Medical consultant Eric Amunga popularly known as Amerix, sparked a debate after advising his followers to consider sleeping on the floor.
The controversial Twitter personality observed that people below 50 years were already struggling with back pain, which he said could be avoided by adopting natural sleeping and resting postures that include sleeping on a firm surface.
Further in his tweet, he listed several advantages of sleeping on the floor, including fixing the spinal column, resetting body posture plus having not to deal with headaches and shoulder pains when one wakes up.
When sleeping on the floor, Amerix advised using your arm as a pillow. But is all these true and provable? GOTTA.news went out to find out the answers.
MedicalNewsToday reported that there is little evidence that sleeping on the floor is a better option than using a medium-firm matress.
Nonetheless, the publication said many people sleeping on the floor had testified getting better sleep, improving their posture and reducing their back pain.
Advantages of sleeping on the floor
Although there are no conclusive findings that sleeping on the floor reduces back pain, it is suspected so.
A number of medical pundits said sleeping on a firm surface reduces back pain, improves posture and results in a better night’s sleep.
The firm support sleeping on the floor offers the spine also improves its alignment, translating to boosting sleep quality and reducing back pain.
On improving posture, it is practical that the spine is likely to curve on a soft surface, meaning sleeping on the floor helps align and straighten the spine.
In most instances, floors tend to be cooler, so people who overheat at night should consider sleeping on the floor where there is a cooler temperature.
A man sleeping on the floor. PHOTO/COURTESY
Disadvantages of sleeping on the floor
With the aforementioned advantages, sleeping on the floor also has its cons.
Despite being linked to reducing back pain, some medical researchers say sleeping on the floor may also cause or worsen back pain.
Also, sleeping on the floor may cause discomfort to people who experience joint pains or arthritis due to a lack of cushioning around specific pressure points example on the hips.
There is also an increased risk of allergic reactions by sleeping on the floor due to its nearness to dust and dirt. To avoid this, one needs to clean the surface frequently.
Further, beddings that people use on the floor have an increased risk of bedbug infestation, whose bites cause discomfort and rashes.
We earlier mentioned that people who overheat at night should consider sleeping on the floor because it is cooler. However, on the flip side, people who wake up chilly may find their sleep more disrupted with floor sleeping.
Sleeping on the floor exerts pressure on certain areas of the body. This reduces circulation hence may limit blood flow.
People who suffer from underlying health conditions such as anaemia might find it sleeping on the floor much colder.
Finally, by sleeping on the floor, getting in and out of bed may be difficult for people with limited mobility such as pregnant people and the obese.
Better ways to sleep on the floor for first-timers
We also sampled tips for people who consider sleeping on the floor for the first time. They include:
Before sleeping on the floor, ensure that it is clean and free from items that can cause accidents.
Before you start sleeping on a firm surface, experiment using a layer of beddings such as thin cushions.
Also, start by sleeping on the floor for a short period and gradually increase the time as the body shapes to the firmer surface.
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Try sleeping on the floor in different positions and find out which areas of your body need more extra support for example a bump for pregnant mothers.
Also, one should occasionally air matress and beddings that touch the floor to prevent mould from forming.
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