The past year has shown many of us the importance of being able to go outside. However, beyond getting to socialize with friends and family again, going outside also gives us a chance to reconnect with nature. And ground our spirits with the earth.
Grounding is an amazing way for us to awaken our senses and feel alive again, especially when we get unconsciously trapped in the loop of comfort. One of those comforts that we tend to over-indulge in is a bed. However, there are many reasons to consider ditching your memory foam mattress and swapping it for a simple mat.
Why Grounding is Important
Grounding is a therapeutic method of restoring the body’s immune system and realigning electrical energy. The earth’s surface carries a natural negative charge, and when the skin comes into contact with it, the body builds up a static electric charge. This is often experienced as a warm feeling of being at peace and in alignment.
Feeling ungrounded and out of alignment is the root of many negative emotions such as stress, anxiety, and anger. Being ungrounded can also manifest itself as physical pain, poor blood circulation, and inflammation. You will also tend to zone out and get distracted, worry and overthink and involve yourself in unnecessary drama and altercations.
The Health Benefits of Sleeping On the floor instead of a Bed
Although your mattress might be deceptively comfortable, it is actually doing you more harm than good. A very soft surface such as your bed is bound to succumb under the pressure and weight of your body, thereby causing your spine to curve. This often leads to joint pain, soreness, and poor posture. On the other hand, the firm surface of the floor gives you back firm support and keeps your spine straight.
Those comfy mattresses also tend to do one thing wrong; they stop you from moving. According to Katy Bowman, a renowned biomechanist, sleeping on the hard floor gives your body more room and liberty to move around during the night, and you wake up feeling like you just paid for a full body massage.
Beyond that, the body builds up extra positive charges as you sleep, and these can be easily drained into the floor as you sleep, making it a great grounding exercise.
How to Sleep On the Floor
It will not be easy for you to go from the upholstered bed to the mat in just one night, so you should pace yourself. You can make the transition easier for yourself by placing multiple thin layers between yourself and the floor and reducing this progressively. You can also pace yourself by dividing your sleep time between the bed and the floor, perhaps taking short naps on the floor and then moving to the bed later or vice versa. Whatever method works, the important thing is that you wake up in the morning feeling refreshed and fully restored to your balanced self.
