Modern design styles, comfort, convenience, support, are all the reasons one would want to get the most stylish bed frame that would be compatible with the mattress they want to use. But, it’s not always that way, and some people prefer to sleep with a mattress on the floor instead of investing in the bed frame that would, not only elevate them but also provide a stylish touch to their bedroom.
That’s understandable. With online shopping, the selection of bedding components you can choose from vastly increases, but you won’t always be able to test what you want to use beforehand. That is difficult with mattresses but even more with frames made out of chipboard and other cheap materials.
Additionally, if you spent a lot of money on a mattress alone, granted you’re shopping for the queen or king mattress, it’s understandable if you’re not ready to invest as much in a good quality bed frame.
That usually leads people to not be able to decide whether that invention is worth it, or they should just place the mattress on the floor with an additional board or flooring and call it a bed for sleep. Many people are conflicted because of the “cheap” look as well as other concerns like dust, dust mites, and pests.
If you’re one of those undecided people we wrote this article on Mattress on the floor vs. Bed frame comparison to help you decide for yourself. It won’t be easy, but if you look at all the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, we’re sure you’ll be able to go with the best decision for yourself.
That being said, continue reading this article with us, and see whether you should put your mattress on the floor, or go with a sturdy and supportive mattress frame for your sleep.
Mattress On Floor Vs. Bed Frame: Sleeping With Mattress on Floor (Pros And Cons)
A lot of people don’t understand why someone wants to place their mattress on the floor. It can be dirty, it ruins the style and interior of your bedroom, and it can be cold and give you a lot of difficulties standing up from your bed.
However, it’s worth mentioning that a lot of people put it on the floor. It’s compatible with the minimalistic lifestyle interior that many young people follow, as well as many cultures who find it more appropriate, but also more comfortable to sleep with their mattress on the floor.
There are many benefits to this approach. From keeping up with style to not having to spend so much money on a sturdy bed frame, especially if you’re a heavier sleeper and you can’t rely on any frame (although there are various bed frames for heavier people, some of which we reviewed also.)
Although many people from different cultures are embracing sleeping on the floor, many cultures on the east adapted to this sleep styles centuries ago. For example in Japan, you’ll more frequently find sleepers who prefer sleeping on Japanese futons, a tradition that has been going on for centuries.
Otherwise, new architectural terms like minimalism, as well as their psychological counterpart encourage many people to ditch their bed frames and make their bedroom as minimal as possible. Using nothing but mattresses and maybe slats for the mattress flooring, a lot of people ditched the rest of the bed and prefer sleeping on only mattresses.
This is good for many people because bed frames are more likely to deteriorate than mattresses. Frames have a warranty of only a couple of years where mattresses can be secured for up to 25 years. Some even have longer or lifetime warranties so you’d rather want to take care of your mattress for decades than your bed frame.
With that in mind, a lot of people choose to lay their mattresses on the floor. Some of them opt to use additional mattress flooring like the slats or tatami mat, but most of them don’t put anything beneath, which is still okay.
Besides, sleeping on the floor is not a new trend for us humans. Anthropologists, a group of scientists who study humans and their behavior believe that humans have been sleeping on the floor for thousands of years throughout their evolution, using plants and fibers to make soft mats for the back and joint support.
Only with the development of human civilization did our ancestors invent beds and mattresses, or at least what quite closely resembles our modern mattresses.
There are believed to be a lot of advantages of putting your mattress on the floor, both aesthetical ones, as well as those that can aid your health. Unfortunately, there are some disadvantages too. Below, we’re going to discuss them separately so you can weigh in whether it’s good to put your mattress on the floor or not.
Pros of Placing Mattress On The Floor
As mentioned above, there are a lot of advantages to ditching your bed frame and placing your mattress on the floor. We listed them below for you to check out and see what suits you the best.
It’s Supportive for Your Back
One of the main benefits in regards to placing the mattress on the floor refers to the support for your back. When you lay your mattress on the floor, it’s assumed that you’ll be laying on a flat surface. That allows for more support for your back and joints, which will keep your spine and neck in a neutral position.
While one study found that super-firm mattress won’t help with back pain, medium-firm and firm mattresses will be beneficial because of keeping the mattress in neutral position.
As the bed frames age, they lose their even surface and capability to keep your mattress in an even position along with the bed floor and slats, depending on what you use. That being said, you can never guarantee that your body will be laid in a neutral position. The floor is 100% flat (mostly) which pretty much guarantees that you’ll have a nice night’s rest without compromising on the comfort of your back.
It Improves Blood Circulation
For many people, firm mattresses feel the best and most supportive on your joints, as mentioned earlier. Better and more balanced support also means good news for your blood vessels. While you are laying in a neutral position, your blood has an easier time flowing and circulating through your skin.
The firm mattress gives you the sensation of sleeping on top of the surface, while medium and more plush options give a sinking sensation which means someone won’t be able to feel comfortable. The sinking sensation can also lead to sleeping in weird positions which can end up with numbness in your arms and legs. That being said, placing your mattress on the floor gives it a firmer feel and also better blood circulation.
Also Read: Are Japanese Futons Comfortable (And How to Make it Even More Comfortable)
Seamless And Silent Night
If we don’t take other sources of noise into the consideration, such as the sound of your home appliances, your sleep partner, neighbors, and external noise, sleeping with a mattress on the floor can feel like a quiet sleep experience.
If your bed frame is old and is starting to lose its quality, it’s likely causing your bed to creak. Movements on the mattress laying on loose surfaces can also cause the bed to creak. If you have light sleep and tend to turn around while you lay you probably wake up a lot during the night and even have nightmares.
A silent ambient for sleep is crucial for healthy sleep, which is why a lot of people are advised to remove their home appliances, but also invest in a bed that will be silent as you sleep. If making such an investment is too much for you and your mattress is relatively new at least, you should consider placing it on the floor.
It’s More Affordable
Needless to say, placing your mattress on the floor is more affordable in terms of that you won’t have to pay a lot of money for a bed frame. Of course, there are a lot of affordable bed frames on the market, but not a lot of them can match the quality of your mattress. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered.
Those questions can include what the bed frame is made of is it full wood or chipboard, is it a box spring or covered in fabric, does it have metal slats, and what are its dimensions, can it take your and weight of your partner and mattress and much more. If you already spent a lot of money on the mattress you may not be feeling like shopping for the bed frames and that’s okay.
Cons of Sleeping on Floor
Unfortunately, there are a few disadvantages to placing your mattress on the floor. Read on and see whether they apply to you.
It Can Get Cold
Seriously, one of the worst things about sleeping on the floor is that you’ll easily get cold, especially with open windows or during the winter season. Even in the summer months, you may end up feeling chilly in the morning. Of course, it’s a different story if you have the floor heating, but you may still need an extra blanket or two to cover up.
Dust and Dust Mites
Bad news for allergy-sufferers, there’s a lot of dust on the floor, as well as dust mites that feed on it. It may not seem dusty, but oftentimes dust accumulation can’t be spotted until there’s a lot of it. For those who suffer from allergies to dust and dust mites, it can mean a lot of sneezing, coughing, and runny nose. For some severe allergy sufferers, it also means they won’t be able to sleep peacefully.
Mold
Mattresses can absorb a lot of moisture during the night if you’re a sweaty person. Usually, bed frames protect mattresses from different microbes, creepy crawlies, mold, and everything else that could threaten your bed safety. Even if your mattress is rated as hypoallergenic, mold could easily make it their home on your mattress, which makes it high maintenance and you’d need to move it frequently to air and clean it.
Creepy Crawlies Can Access You More Easily
Oh those bed bugs, if only they only existed in horror stories and scary stories for little children. Bed bugs are very real and can easily infest your bed if you keep it maintained and dirty. What’s worse, they can much easier climb your mattress if you don’t surround it with your big bed frame.
Should the bed bugs bite the surface of your mattress they can easily infest your entire bed. That being said, clean your mattress regularly so you won’t have to call exterminators or even worse, toss your mattress away.
Warranty Void Risk
Before you decide to toss your mattress on the floor, you should read the warranty policy. In fear of mold, bed bugs, dust mites, and other types of pests that could take place on your mattress a lot of manufacturers forbid placing your mattress on the floor and will be likely to void the warranty if they realize you’ve been doing that.
If there’s no such rule, still try to keep it quiet if you’ll ever need to claim the warranty.
It Can Be Difficult for Older People
There are some thick and high mattresses, and in combination with the right set of slats, it can make your new bed appear big and tall. Add some nice floor for bed-like elevated slats and you’re in for almost the same bed as you’d have with the frame. However, that’s not suitable for everyone as older people may have problems with joints such as arthritis or even back issues. That said, there are not many benefits for the elderly in sleeping with mattresses on the floor.
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Mattress On Floor Vs. Bed Frame: Bed Frame (Pros And Cons)
After thoroughly reviewing the pros and cons of sleeping with a mattress on the floor, now it’s time to check why sleeping with a bed frame can be more beneficial than the former, but we’ll also take a look at the bad sides that may make you turn away from sleeping on it.
Bed frames have been used for thousands of years. Some were more specific and some were more normal. Today, there are bed frames made out of a variety of materials as well as in different shapes and dimensions. Most bed frames today use a box spring, but there are also conventional beds in a box or platform beds that are sold in the Scandinavian style shops, for example, IKEA.
One good thing about bed frames is that they’re mostly more affordable compared to mattresses, and you may pay for a frame half as much as you’d pay for the mattress. Still, if you invested a lot of money in the mattress, you may not have enough money for the frame. Moreover, some bed frames are not worth investing in if you have paid a lot of money for the mattress as not all bed frames are made for all mattresses.
If your mattress was expensive, it’s likely thick and heavy, and not all frames can take that weight and may be more expensive in the process. All in all, a bed frame may enhance the aesthetic look of your bedroom, and come with additional features too.
Pros of Sleeping on Bed Frame
There are numerous benefits of sleeping on a bed frame, starting from aesthetic appearance to some additional health benefits and in terms of storage. Let’s take a look at the list we compiled below.
It Gives Elevated Support to Your Mattress
For people not so comfortable with sleeping down, a bed frame gives elevated support for your mattress, which is great if you like the sensation of sleeping from the height. If you invest in a box spring frame, you’re more likely to give an advanced level of support to the mattress, even more so than you’d on the floor.
Finally, if you’re using an adjustable frame or a base, the sleeper can determine on their own how they’d place their mattress and what their angle and position in the bed maybe, which is greater than sleeping on the floor.
Storage Space
Platform beds and beds in a box, as well as some box spring options, give more storage space. That means two or more drawers where you can place the clothes, bedding, and other necessities that you need to pack away. Some other beds allow you to lift the mattress and place things you don’t normally need in a box-like drawer, which is why some bed frames are a go-to option for people who are restricted on space.
Less Chance For Bed Bugs
We mentioned earlier that sleeping on a floor without adequate bed frame support leaves you exposed to all sorts of creepy crawlies, starting from bacteria, mold, and dust mites to actual bed bugs that can easily infest your bed. With an elevated bed frame, there’s still a chance for the little pests to try and make your bed their home, but that chance is far less compared to a mattress on the floor.
More Hypoallergenic
As mentioned earlier, having an elevated mattress on a sturdy bed frame gives you less chance to be exposed to bed bugs, but also dust. That way, there won’t be an accumulation of dust and dust mites on your bed, as well as bacteria.
Cons of Sleeping on Bed Frame
Although there are great reasons to sleep on a bed frame, in addition to aesthetics that we didn’t set away in a paragraph, there are some drawbacks of sleeping in bed frames that we’ll mention below.
Materials
If you’re trying to shop on a budget for a bed frame that can be difficult if you’re shopping for a wooden option. A lot of cheap bed frames are made of chipboard which is an inexpensive replacement for full wood. Metal frames are a popular but not so aesthetic option while box spring beds are quite expensive and difficult to find in a way that will suit your needs.
Noise
As the bed frames age and don’t undergo certain maintenance that is mandatory every year, the bed frame is starting to lose its quality and go loose. That can cause creaking at night that can feel extremely uncomfortable and unnerving for people who can wake up from the tiniest noise. Keeping maintenance of your frame can get tricky and a lot of companies don’t want to do it.
Space
Although contradictory, it’s true. Bed frames are usually much larger than the mattress you bought and they can occupy your space too much. That way you may not be able to place some other piece of furniture that you needed in your bedroom, while the frame will chunk over a large portion of your room.
Price
As mentioned above, the price of the mattress and the bed frame is different. Sometimes you may spend over $2,000 for a mattress which requires you to spend at least half as much for a good frame. A lot of signature mattresses are made for specific brands and won’t be compatible with cheap $200 frames.
Some mattresses may feel too firm or too heavy to fit in a certain bed frame, so the only safe bet is to buy the bed frame from the mattress manufacturer, which could be a too big expense.
Finally, assembling the bed on your own can be extremely stressful, and a lot of people don’t want to pay for service to adjust the bed which just adds up to the crazy price for the entire bed.
Also Read:
The mattress on Floor Vs. Bed Frame: What to Do?
Both mattresses on floor and bed frames have their advantages and disadvantages, but which ones to choose? That widely depends on where and with who do you live. Does your sleeping partner agree with sleeping on the floor or wants to invest in a mattress? Do you have any allergies or suffer from bed bugs infesting your house? Are you minimalist or restricted on space?
If the appearance of the house is a concern and noise doesn’t concern you, you should go for the bed frame. If you’re allergic to dust and mold, you should also sleep on something elevated. If cold doesn’t bother you, you’re minimalist, and want to improve blood circulation you should go for sleeping on the floor.
Those who can’t decide should know that there are bed floors with slats and other accessories that can elevate your mattress and allow it to keep its support. Also, there are foldable mattresses and Japanese futons that can help you make more space for your bed daily. It just depends on the conditions you live in.
