How do you prefer to sleep? Do you like your mattress elevated inches off the ground, on the floor, or do you sleep directly on the floor? Today, there are many ways to set up your room, but people often wonder if they can put their mattress directly on the floor. In many situations, you certainly can, but research shares with us that it might not always be the best choice for your health as well as for your sleep.
In this article, we’ll dive deep into this topic, looking at whether or not you should place your mattress on the floor. We’ll look at benefits like cost savings and aesthetics, as well as cons like hygiene concerns and mattress durability over time. If you’re ready to learn more, then read on. We’re going to start with the reasons why experts say that you can put your mattress on the floor.
Reasons Experts Say You Can Put Your Mattress on the Floor
In today’s modern world, people want to be able to design their rooms to be more modern or minimalistic, which often leads to people putting their mattresses on the floor. Fortunately, there are some pros to sleeping closer to the floor if you put your mattress directly on the carpet or wood flooring. Let’s examine what experts and studies have said about this.
Benefit #1: Cost Savings and Space Efficiency
One of the most apparent benefits that even people like you and me already can see is the cost savings and space efficiency. If you don’t purchase a bed frame, then you can save yourself so much money. This is a big plus, especially if you’re looking to stay as cost-effective as possible with your expenses for home furniture.
Avoiding the use of a bed frame or foundation can also maximize your space. For all those minimalists out there, putting your mattress on the floor can be a real space saver and help you continue those minimalistic vibes throughout your entire home. Ultimately, this is more of an aesthetic benefit, but there are some health benefits, too.
Benefit #2: Enjoy a Cooler Environment
Heat rises, so when you put your mattress on the floor, you’re putting yourself in a cooler sleep environment. When you sleep in too warm of an environment, you’re more likely to wake up on and off throughout the night, and experts report that you enjoy less slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, both of which are essential to your overall health (Source: PubMed). When you sleep in a cooler environment, you’ll allow your body to minimize the energy used at night so you can enjoy better REM sleep and uninterrupted rest.
Benefit #3: Firm Surfaces Can Help with Back Pain
If you struggle with back pain, sleeping on the floor might help you improve your level of comfort. Low back pain is known as one of the primary complaints amongst those who do not get good sleep, but with a firmer mattress—or sleeping on the floor for better support—you can improve your sleep quality and alleviate some back pain (Source: PubMed). Unfortunately, one issue is that getting up in the morning might be more challenging if you’re closer to the ground!
The Disadvantages of Putting Your Mattress on the Floor
Unfortunately, not all of the research is positive regarding putting your mattress on the floor. It might seem significant for your wallet, minimalist home theme, or even for low back pain, but what about issues like hygiene, comfort, and even potential cold drafts? That’s what we’ll explore in this section.
Con #1: Potential Hygiene Concerns
If you’re keen on avoiding dirt, dust, and dander, then putting your mattress on the floor is not likely a good idea for you. Several experts have studied how dirty our floors are, and their findings show concerning challenges to our hygiene. From dust to mildew to mold, our floors are dirty!
For those with dust allergies, carpet tends to have a greater degree of dust than hardwood floors (Source: PubMed). However, what is in this dust is the issue. Most dust generally contains microorganisms like algae, fungi, bacteria, pet dander, and more.
Now, if you put your mattress on the floor, you’re sleeping right next to all of this, which could impact your immune system. Not to mention, placing your mattress directly on the floor invites mold and mildew due to a lack of ventilation. And if the room is too cold, this could burden your immune system. So, this is an issue to be aware of as you decide if you’ll put your mattress on the floor to sleep.
Con #2: Mattress Durability
Even if you decide that sleeping on the floor is doable because you’ll clean more often, there is still the question of how durable your mattress is. If you have a soft mattress, you likely won’t have much luck sleeping on the floor consistently. You can expect more wear and tear when sleeping on a mattress on the floor. With more wear and tear, you’ll have to purchase mattresses more often, which negates the cost-effectiveness of not buying a bed frame in the beginning!
Con #3: Comfort and Accessibility
Now, we talked about low back pain being an issue for many, but if you are older, sleeping on the floor on a mattress could solve one problem and create another. The issue of getting up every day could very well bring back your back pain if you are consistently having to overexert yourself just to get onto two feet.
In fact, many with low back pain in their older years have less muscle strength in their abdominal muscles and knees, both of which are crucial for mobility. If you’re sleeping on the floor and have to get up, you have to use both of these muscles (Source: PubMed). So, sleeping on a mattress on the floor is, unfortunately, not an excellent idea for individuals with low back pain and mobility concerns.
Sleeping on a Mattress on the Floor Might Not Be Best for You
The general consensus is that sleeping on the floor on your mattress might not be the best option for you after all. Still, there are so many things you can do to ensure you get adequate rest. By finding the proper foundation for your bed and ensuring you have a great sleep environment, you can reap the benefits of incredible rest. How will you set up your bed in the future?
