Sleeping on the Floor

For the past six months as an experiment, I have been sleeping on the floor at night. 

I first clued into this practice by reading the author and American Buddhist teacher Lama Surya Das who, in one of his books, reflected on the fact that billions of people around the world sleep this way. The Bed we have become accustomed to in Western society is not commonplace the world over. He recommended trying the practice as a way to connect with one's self.

In the United States primarily we seem to be obsessed with the luxurious bed. It almost had become a precursor to wellness. For instance, a local Furniture retail company here in the Boston area touts their memory foam mattresses as a must for a good night's sleep and healthy living. They boast a large selection of beds and even a pseudo-scientific system for measuring your sleep preferences, to provide you with the perfect fit which may set you back several thousand dollars. They also have "sleep technicians" (i.e., salesmen) who roam the sales floor donned in white lab coats, giving an aura of clinical expertise. 

I have also seen the "Sleep Number" bed commercials, and it seems that luxuriousness has evolved to a whole new level. Another example is the plethora of memory foam mattresses with their cooling gel technology. 

Moreover, yet despite our beds, we are still not getting enough sleep according to statistics. Burnout and depression rates in the United States are still at epidemic proportions, and this may be partly due to lack of sleep.

I went on the internet and searched for "sleeping on the floor," and sure enough, it seems to be a thing. Much like the barefoot running movement, I guess it is hard to argue that our last thousand years or so of human existence in which comfortable beds have made their appearance, that our minimal evolutionary needs could be satisfied with sleeping on a pile of leaves on the dirt ground.

I eventually settled on my "bed" of choice, as minimalist as I could tolerate but also with some degree of comfort: a half inch thick foam sleeping pad from a local camping supply store placed directly on the floor, and a flannel sheet to cover it. 

I am a side sleeper, so two pillows seem to support my head adequately. I appreciate that many people around the world sleep without the benefit of my memory foam pillows, but I still cannot figure out how I would accomplish this without it.

A favorite soft comforter over the top of me to keep me warm completes the ensemble. 

My family thought the experiment was rather odd. However, I have managed to stick it out. 

The first week was pretty uncomfortable I have to admit. Mostly it was a learning process for me to figure it all out. I did lose sleep but assured myself that as I became accustomed it out, the quality of sleep would get better. 

How does my body feel after six months of sleeping on the floor? Pretty darn good I have to say. I do not have aches and pains the way I would have expected. Moreover, sleeping in a regular bed now feels quite strange. 

I cannot say for sure if I have managed to increase my overall level of wellness by this change of habit, but I have to say I am sleeping about the same as I ever did now that I have gotten used to it. 

The ability to sleep on the floor is empowering and confers some degree of freedom that I never had before. I realize now that by sleeping on the floor, I can now pretty much sleep anywhere. This new skill gives me much flexibility in life. 

Maybe it is just the realization that I can make a significant change of habit without affecting my overall lifestyle that gives me the most insight. Moreover, that insight in itself is the most valuable of all that I have gained with this experiment. 

© Edwin T. Ozawa 2017