Is it true that sleeping on the floor is good for the spine?

Have you ever thought that mattresses are a relatively new phenomenon, even though we sleep on them all our lives? But what if the mattress is not the best surface for our sleep with you? What if harder surfaces are much better for the human body? The editors of purityis.decorexpro.com/en/ asked whether it is possible to sleep on the floor, and you won’t believe what unexpected conclusions we came to.

Why is sleeping on the floor becoming more popular?

What do you associate sleeping on the floor with? With poverty? With the influx of guests? With repair? Not the most pleasant associations, right? For us, such a dream does not look attractive: here is a bed and a comfortable mattress! But a huge number of people around the world sleep on the floor, and they can have different reasons for this.

• Culture

This sounds strange to us, but there are people who do not even think about the question of whether it is possible to sleep on the floor: for them it is part of the culture and the absolute norm. At the same time, we are talking not only about developing countries, where a hard bed is due to the lack of the best, but also about advanced countries like Japan. How much more technological and developed? But no: for the Japanese it is still the absolute norm to sleep on thin mattresses - futons, as you can see by checking into a small Japanese hostel.

• Spirituality

Many spiritual practices imply an ascetic lifestyle, and this is not just about religion. Someone goes to the mountains in search of himself and sleeps in a hut on the floor on the bedding, someone challenges himself to temper his spirit, but to someone this spiritual model dictates a dream.

• Intuition of health

Have you noticed how a person can feel what can be useful for his body, even without special knowledge on the topic? The body seems to give signals by itself that we stretch, drink water or eat a certain product. Many people who have switched to such a dream say that they felt that on a solid one their sleep will normalize and become better.

But what do doctors think about such decisions?

Sleep on the soft

From the point of view of benefits for the spine, until recently, mattresses were not so bad: a thin quilted bedding or feather bed on a wooden bed is quite consistent with most sleep recommendations. But with the advent of spring mattresses, armor nets and foam sofa beds, the spines of the nation have noticeably weakened, and that's why.

• When we sleep on a soft mattress, the body cannot assume a physiological position. Most often, we fail in the pelvic area in the middle of the mattress, which causes the body to take an unnatural bend.
• Due to unnatural bending of the spine, pinching of the nerve may occur, blood flow will be impaired.
• With an unnatural bending of the spine, the muscles will try to return to their optimal position - they will not be able to completely relax at night.
• Due to muscle tension during sleep in the morning, you will feel constricted. Some muscles will even feel “stony” and require massage.

Moreover, if you do not take into account the pronounced symptoms, you will not notice that your spine suffers until you get the problem. Soft mattresses can be comfortable to feel, but they do not become more useful from this.

Sleep on the floor

If sleeping on a soft, sagging mattress is clearly harmful for us, then with the floor everything is not so simple. Scientists are still arguing about this, but nevertheless, potential benefits and harms can be identified.

Among the advantages noted by doctors and people practicing such a dream, the following can be noted.

• On the floor, the body takes its most natural position, in which the muscles relax better and the spine straightens, eliminating the likelihood of a nerve pinched or blood flow disturbance.
• With prolonged practice, sleeping on the floor affects posture, as it straightens the shoulders and pelvis.
• People practicing this dream say they fall asleep faster in the evening and wake up more easily in the morning.
• Best sleep on the floor solves problems with pain in the neck and lower back.
• Sleeping on the floor is cooler, and the cooler air promotes quality sleep.
• With all the precautions on the floor, it will be beneficial for pregnant women to sleep, whose spine is already under tremendous strain.

True, in order to enjoy all these advantages, you need to carry out serious preparation, because sleeping on a hard floor is not so simple.

• Sex should be smooth not only in sensations, but also in level. If the head or legs are even slightly raised, you run the risk of experiencing insomnia and a poor state in the morning.
• Cold concrete screed can cause hypothermia. If you do not want to get pyelonephritis or cystitis, take care of a wooden coating or at least spread tourist foams on the floor.
• A foam, rug or thin mattress will be useful even on a warm floor: it is still not very pleasant to sleep on a hard surface without at least minimal softening.
• Be prepared for the fact that the first few nights will be very uncomfortable: it is likely that you will not get enough sleep. Over time, you will begin to feel more relaxed, so do not give up too early.

Tip

If you are not ready for a sharp transition, start small: first just lie on the floor for half an hour, then start to set the alarm a little earlier and add an hour, one and a half or two to the floor. Gradually increase the time.

• If you are used to tossing and turning, this can be a problem. Until you wean yourself to fight like a fish on ice before bedtime, bruises on your hips and shoulders are guaranteed.
• All the delights of sleeping on the floor can be felt only if you sleep on your back! If you sleep on your side and even more so on your stomach and are not ready to relearn, it is better to choose a good mattress.
• The choice of pillow should be taken very responsibly: it is advisable to replace it with a roller under the neck, since you still have to relearn sleep on your back without tossing and turning.
• The floor will now have to be washed more often so as not to breathe dust accumulated in the corners all night.
• Cool air and frequent drafts walking on the floor can cause colds and hypothermia, turning from plus to minus.

So is it possible to sleep on the floor or not? It’s even necessary! But only if you are ready to react responsibly to the organization of a new berth.

Tip

A good orthopedic mattress of the right hardness combines the advantages of sleeping on the floor and the comfort of sleep in the bed.

Are there any contraindications?

Most people switch to such a dream because of back problems, but the problem is still a problem.

Doctors do not recommend sleeping on the floor with the following categories of people.

• People who are overweight, because under its weight, natural bends will experience a lot of stress. Also, excess weight can disrupt the blood supply to the muscles, if the weight will put strong pressure on them.
• People with serious back problems. If you are already undergoing treatment and have a list of recommendations on hand, and sleeping on the floor is not one of them, you should not step back from them without consulting a doctor.
• People experiencing severe discomfort and pain. Your problem will probably require a more difficult solution than a floor mat. We advise you to consult a doctor for advice, since in certain diseases sleeping on the floor can be on the list of contraindications.

Do not fall into any of these categories? Then sleep on the floor to be! Try to adhere to this practice for a month at least as an experiment - and you may no longer want to return to the mattresses.