Brand Reputation | 10 percent | Years in business, lawsuits, class actions against this company |
| Features | 20 percent | Size options, firmness options, weight capacity, included add-ons (free sleep accessories) |
| User Experience | 35 percent | White glove delivery, CERTIPUR-US certifications, risk-free trials |
| Affordability | 20 percent | Price, warranty, promotions |
Titan Plus mattress firmness and feel
The Titan Plus mattress has a firm feel, which is why we scored it an 8 out of 10 on the firmness scale. Because it has layers of high-density memory foam, sleepers should feel some contouring, contributing a comfortable softness to its supportive coil layer.
“For higher-weight sleepers, high-density foam is important, as it is more durable than other types of foam,” says Amelia Woods, a sleep specialist with more than 10 years of experience in sleep medicine. “Cheaper, low-density polyfoams are less durable and more prone to sagging, especially under higher weights.”
From our tester
“Combination sleepers will like it, but average and lower-weight sleepers may not find as many positions to be comfortable.”
Titan Plus mattress performance
Different factors are important when it comes to performance, so we break it down below for a more comprehensive look into how the Titan Plus performed.
Sleeping position and body weight
Overall, our testers feel most comfortable and supported on the Titan mattress when lying on their back or stomach. When lying on their back, they note the support feels even and they don’t sink into the mattress. Their spine feels neutral, and they like the quilting on top of the mattress.
When lying on their stomach, their spine also feels neutral. This is likely due to the firmness of the mattress. Soft mattresses are typically not recommended for stomach sleepers since they don’t provide enough lumbar support, so a firmer mattress like the Titan Plus is ideal for higher-weight stomach sleepers.
Due to its higher firmness level, higher-weight sleepers will likely find this mattress more comfortable than lighter- or average-weight sleepers. In fact, the Titan Plus is rated the best luxury mattress for heavy people in our best luxury mattress review. Lighter- or average-weight sleepers may prefer a softer mattress than the Titan Plus. For more information on which mattress to choose, check out our review of the best mattresses.
While this mattress may be a good option for higher-weight stomach, back, and side sleepers, the Titan Plus’s high-density memory foam probably won’t provide enough pressure relief for lighter-weight or average-weight side sleepers. If you prefer to sleep on your side, check out our review of the best mattresses for side sleepers. It includes the Titan Plus Luxe, which is rated the best mattress for higher-weight side sleepers and also accommodates lighter-weight and average-weight sleepers.
Compare the Titan Plus mattress for different sleeper types
| Lighter weight (less than130 pounds) | Average weight (130–250 pounds) | Higher weight (more than 250 pounds) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back sleepers | Poor | Good | Ideal |
| Side sleepers | Poor | Poor | Good |
| Stomach sleepers | Good | Good | Ideal |
From our tester
“The mattress was a bit too firm to be comfortable for most side sleepers.”
Titan Plus mattress pain relief performance
The Titan Plus’s memory foam layers may help alleviate pain. Memory foam conforms to the body’s shape, distributing weight evenly and reducing pressure points, which may be beneficial for people with joint pain.
To evaluate pressure relief in the Titan Plus, we use a pressure map A mat rolled across a mattress that uses color-coded thermal imaging to show how much pressure someone puts on the bed when they lie down on it. that shows where pressure builds up in different body areas while lying on the mattress. Areas with little pressure buildup are green and blue, while areas with high pressure buildup are yellow, orange, or red. Overall, we noticed primarily blue with a small amount of green on the Titan Plus pressure map. This indicates the mattress provides excellent pressure relief, which is why we gave the mattress a 4.5 out of 5 for pressure relief.
For more information about the best mattresses for back pain, check out our recent review.
Our overall thoughts about the Titan Plus
Our favorite things about the Titan Plus
We love the Titan Plus’s excellent pressure-relieving capabilities due to its high-density memory foam layers, which contour the body and support proper spinal alignment. We think it’s a great option for higher-weight (over 250 pounds) back and stomach sleepers and most higher-weight side sleepers looking for pressure relief while keeping their spine neutral. It also offers excellent mattress cooling capabilities (we gave it a 4.5 out of 5) due to its hybrid construction, which allows air to circulate between the individually encased coils.
When we tested the mattress with a temperature gun A tool that uses thermal imaging to measure how quickly the bed’s surface heats up after someone lays in it. after one tester lay on it for five minutes, it only went up 8 degrees. For context, anything under 10 is considered good. We also like that you can add an optional GlacioTex cover for more cooling capabilities.
Due to its bouncy responsiveness, the Titan Plus may also appeal to combination sleepers People who sleep in multiple positions throughout the night. For example, a person might be a back-and-side sleeper or a stomach-and-back sleeper. who like to change positions during the night.
Our Titan Plus mattress complaints
We don’t recommend this mattress for lighter-weight sleepers or average-weight (130–250 pounds) side sleepers since it’s designed to be firmer and accommodate higher-weight sleepers. If you’re a lighter-weight sleeper, check out our review of the most comfortable mattresses, which provides recommendations for mattresses in a variety of different categories.
Frequently asked questions
Titan beds are made by Brooklyn Bedding, which also makes the Plank line of beds.
Titan rates the Titan Plus a 9 out of 10 for firmness. Our testers feel it is slightly softer than this, rating it an 8 out of 10. However, this is still a firm rating.
While most decompression occurs within the first few minutes of unboxing the mattress, it takes about 24 hours to fully inflate.
- Barbara, A. M., & Grobelna, A. (2022). Therapeutic mattresses for chronic pain. Canadian Journal of Health Technologies, 2(4). Link