Floor Sleeping

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This post was written by Arne Dörries

The floor

Ever unintentionally slept on it and felt terrible the next morning?

I get you. When we think of floor sleeping we usually think of the few one nighters at friends' places where there just wasn't a spare bed around. But do you know anyone who sleeps on the floor regularly? I wouldn't be surprised if you didn't. In this post I'd like to introduce you to a totally new perspective on floor sleeping, give you a list of all the pros and cons and finally, tell you why I myself sold my bed and don't plan on going back any time soon.

Disclaimer

I am not a medical professional. The following content is entirely based on personal experience. When it comes to sleeping this is particularly important to mention. Everyone is different and so are their bodies. As a result, sleeping is a subjective matter. What I am mostly trying to achieve with this post is to show you that there are alternatives. Just because the regular bed has established as the standard in our western world doesn't necissarily mean it is the best option out there. And without trying to say that floor sleeping was, I still think it's a good idea to stay open minded, try things out and not just blindly follow the masses.

Why even bother

No matter how many hours you typically sleep at night, even if it was just one, in total you are still going to spend a big chunk of your life sleeping. Additionally, this time spent sleeping also massively influences our awake time. If you ever experienced poor sleep before you know what I am talking about. It makes us terrible humans, more likely to get stressed and annoyed, perform worse in all areas and often even leaves physical marks. In contrast, great sleep can almost be considered magic. It allows us to heal our bodies, grow our muscles, resharpen our minds and recover from setbacks. The quality of our sleep is deeply related to the quality of our lives. So in conclusion, caring about optimizing our sleep is sort of inevitable if we intend to live happy lives.

Sleep is the single most effective thing we can do to reset our brain and body health each day.
Matthew Walker

Pros

When I started floor sleeping I didn't primarily do so for health reasons. Instead the thing that struck me most was the felxibility floor sleeping offered. As I had already been planning and phantasizing about moving out, the idea of having an easily movable bed immediately sold me. To me it had always been clear that after finishing school I wanted to see the world and not immediately tie myself to one place again. In order to do that, I knew I wanted to find cost effective ways to live so that I'd be as financially free as possible and could focus on the things that truly matter. In all those categories a floor bed is a total game changer. So guess what happened next. I ditched my bed and began sleeping on the floor. Now, months of experience and hours of research later these are all the pros I came up with.

Saves a significant amount of space
Can easily be moved and transported
Changing sheets is much easier
Allows for thorough vacuming as bed can be moved with very little effort
Cost effective as floor beds can cost as little as nothing or can be be paid for with the returns from selling your old bed
More sustainable as fewer materials are required and possibilities for wear are reduced
Cooler sleep which studies have shown is better for most people
Straightens spine and thus improves posture after long days of sitting, standing and slouching
Lowers expectations and allows for good sleep pretty much anywhere
Prevents nicking one's toe on bedframe when wondering in the dark ;)

Cons

Pretty much all things in life have two sides and so does floor sleeping. At the end of the day, it simply comes down to how much you value each of the aspects that will decide whether floor sleeping sounds interesting to you or not.

For some people too hard of a surface can be counterproductive and actually lead to pain (which floor sleeping shouldn't produce!)
Condensation must be taken care of to prevent development of unwanted bacteria
For side sleepers specific techniques need to be applied to ensure proper support of the bone
When with a partner it might be difficult to convince them

Getting started

When it comes to getting started it's pretty straight forward. Just try things out! I'd recommend to start by removing your bedframe and just putting your mattress on the floor. This way you can get a feel for sleeping on the ground without having to comprimise on cushining at first. After you have gotten comfortable with your new frameless bed, start to experiment with different floor sleeping methods. Here sky is the limit. Use yoga mats, blankets and pillows to construct different sleeping surfaces and try them out for a night at a time. Even if you use multiple blankets it is goig to be a lot firmer than your mattress. It might take some time for your body to adjust, but don't let the initial complications scare you. After all, you can always go back to your bed if things don't work out.

Conclusion

Floor sleeping or not, we all spend tons of time sleeping. With all things done regularly, doing them wrong can easily lead to detremental damage while doing them right can change everything for the better. When it comes to sleeping this is no different. Today, companies sell us mattresses and frames for hundreds of dollars. The question arises whether they really care about our health or whether it's just business. I argue that having no bed might be the best bed you can get. Both from a practical and health perspective floor sleeping comes with many benefits and allows us to live more independent and sustainable lives. But don't take my word for it, try it yourself!

The best bridge between despair and hope is a good night’s sleep.
Matthew Walker