Sleeping on the floor is considered healthy and good for your back. Here you can find out what this thesis is all about and what it does to your back.
Culture, finances, closeness to nature or an expression of a lifestyle – there are many reasons to sleep on the floor. In Japan, people have been sleeping this way for centuries. Even today, a futon made of straw, a so-called tatami, is used as a sleeping pad in many houses.
People keep reporting that they sleep better on the floor and start the day more rested. What is it? And what does the floor layer do to your back?
Sleeping on the floor: how healthy is that?
Sleeping on the floor is said to be particularly gentle on the back, hips and other joints. This statement has not been scientifically proven. However, mattresses that are too soft can strain your back and result in back pain or blockages.
Sleeping on the floor is particularly popular as part of the Paleo diet and lifestyle. Followers of the Paleo concept try to get closer to the original lifestyle of man during the Palaeolithic Age. This includes, but is not limited to, a diet consisting of unprocessed meat, fish, seafood, vegetables, fruit, and nuts. On the other hand, other foods such as cereals, legumes, sugar or milk and milk products are completely avoided. According to its proponents, the lifestyle should be healthy. According to them, our genes have not changed for thousands of years and have not had time to adapt to modern lifestyles (e.g. processed foods or soft mattresses).
Adherents to the Paleo lifestyle see several benefits of sleeping on the floor. The back should adapt to the surface and the sleeping movement should also be promoted. This is good for muscle relaxation and blood flow to the organs. Some people who practice Paleo therefore ask whether a little “discomfort” isn’t healthier. On a hard surface you wake up exhausted at first, but organs such as the lungs can work better when sleeping on the floor than on a soft mattress.
However, there are no more recent studies on the subject of “sleeping on the floor”. A study from 2003 only proves that hard mattresses are not the most back-friendly surface, contrary to widespread claims. The researchers concluded that people with back pain should better use a medium-hard mattress. With this degree of hardness, test persons had less pain both when lying down and after getting up and during the day than those who lay on a very hard mattress. On a very hard surface, the body’s pressure is concentrated on individual points, such as the shoulder and pelvis. This stresses and damages skin and bones. Experts advise: The older and more pain-stricken the person, the softer the pad should be.
How do I know if I’m lying well?
(Photo: CC0 / Pixabay / Victoria_paint)
For a healthy person, a very soft sleeping pad is still not recommended. The back sags on a mattress that is too soft, although it should remain stable and not sink in.
When buying a new mattress, it is important to try it out for several minutes so that you can get a good impression of its suitability. You should note the following things:
- The higher the firmness of a mattress, the more resilient it is. As a rule of thumb, you can use your own height in centimeters minus 100 and compare it with your weight. If your body weight is lower, you should choose a soft mattress. If the values are almost identical, a middle value is suitable. If the weight is higher, a hard mattress is recommended.
- When you try it out, lie in your usual sleeping position for longer. This way you can better feel whether the mattress has the right resistance and firmness.
- The shoulders and pelvis should only sink enough to allow the spine to retain its natural shape: a gently curved S.
- If the surface is too hard, a flat hand fits between the waist and the mattress.
If you want to try sleeping on the floor, you can approach the topic slowly and first place a soft pad in between. And if you don’t want to banish the bed from the bedroom and invest in a pad, you can test how sleeping on the floor feels while on vacation. There are now straw hotels or accommodations with beds on the floor across Germany.
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