How many times have you tried sleeping on the floor or some other flat surface because you thought it gave your back adequate support? Many people try this because they feel very stiff and sore when they wake up in the morning and think that the flat surface of a floor is giving better support than their lumpy mattress.
There are a few things to consider as to why this is not only an ineffective method of treating back pain but why it might also actually be making the problem worse.
For one thing, take a good look at or think seriously about the back of your body. Is it flat like a board? Of course not. The back itself curves in at the lower regions, the buttocks curve out, the back of the knees are also concave, and so on. The entire human body has curves and contours, and this means both front and back, men and women. When you recline on a completely flat surface such as the floor, those areas that are concave such as the small of the back and the knees begin to collapse since they’re not supported. This means that those muscles and tendons and ligaments are working harder to keep everything supported and in place, since the surface is not coming up to meet them.
One reason that people often don’t realize this is that when they do change sleeping surfaces the muscles that were tense and sore may get some relief simply because of the change itself, not because they’re suddenly getting more support. Some muscles might relax while others are now working harder. Many who try to sleep on the floor report that their back actually gets worse after a few days of doing this, or that their relief is temporary at best.
A better idea for those who are in a lot of pain when they wake up and who suspect that their mattress is to blame is to put a board between the mattress and the box spring. Or try a piece of foam, or even several firm pillows wedged between the two.
The reason this typically works is because that board or foam doesn’t allow the mattress springs to collapse completely under one’s weight, and this gives added support to the entire back. Springs that have worn out because of constant pressure now get pushed back up, and this helps to relieve some problems with older mattresses.
When you sleep on a surface like a mattress it is able to give support even to areas of the back and legs that are concave; the areas of the body that “stick out” or curve out push down while the areas that are concave or that curve up and inward still make contact with the mattress, meaning they get proper support. This doesn’t happen on a flat surface such as the floor – the small of the back, the back of the knees, and these other areas need to collapse before they’re supported by that flat surface, which means the muscles are actually working to support them rather than them getting support from the surface.
Sleeping on a flat hard surface is no way to support your back and will only give you added problems with your hips, small of your back, and these other areas that need to work harder to meet the surface rather than the surface coming up to meet them. Address your problems with your mattress rather than opting for the floor.
Looking for a good night’s sleep? Look no further than Relax The Back. Shop today.
