Can Sleeping on the Floor Help Your Back?

I’m sure you already know that the average person sleeps about 8 hours per day. That is one third of your life right there. Doesn’t it make sense then that we should put some thought into how we sleep?

If you’ve been suffering from back pain, have you considered that it might be the result of how you sleep--how you spend one third of your life? Most people’s mattresses are very soft and comfortable, but is that really what i best for your spine?

Many people have an aching back and assume that a soft mattress is the answer to easing the back pain. However, mattresses that are too soft do not provide any support and they can lead to misalignments of the spine and poor posture.

If you have back pain, you actually want to do the opposite. In fact, some people claim that you should sleep on the floor to correct some back problems. Can sleeping on the floor actually help back problems?

I’ve tried this before, and every time I’ve slept on the floor, I’ve woken up with my back feeling excellent and well supported. If you put a thin mat on the floor, such as a yoga mat, then this will provide enough cushion to help keep you comfortable while the floor provides the support you need to help your back feel it’s best.

To get the most out of your night on the floor, it is best to sleep on your back. This will allow your spine to find the support it needs. Sleeping on your side or stomach will not give you this benefit.

You should try to also sleep with your knees bent. This allows the sacrum and lower back to rest on the floor and decompress. This will also let the pressure of your body weight get distributed over a larger area so that your shoulders and hips aren’t as sore in the morning.

I know that it is probably not comfortable at first to sleep on the floor, but try to avoid using too many pillows. Maybe only one at the most. Remember the point is to support the back, not to cushion it.

Some people claim that sleeping on the floor is bad for you. This isn’t true at all though. Sure, you might feel it a bit in the morning, particularly if you’re accustomed to sleeping on extremely soft mattresses or you a bit overweight. But following this train of logic, then isn’t exercise also “bad for you?” After all, you often find yourself sore the next morning?

Now, sleeping on the floor may not really be practical if you have a health condition that requires special bedding or if you live in a basement with concrete floors in the dead of winter, but for most healthy people, sleeping on the floor should be perfectly fine.

At the very least, try it out for a few nights to see if it helps with your back. The only thing you have to lose is your back pain.