If you are experiencing pain or suffering from poor sleep quality, you may have heard that sleeping on a hard surface can help.
Why do People Consider Sleeping on the Floor?
Pain relief, improved posture, and cultural reasons are some of the motivations for floor sleeping. Sleeping on the floor benefits:
1. Health and spinal alignment
Back pain can worsen if you sleep on a soft mattress that deteriorates over time, causing your spine to curve unnaturally.
Sleeping on the floor provides a better sleep posture and alignment, helping maintain a neutral spine position and alleviating pain.
Better posture is another benefit because sleeping on a firm surface encourages proper alignment.
This leads to better posture during the day as your back muscles and spine receive improved support at night.
Improved circulation: Weight distribution is better on a firm surface, improving blood flow and reducing pinched nerves caused by a soft mattress.
2. Temperature regulation
As heat rises, temperatures near the floor are usually several degrees cooler than the air at your bed level. Or warmer if you have heated floors.
3. Cultural traditions
In countries like Japan and Korea, floor sleeping on tatami mats or shikifutons dates back centuries. It is believed to relax muscles and align the hips and shoulders.
Potential Benefits of Sleeping on the Floor
While the floor-sleeping posture and its benefits are still being studied, the practice is rooted in sound orthopedic principles.
The science behind the practice
Back pain
Sleep surface firmness has been widely studied, showing that medium-firm surfaces helped people with low back pain the most, rather than very soft or very hard surfaces.
Rating softness from 1.0 (firm) to 10.0 (softest) showed that while the floor is considered 1.0 on this scale, a score of 5.6 indicated the greatest improvement in back pain relief compared to a completely hard surface.
This is why people who transition to floor sleeping use thin mats or toppers, like a camping pad, to mimic the medium-firm support mentioned in the study.
A sleep mat provides a stable base with just enough padding to cushion your shoulders and hips.
Postural alignment
Orthopedic principles and physical therapy both support the idea that a firm surface helps promote neutral alignment, keeping the head, neck, shoulders, and hips in a straight line, relieving disk pressure.
Decompressing the spine by lying on a hard surface can also release tension that may be held when sleeping on a soft surface.
Thermoregulation and sleep quality
Sleeping on a thin mat close to the floor improves air circulation around the body, which can help you reach deep sleep faster because your body gets to the right sleeping temperature more quickly than on a mattress that traps heat.
Safety and injury prevention
For individuals with seizures or sleep disorders that cause violent movements, sleeping on the floor can help prevent injuries from falling out of bed.
Possible Downsides and Risks
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Allergens: Being on the floor brings you closer to allergens and dust which can trigger respiratory issues or allergies.
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Joint pressure: Sleeping on the floor doesn’t provide any side-sleeping support, which can actually increase pain at your pressure points, such as your shoulders and hips.
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Bone density: Older adults who suffer from osteoporosis shouldn’t sleep on the floor because of the risk of fractures when getting on and off the floor.
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Temperature and circulation risks: Your floors in winter could be too cold, causing the body to lose heat too rapidly. Low indoor temperatures are also linked to increased blood pressure and cardiovascular stress.
How Sleeping Position Changes the Experience
Without a mattress to fill in the gaps of your natural curves, sleep position matters. Sleep position and floor sleeping.
Back sleeping
This is the ultimate floor sleeping position because it distributes your weight evenly across the largest possible surface area.
Lying flat helps your spine keep its natural “S” shape. However, you might notice a gap between your lumbar spine and the floor.
Placing a thin pillow under your knees will flatten your lower back against the floor, easing pressure on the sciatic nerve and hip flexors.
Side sleeping
Approximately 75% of people sleep on their sides. If you are experiencing insomnia in early pregnancy, side sleeping is recommended, but this is the most challenging position for floor sleeping.
On the floor, your shoulders and hips are pressing against an unyielding surface, which can lead to inflammation of your joint sacs or compression of nerves.
Without proper padding, your spine will tilt, leading to neck and mid-back pain. To alleviate these issues, a 2- to 3-inch mat is necessary.
Also, a firm pillow between the knees to keep your hips square and a thicker pillow under your head to keep your neck in line with your spine are recommended.
Stomach sleeping
Stomach sleeping on the floor is generally not recommended, especially if you are experiencing insomnia in early pregnancy, because too much of your weight is on your torso, over-arching your lower back.
Also, to breathe, you have to turn your head to the side, which strains your cervical spine and neck.
If you must, remove your head pillow and place a flat pillow under your pelvis and hips to lift your midsection and improve spinal alignment.
How Yana Products Can Help
Yana Sleep products are popular among floor sleepers because they fill the gaps left by hard-surface sleeping.
Yana products provide 360-degree support to prevent pressure-point pain and maintain spinal alignment in a sleep environment that offers no give on a hard surface.
Breakdown by product
U-shaped, customizable fill with latex or gel-infused with a breathable cover.
Best for full body alignment and pressure relief. It is also a must-have if you suffer from insomnia in early pregnancy. It is the perfect gap filler, creating a soft nest for better floor sleeping.
A straight pillow that supports the shoulder and hip for side-sleeping support.
Compact, weighted design that offers deep pressure comfort. It’s ideal for filling the gap between your spine or under your knees when sleeping on your back. It can also help relieve leg and hip pressure when side sleeping.
Highly breathable fabric with a cooling effect. Great for temperature regulation, especially on floors.
Floor sleeping is unforgiving; this is why proper pillows are necessary, otherwise your joints will take the full force of your weight.
For bed sleeping, Yana products are the ultimate survival tool for great sleep. They promote proper spinal alignment, and the natural latex fill pushes back against your weight to keep your spine in perfect alignment.
Its U-shaped design hugs you, offering deep pressure therapy that can reduce cortisol levels and prevent tossing and turning that keeps you awake.
Temperature regulation is another essential factor when choosing Yana’s cooling gel-infused fill with breathable covers.
They don’t trap heat like traditional memory foam, which can hold heat between your body and the mattress, causing you to stay awake.
Regardless of where you sleep, Yana Sleep Products are your go-to for the best sleep of your life!