Oddly enough, one of the main reasons for the appearance of constant back pain is the lack of comfortable sleeping conditions. A person spends almost a third of his life in a dream - it is not surprising that an incorrect body position on a mattress as a result negatively affects the health of the spine. Many people think that to solve the problem it is enough to purchase a hard orthopedic mattress or, conversely, put the softest and most comfortable bedding in the bed. But is it really that simple? Perhaps it is time to analyze the most interesting question. Is it good to sleep on the floor?
In culture
Spending nights on the floor rather than in bed is typical for households in the Land of the Rising Sun. Many residents of developed Western countries also believe that such a habit, if it does not improve health, then significantly increases overall vitality and prevents back pain. Even in classical literature and cinema, if you wish, you can find examples of such a habit. The Count of Monte Cristo, for example, did not at all wonder whether it is useful to sleep on the hard floor: he was simply used to such a rest during the time he spent in prison.
An interested reader is given the opportunity to make an independent decision on this controversial issue.
Back pain and spinal problems
For unknown reasons, most patients with back pain believe that a soft mattress will certainly ease their discomfort, help eliminate pain and bring additional comfort to everyday life. In fact, overly soft mattresses simply are not able to provide sufficient back support, as a result of which the position of the body (and, accordingly, the skeleton) in the supine position takes an irregular shape. In the end, the spine bends, following a given pattern of position on the bed.
Conclusion
If the mattress on the bed can cause significant harm, is it useful to sleep on the floor? For the spine there is a definite answer: yes. The hard floor provides excellent support for the back and lower back, keeping the skeleton naturally straight even in sleep.
People who tried changing their soft bed for an apparently cold and uncomfortable floor for one night found that their back pains had subsided a bit and overall health was noticeably improved. If you still doubt whether it is useful to sleep on the floor with a hernia of the vertebrae, take the chance to try this method only once - and you will soon return to it.
How to
Instead of a thick soft mattress, a very thin mattress or summer blanket is placed on the floor. You need to sleep without a pillow so that excessive raising of the head does not pinch the vessels in the neck. Ideal position for sleeping - lying on your back. In this form, the spine will remain in a neutral position, and you can avoid the appearance of discomfort in the area of the shoulder blades and lower back.
Useful Tips
- If a thin mattress or blanket seems too soft to you, feel free to lay on the floor a gymnastic mat suitable for yoga. It is thin enough to allow the earth to support your spine, and yet soft enough so that you don’t experience any inconvenience when changing body positions.
- If you have firmly decided to find out from your own experience whether it is useful to sleep on the floor, try for the first time to lie only on your back. In the morning, you can personally observe the results: the absence of pain and discomfort, increased tone, excellent health. You can, of course, sleep on your side or on your stomach, but such positions do not provide the back with proper support.
- You should not sleep on your side in an infant's position for more than five consecutive hours, as this position can cause severe stretching of the muscles of the hips, buttocks and chest. In contrast to healthy muscle stretching during active sports, in this case you are not threatened with perfecting your body, but with severe pain both above and below your back.
Other hints
- Is it good to sleep on the floor if the pelvic bones and shoulder blades abut against a rigid structure? No, because the discomfort of an unfortunate situation eliminates the advantages that give people a full night's rest on the floor. Try bending your knees while lying on your back; in this position, the pelvis gets a rare opportunity to get rid of the accumulated stress, and the body weight is more evenly distributed over the entire surface of the body in contact with the floor.
- Make sure you have enough space to feel free. The level of comfort will decrease significantly if on all sides your gymnastic mat will be surrounded by furniture that does not allow you to turn around and spread your arms and legs.
- If you sleep on the carpet, try to periodically change the place of rest, so that the carpet does not deteriorate and is not pressed by the constant presence of the same weight in the same place.
- Perhaps you asked another question: "Is it useful to sleep on the floor in a special sleeping bag provided for hiking?" The usefulness of this option has not yet been studied, but a sleeping bag is quite capable of providing you with optimal conditions for a comfortable stay.
First nights
And yet, is it useful to sleep on the floor with osteochondrosis and other diseases? Yes, but for several nights from the beginning of the practice of this popular method, a person may experience significant discomfort. Many immediately begin to dream of a hundred pillows. However, if you really care about the quality of sleep, you can put only one pillow on the floor - under your head. In no case do not sleep with your back in soft feathers or in synthetic fluff. There is no need to provide spinal softness - you need to guarantee good and stable support.
If the question of whether it is useful to sleep on a hard floor has come up in a friendly conversation, do not fall for the oratory tricks of friends who are trying to prove to you that sleeping on the floor is extremely harmful. It is possible that people who are overweight or simply accustomed to relaxing on soft down mattresses will experience certain discomfort in the morning after spending the whole night on the floor, but such discomfort is quite natural and even looks like the divine muscle fatigue that covers the whole body after intense training in the gym.
Contraindications
For healthy people, the question of whether it is useful to sleep on the floor, strictly speaking, is not even a full-fledged question. They give a definite positive answer. However, it should be borne in mind that sleep on the floor has contraindications. Experts do not recommend following the new fashion trends in copying the lifestyle of the Japanese, Chinese and Koreans, if the doctor prescribed you rest exclusively in a bed of a special design or if you live on the ground floor of an apartment building or a country cottage, where concrete floors make night sleeping an extremely dangerous occupation .
If you still have doubts, give the new method a chance - sleep on a hard floor for a week or a little longer. You will see from your own experience: it is enough to suffer discomfort in the muscles and unusual stiffness a bit, as this method of night rest will become a habit, and you will not be able to get back into the soft bed with the same comfort. The point is not so much in convenience as in health: when you first go to bed on the floor, you take the first, but very significant step to completely get rid of back pain.