I AM OBSESSED. Listen, I realize you think I’m crazy, but along with wearing minimalist shoes, it feels UNREAL to be directly grounded all the time. Some of you might already do this occasionally for back relief, as it’s quite a well-known hack to realign an unhealthy spine. But that’s not my only impetus for moving to the hard, foreign land of the ground. In this article, I’m going to outline my thought process that led me to sleep on the floor and I’ll be asking for feedback at the end to see where I’ve been led astray. I’m more doing this for an experiment than anything, and I will be sure to share my experiences with you along the way.

I’ve heard about “floor sleeping” for years now, never wanting to give up the most comfortable and sacred item of my routine, my bed. It was just too unbearable to be true. This attachment is a key reason I decided to try it. If we rely on too many things to support our health, then when it’s inevitably taken away, we won’t be able to support ourselves. Removing as many crutches as possible has been my goal over the past year when it comes to sleep, and so far so good. I used to need anti-anxiety medication, medical marijuana, melatonin, sleepy time tea, and other supplements, or else my chances of going to sleep were zero. As I’ve improved my sleeping habits and lowered my daytime stress, I’ve slowly been able to remove these crutches, which is so empowering. I can now sleep anywhere I want without fear of not being able to sleep. Even for New Years celebrations in Dallas I slept on the floor.

Shocked that I’m single?

I recently read The Align Method by Aaron Alexander and Sitting Kills, Moving Heals by Joan Vernikos, Ph. D, and learned about the importance of posture and constant movement throughout the day for optimal health. The way you carry yourself literally affects what hormones and neurotransmitters are released. Slouching over your phone has been shown to make you depressed while having great posture and smiling 🙂 literally makes you feel happy despite your current mind state. Try being angry when you’re smiling or laughing. It’s impossible! Also, Dr. Vernikos actually suggests that consistent, low intensity movement throughout the day is more effective for optimal health than just a single bout of intense exercise.

Further, they both praise proper bodily alignment and posture because it is the foundation of every other movement, which allows us to move better, feel better and live better. They also praise “floor sitting” for its benefits on mobility, increase in non-exercise activity thermogenesis or NEAT, improved metabolic functioning, and increased flexibility and strength, among other things. When you get on the floor, things get better for your body.

Then, I wondered, if we’re in a bed that is so comfortable that we don’t need to move at night because we’re already content, would that have the same negative effect and sitting on a cozy couch or chair would have in the day? Do we need to move, unconsciously, during sleep to help our lymphatic fluid move to different areas of the body for further detoxification?

I haven’t read much past this. I just know that, so far, my back feels stronger, I haven’t slept that bad, all things considered, and it’s growing more and more comfortable, although slowly, to sleep without the world’s most comfortable technology taking care of me.

Written on 11/28.

UPDATE 1/18: I still sleep on the floor every night and I can’t believe how much I love it. I have no desire to sleep in a bed anymore because of how much more comfortable I feel being on flat ground and how crazy everyone thinks I am.

TIPS:

• Just do it and keep doing it. You’ll never (probably will) go back.

• Make it cozy. Cover your floor with blankets and pillows (preferably organic cotton or bamboo)

• Keep in mind how it’s going to optimize your health

Next up: sleeping outside 🙂

Let me know what you think and send me any articles related to floor sleeping that you might find helpful!