Why We Sleep on the Floor

  Why We Sleep on the Floor

by Sybilla

  Our story that ends with us sleeping on the floor begins with another unorthodox (for our part of the planet) sleeping arrangement. Our family (Sybilla, Josh and Corina) have slept in one bed together since Corina's conception. We got a nice new queen mattress during pregnancy and later when we got bedbugs we purchased a waterproof/bug proof/allergen locking cover for our mattress. After the bed bugs were gone we left the mattress cover on just in case there were bugs inside and also to keep the mattress safe from the inevitable moisture that a baby/toddler brings to a sleeping environment. 

    About nine months after the bugs were gone I figured it was safe to take off the cover and wash it. To my surprise and disgust our mattress was covered with mold. I rushed to get some bleach and then scrubbed it and dragged it outside to sit in the sunshine. After much airing it with fans and sunning it several days in a row it still smelled and I couldn't bear the thought of sleeping on it again so it was out to the trash with the 800$ pretty new mattress. I guess the "waterproof" cover was letting pee and bottle accidents in without letting enough air in to dry it out. Our mattress had been placed directly on the floor so that it would be safe for a rolling baby and easy for a toddler to climb into. We got used to having it low and even as Corina got old enough for a bed on a frame we knew we wouldn't feel comfortable up off the floor even if it meant more air for the mattress.

     After the mattress was bleached we needed somewhere to sleep. We have two extra beds in the house but couldn't think of sleeping apart. I made a king sized bed on the floor using all the comforters and quilts we owned. We talked about getting another mattress but I was convinced the same thing would happen again. When you think about it...mattresses are pretty gross. It's almost as if you owned the same clothes for ten years and wore them daily without ever being able to wash them.

   I did a lot of googling about alternative sleep surfaces. We looked at some Japanese style mattresses but eventually just bought a big & tall sized winter sleeping bag. We lay that down as our base and put two twin sized comforters on top. Through the summer I sunned and aired the sleeping bag weekly and this time of year I've been doing it monthly. Our whole bed is machine washable. We've been sleeping on the floor for several months now. 

    During my bed research I read that it takes about six weeks to adjust to floor sleeping and I found that to be true. Apparently the muscles that support us in sleep have to be exercised in order to be strong enough to keep us comfy. Even the firmest of American mattresses do not keep our sleep posture muscles toned. For about a month I woke up feeling like shit and thinking "This is not going to work out" but around the six week mark I started waking up feeling awesome. Now I feel more rested than I ever have in a fluffy bed and an added bonus....my chronic and sometimes debilitating low back/butt pain is gone! I used to wake up feeling like a withered flower, all curled up. Now I wake up with my chest open, back straight and somehow also feeling more emotionally straight and tall as well. 

     I started a stretching/exercise routine around the same time we got our new bed so I wasn't sure that my back pain was resolved by the mattress or not until I napped in one of our twin sized regular beds and woke up with intense hip pain. I tried it again just to be sure and the same thing happened, I woke up with my hip, butt cheek and lower back totally messed up and hurting. 

     I love the feeling of being close to the ground and when I have a fragile newborn in our bed with us this summer I know I will feel the baby is safer on our bed than on a mattress that caves in around my body. I can't even roll onto Corina's finger without waking up on our floor bed and there's certainly no worry about a baby rolling off  when it's only an inch or two tall. Another added perk is that if we ever get bugs again (knock on wood a million times!!) it will be no big deal in our bedroom because we can just wash all of our stuff on hot. Probably my favorite benefit is the fact that I have more room! Our bed is now a spacious king sized and every inch to the very edge of the bed is usable unlike a regular mattress. If Corina decided to sleep horizontally as she is apt to do I can always hang one leg off the side of the bed very comfortably. Oh and another cool thing! If we go camping or go visit friends/family out of town we can bring our own bed, no problem!

 Ah, there's nothing like sleeping in your own bed right?