There are times when you might have to know how to make a comfortable bed without a mattress. In any case, you might be asking why that might be so, and the answer is that situations can arise at any moment.
Apart from unexpected situations, sometimes I just want to have a siesta someplace else, like many others. During the sweltering months, I will feel like sleeping on an unfamiliar surface for a break in the monotony.
I honestly feel this need for a change isn’t just me but many others all over the world. Therefore we at homishguide put our experiences and research prowess to work. Consequently, we believe we have been able to make for you a complete guide on how to make a comfortable bed without a mattress.
Table of Contents
Benefits of when you make a comfortable bed without a mattress
Since I have told you that you might want to sleep somewhere other than your bed and mattress, you won’t do so without benefits. Therefore I have collected some benefits of sleeping comfortably without a mattress bed from my experience and research.
All of them are true to some degree but might not be accurate for everyone. Through my deep research and interviews, I have found that sleeping without a mattress sometimes helped some but not others.
At first, we will look into these benefits together, and I will ask all you readers to go below with an open mind of sorts. Regardless of these benefits work for you or not, I firmly believe in knowing all that you can beforehand.
Over the last three years, I tried sleeping on a number of surfaces as a test for my research. Given below, I have included the benefits I have enjoyed. All of which I’m excited to share my experience with you. While some of them might seem basic or familiar, they nevertheless are also included.
Here are the benefits of when you make a comfortable bed without a mattress.
Expensive mattresses doesn’t make a comfortable bed
Surprisingly as it might seem to many of you, mattresses can be pretty pricey! Especially if you are someone with a family that has kids.
Since my kids are at the edge where they need beds of their own, I need mattresses for their age. During my mattress hunt, I came across mattresses for couples, and those prices nearly gave me a heart attack.
To properly inform you of how to make a comfortable bed without a mattress, I tried sleeping without one. Overall the experience was adequate. By no means will I be telling you that I had a great night of sleep because that won’t be true.
However, I can say that I slept fine without a mattress and a simple foam padding for when I make a comfortable bed.
Well! That just goes to show your that having a $1000 bed mattress doesn’t mean you will have the best sleep. Back to the matter in hand, I got my kids a great mattress. At the same time, I and my wife are sleeping fine with our mattress less comfortable bed.
Intending to make the transition to a comfortable mattress-less bed, we even sold the mattress we kept just in case. Moreover, after sleeping in our new arrangement, I think we won’t be going back anytime soon.
Sleeping without mattress may relief back pain
As you can read from the headline sleeping without a mattress has, in some cases, been shown to relieve back pain. But Yet that might not be the case for everyone, as I have found out during my research.
From my personal experience with sleeping without a mattress, I can say that I haven’t had any back pain. But as I said, I might be one of those few that can sleep on different surfaces without experiencing such issues.
Yet a colleague of mine slept on the sofa for a day or two and complained to me endlessly. He went as far as to say that he felt like dying. So as you can see, some might feel back pains while others don’t.
According to Sleep Foundation, a nonprofit health organization, sleeping on a firm surface can possibly relieve back pains. In fact, 75% of orthopedics suggest sleeping on a firm surface to relieve back pains. Also, there are some mental health benefits as well.
Their reason for saying to sleep on a firmer surface or make a comfortable bed is because soft mattresses lead to poor sleep posture. Additionally, a soft bed can cause your body to sink if you are slightly heavy, thus restricting your mobility while you sleep.
So you can take this benefit in two ways: it either works or doesn’t work for you.
Improve posture on a comfortable without a mattress
It is likely I am sure you might have heard from someplace, posture is quite essential in every place. From playing sports like baseball to sleeping, having the proper posture will lead to fewer issues.
Therefore it shouldn’t come as a surprise that bad postures during sleep cause back pains and other such problems when you make a comfortable bed. In fact, many people sleeping in too soft a bed complain about them worldwide.
From my own experience sleeping on a soft mattress made it harder to move about. This, in turn, caused me to sleep in an odd position.
As such, I took to sleeping on a number of mediums without a mattress. I found that comfortable, but firm beds are the answer. A comfortable bed that is firm and without a mattress will help to align the spine while keeping it not too straight.
However, if you find yourself sleeping on a too firm bed, use a thin pillow underneath your back for comfort. Also, if the padding of your sleeping surface is too thin, then a drop in temperature might cause problems. Similarly, a temperature rise can also disturb your sleeping posture.
We request you to keep it in mind when sleeping on a comfortable bed without a mattress in the future.
Top 6 alternatives to make a comfortable bed without a mattress
By now, we have talked much about the benefits or usefulness to make a comfortable bed without a mattress. As such, now is the time to inform you, my good readers, about alternatives.
In terms of alternatives, I was able to get my hands on six possible ones. In order to make sure that none of these choices were wrong, we correctly checked them out. Meaning we tested them to ensure they could be a suitable choice.
Both my partners and I had fun testing them out in different scenarios, and at the same time, we took notes. Afterward, we go together to compare notes on these suggestions. In the end, we had to leave some out; as such yoga mat, we finalized our list to six alternatives.
And now, let us get into our top six choices for the best alternatives to a comfortable bed without a mattress. The choices are:
- Hammock
- Standard Futon
- Camping Mat
- Air Mattress
- Sleeping Bags
- Shikibuton
Hammocks
Seeing this as one of the top choices to make a comfortable bed without mattress alternatives surprised even me initially. I mean, hammocks are most apparent for those beach houses with palm trees and such, not inside an apartment in the city.
Yet, I find myself writing this as one of our first suggestions. The reason why this one is the first is not because of how it looks or feels, to be honest. Well, if I am being truthful, those reasons are also included, just not primarily.
In the course of testing hammocks out, we also found some other relatively solid reasons for its inclusion. Each of these reasons can be either basic or specific but, as a whole, rather beneficial for the sleepers.
Before I tell you about my personal experience, I will inform you about the benefits and drawbacks of the hammock as an alternative to comfortable beds with mattresses.
First on the list of positives about the hammock is how easy it is to set it up anywhere, regardless of room size. From studio apartments to beach houses, you can set up a hammock anywhere at any time within a minute or two and no more.
Second, on our list of hammock benefits is that hammock construction leads to more peaceful sleep for some people. Hammock’s structure is remarkably fluid, making it conform to the sleeper’s body more efficiently.
Thus, sleepers wake up the following day without feeling aches in the back that might have been common for them. To be honest, the backaches were typical for them when these people slept on their comfortable mattress beds.
Finally, a drawback, just to be fair. The biggest drawback for me was that I couldn’t sleep with my wife because hammocks are meant for a single person.
My personal experience with the Hammock
As we went about testing the hammock as a substitute to make a comfortable bed without a mattress, I had an experience. For the most part, the experience was unique but good.
It was unique because I never slept on a hammock, thinking it was an alternative for my bed. But after sleeping on the hammock for a few days, I somewhat saw the appeal.
It conformed to my shape rather well, and the slight rocking motion that happened while I slept with pillows led to a more restful sleep. Taking it apart in the morning was a breeze, and cleaning the hammock later was fuss-free since no dust mites.
Overall I will rate the hammock highly as an alternative.
Standard Futon
Trying to make use of furniture as a bed isn’t the most original idea. As such, there are a few options available in the market. One of these available options is something called the standard futon.
Going by its look, it is a piece of nice furniture that is good for most homes. While there wasn’t one in my house, I have seen it in the homes few of my friends. For this alternative to make a comfortable bed without a mattress, I mainly relied on their opinions.
According to them, the standard futon needs to be on this list because of its many advantages compared to disadvantages. Out of all the benefits they mentioned, few of them were common; as such, they made the cut.
The first of the benefits I found familiar was that they all thought it made for a nice combo between sofa and bed. While to me, it didn’t seem that big of a deal, it was one for my friends.
Next up on the benefits is both common and basic for these kinds of things. The benefit of a standard futon is that it’s cost effective or inexpensive. Due to a lower price point, this furniture is best for college kids.
Another critical benefit my friends all mentioned is that standard futons all come in various sizes. As such, they are easy to arrange in any home of whatever size. Therefore you can decorate your living room with enough room quite easily.
However, these do have some problems, and one of them is that they have poor weight distribution. Thus standards futons don’t make for good regular seven to eight hours sleep.
My personal experience with the Standard Futon
In terms of personal experiences with a standard futon, mine is a bit lacking. As I mentioned above, I don’t have one in my home and am not thinking about getting one. The reason for not getting one is quite simple in my case.
I have in the past slept on them for a short while, and that experience to make a comfortable bed was enough for me. The standard futon is an excellent choice for a comfortable bed without a mattress for a quick nap.
Due to its less time consuming setup, many people buy one because they believe it is a great alternative. In my opinion, the sleep I had on this furniture wasn’t the best, but when I had a short nap, it worked wonders.
Camping Mat/Sleeping Pad
Similar to the hammocks, I didn’t think camping mats could be a great substitute for a comfortable bed with or without mattresses. Yet again, I was pleasantly surprised after I concluded my thorough research.
Those searching to make a comfortable bed without a mattress can look towards the camping mat because of its simple but effective benefits.
You might not know, but I don’t go out too often, but I have taken some family and solo camping trips over the year. As a result of those trips, I know my camping mats or sleeping pad and have slept on quite a few of them.
Now though, I think about how well a camping mat or sleeping pad might work as the alternative for a mattress bed. Again I went and talked with some other people and together we found quite a few benefits.
According to most, when it comes to make a comfortable bed without a mattress the first alternative that comes to mind is to use a sleeping bag. The main reason is that it’s simple, requires nothing too fancy, and is used everywhere.
Since camping mats come in various thicknesses, you will easily have options for both the summer and winter months. During the cold winters, you might sleep in a thick, foam pad mat, while in the summer, use a thinner one.
There are a lot of inflatable foam-padded mattresses in the market currently. These padded foam mats offer great support when you are sleeping.
Also, the inflatable camping mats come with self-inflating options, which aren’t surprisingly expensive. Thus using them becomes more accessible and storing that much simpler.
Yet again, we have a drawback similar to the one I mentioned above for the hammock. A camping mat, even a big one, usually fits a single adult. Thus if you want to sleep with your spouse, you will need two side by side.
Additionally, sleeping on a camping mat means you will be sleeping on the hard floor, which has its own issues.
My personal experience with the Camping Mat
Since I have already talked about going camping, you can be sure that I know my camping mats. But in this case, I will share my experience using a camping mat to make a comfortable bed without a mattress.
From the beginning, the camping mat was meant to be a substitute for a bed but only when you are sleeping outside. But using it indoors didn’t change anything all that much.
As someone that camps now and again, I was used to sleeping on the ground. Therefore I didn’t have any issues sleeping on the floor in my home. The thickness of the mat I bought was just right, so I slept soundly as well.
Air Mattress
Just going by looks, an air mattress is the best example of how to make a comfortable bed without a regular mattress. The functionality of an air mattress is similar to a regular bed as well as some said.
During my youth, my friends and I found it easier to buy something like these more than once. While it might have been a good idea back then, my friends weren’t that sure about it now.
However, after much research on this product, I can say that it deserves its place on our list of mattress bed alternatives. To provide support on this statement, I will be providing you with some benefits.
Each of these benefits comes from the experience of both myself and my colleagues. For a more accurate review, I took into accounts both my past and present experience. Also, I will inform you of some drawbacks just to be even on the scales.
First of all, you have to know that air mattresses are known to be relatively easy to inflate and deflate. By and large, it is one of their more notable features.
Due to being so easy to deflate the air mattress, most will have an easier time storing it in your small apartments. I have personally seen some people roll up their air mattress and put it in their closets without any difficulty.
During the time an air mattress is inflated, you can also adjust the firmness to your liking in most cases. Above all else, you will get the level of support you need to reduce the chances of back pains.
On the other hand, since the materials of these air mattresses are delicate, one puncture in them means you need to buy a new one.
My personal experience with the Air Mattress
In the few days, I slept on an air mattress; I got some flashbacks to my youth. Aside from that, I had a hard time differentiating between this and to make a comfortable bed with a mattress.
While some models of air mattresses can be expensive, the quality of sleep on them will be better. So that is a demerit, but it doesn’t mean you will need a more expensive model.
Also the part of punctures you could fix it using a sewing machine but I don’t recommend it.
The one I slept on for the test was an average model, and during that time, I had some good nights of sleep.
Sleeping Bag
For anyone who thinks to make a comfortable bed without a mattress, a sleeping bag comes to mind more often than not. Since both a mattress and a sleeping bag are synonymous with sleeping.
Even for me, when I thought about sleeping somewhere without a mattress, sleeping bags came to me first. As a camper of a kind, using either a sleeping bag or sleeping mat is obvious.
In some cases, the benefits of both are related, but there are also some unique sleeping bags advantages. To properly inform you of these advantages, I talked with some avid campers I knew.
In their opinion, using a sleeping bag at home won’t be all that weird. They also said that in some situations, it might make more sense.
With its low cost and variety of styles available, a sleeping bag makes for a really comfortable bed without the need for a mattress. Also, many of these sleeping bags come with features that really help out in different climates and weather. With different sizes, you can place the bag either in a corner of the room or take up a larger space for those family sleepovers.
Like the sleeping mat, I talked about you will be sleeping on the ground, so padding and support will be an issue. If you want more support or padding, you will need a more expensive model.
Also, the more you sleep inside of it, the more sweat and odor it will absorb. Thus after frequent use, you need to air it out for a length of time.
My personal experience with the Sleeping Bags
I usually go between sleeping mats and sleeping bags as a camper, so I am good with either. The one I personally use is a slightly more expensive model, so I can’t say what it’s like to sleep on the average ones.
Overall experience with it to make a comfortable bed is quite good nevertheless. At the time of testing these sleeping bags at home, we were in slightly chilly weather. So I mainly slept inside the bag, and I can say I felt warm all over.
The size of the bag was big enough for my wife and me, and we both were good. There was more space for both to sleep and move around.
Shikibuton
Personally speaking, this is one that I was the most excited to talk about. Simply because it lets me experience a culture I have been fascinated with for the longest time. In the Japanese culture, even now, sleeping on a shikibuton is really common.
This style of mattress bed alternative is both ingenious and quite comfortable. While it doesn’t look like much, the shikibuton makes for a restful sleep. Getting my hand on a shikibuton was also rather straightforward. If you want one just look for on the internet and you will get a lot of option.
Now we come to the benefits you can experience while sleeping on a shikibuton. Overall there are quite a few of them while the drawbacks aren’t that much. All in all, I think this is one of the best alternatives for mattress-less beds.
The first benefit that I experienced was no fear of rolling off it since it’s so close to the floor. Also, the padding on the shikibuton is thick enough that you won’t feel the hardness or cold from the floor bed at all.
Another benefit that I realized was that it was relatively easy and quick to roll and unroll for yourself or your guests. The whole process of setting it up basically consists of rolling it out.
Yet, the drawback of shikibuton is that most people won’t like to air this japanese futon regularly. The need for airing it out regularly is because the material used absorbs too much sweat.
Since the Japanese futon needs to be rolled out before you can sleep, the chances of catching some quick zzz’s are low. All because it takes too much effort to roll it.
My personal experience with the Shikibuton
As I was saying, I was really excited to try out this shikibuton for the first time because, to me, it seemed really unique. And I wasn’t at all disappointed with the experience. From the first time I laid on it to the last time I got up, the whole thing was blissful.
The soft surface of the Japanese futon to the support it provided and everything in between the shikibuton worked like a charm.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
Is it good to sleep on the floor?
The answer to this question has multiple solutions depending on certain factors. For some like me case a floor bed even with a thin layer under me. In contrast, others can’t do that even for a minute.
These different reactions are due to multiple causes, such as previous back pains, etc.
How to make a comfortable bed without a mattress anywhere?
For a chance to sleep anywhere on a comfortable bed without a mattress, my choices are either the hammock or the shikibuton.
Both of these choices are at the top because setting them up requires very little time and doesn’t need anything extra. Just roll or hang it up and go to sleep.
Do I need a mattress topper if I don’t have a mattress?
For something like the air mattress or sleeping, placing a mattress topper might seem necessary, but that it’s totally up to you. On the other hand, something like the sleeping back or shikibuton there is no need at all.
Are mattresses required on a bed?
Yes, you will need a mattress to make a comfortable bed regularly, but a mattress is entirely unnecessary for the alternatives mentioned in this article. In fact, this piece is called making a comfortable bed without a mattress.
Conclusion
In the end, writing this article and researching for it was both entertaining and educating. While, in some cases, I knew about some of these alternatives, but I never thought of them as an alternative for my own home.
When it comes to mattresses something like a cold foam mattress might seem like a great idea if our alternatives don’t match your preference. When you make a comfortable bed without a mattress, a mattress topper correctly placed can increase your comfort.
Nevertheless, I hope the choices I made after all the research I did were of some help to you. All the options listed above made it on the list only after much testing, so you rest easy knowing they work. Well then stay safe and goodbye.
