As for how humans slept without soft pillows, they likely slept in a more upright or reclined position rather than lying flat on their backs, as is common today. They may have also used blankets or other soft materials to cushion their heads and support their necks while they slept.
Long before steel-coil innersprings and high-tech memory foam—or any mattress at all, for that matter—early humans slept on layers of reeds, rushes, and leaves, where they bedded down along with their extended families. Then came piles of straw, woven mats, and cloth sacks filled with hay.
The First Pillow
The history of the sleeping pillow all started in Mesopotamia. Around 7,000 BC, pillows were made of stone. While not the best start to the current comfortable designs, these pillows were actually used to avoid insects crawling into individuals' mouths, ears and noses.
Back sleeping is the best position for sleeping without a pillow. Stomach sleeping is the most unhealthy sleep position, with or without a pillow. Sleeping without a pillow as a side sleeper can lead to neck pain due to improper spine alignment.
Potential benefits of sleeping on the floor include a cooler sleep temperature, relief from back pain, and better posture.
As a general rule, when you sleep with your arm under your pillow, it helps keep your spine in a neutral position and reduces aches and pains in your muscles and joints. This is because it helps to hold your arm in place and take some of the weight off of it which can reduce discomfort.
Specifically, sleeping on the side or back is considered more beneficial than sleeping on the stomach. In either of these sleep positions, it's easier to keep your spine supported and balanced, which relieves pressure on the spinal tissues and enables your muscles to relax and recover.
However, pillows beginning in the Stone Age, were literally that, stones. Even as civilization thrived in places such as Asia, stone pillows were common. Other hard materials were also used in those early centuries, including ivory and wood.
Egyptian pillows were made of marble, ivory, ceramic, wood, or stone. In addition to elevating the head in life, Egyptians also placed pillows carved with images of the gods under the heads of their dead to keep bad spirits away.
Typically, they went to sleep three hours and 20 minutes after sunset and woke before sunrise. And they slept through the night. The result of these sleep patterns: Nearly no one suffered from insomnia. In none of their languages is there even a word for insomnia.
Electricity came, and humans had to adjust their sleep patterns accordingly. But before that time, some parts of the world slept in two phases within a 24-hour span. It was common practice in some populations to have “two sleep periods”; you could have the first snooze during the day and the second at night.
Research shows that early humans typically slept in ground-based nests of grasses and other soft materials built close to the walls of caves. It is believed that early man slept curled up in a fetal position based on the small, round shapes of nests discovered.
This is pretty much how our ancestors and even cavemen slept comfortably without pillows. It is believed that humans have been using some form of pillow for thousands of years, but the earliest pillows were very different from what we use today.
There's nothing wrong with wearing a bra while you sleep if that's what you're comfortable with. Sleeping in a bra will not make a girl's breasts perkier or prevent them from getting saggy. And it will not stop breasts from growing or cause breast cancer.
First, if you're on your back, having your knees raised or elevated is a more comfortable way to sleep. It takes pressure off of the lower spine by counter rotating the pelvis. So, if your legs are straight, the pelvis then rotates in this vicinity, or this direction, and it creates more pressure on the lower back.
Unlike today's soft pillows filled with synthetic fiber, down and feather, ancient Chinese pillows were extremely firm, made of wood, stone, copper or porcelain. During the Sui Dynasty (581-618), porcelain headrests were the most common type of ancient pillows.
or centuries, humans slept in segments. They would go to bed around 9:00 p.m. or 10:00 p.m., sleep for three to four hours, and wake up after midnight for an hour or so. During that time they might pray, meditate, have sex, or even perform simple chores that didn't require much illumination or skill.
A typical circadian rhythm in humans is one where peak alertness is around 2-3 hours after awakening and 9-10 hours after awakening, and where fatigue is most likely at around 3 AM, if you wake up like most people do at around 7-9 AM in the morning.
Cons: Resting on the tummy is widely regarded as the worst sleeping position. It flattens the natural curve of the spine, which can lead to lower back pain. Sleeping all night with the head turned to one side also strains the neck.
Research suggests that sleeping naked may potentially positively impact reproductive health, connection with a partner, and self-esteem. Currently, there isn't much scientific research studying the effects of sleeping nude, or reliable data on what percentage of people in the U.S. sleep naked.
The researchers found the hunter gatherers' sleep patterns were to a certain extent similar to those of the West – getting an average of 5.7 to 7.1 hours' sleep a night. Sleep patterns seemed to mirror the temperature more than light levels.
Placing a pillow between your legs can help reduce muscle tension by preventing your legs from pulling, providing you with a better night's sleep and less pain and undue stress on your back in the morning.
Research reveals more women prefer to sleep on the left side of the bed than the right - and the reason why is super cute.