The shortness of tudor beds could be due to the need for security. People often slept sitting up in order to maintain their safety and avoid being attacked while they slumbered.
Lying flat in bed was associated with death, so medieval people would sleep in a half upright position. Andrew Boorde even suggested that daytime naps should be taken standing up, and leaning against a wall.
“The Tudors slept slightly raised up - not flat as we do - and 'segmented' their sleep, waking for around an hour during the night to chat or read,” says Anna Roberts from Little Moreton Hall.
Viking Household Items
Beds were most likely lined with straw and animal skin. However, some historians believe that the Vikings actually slept sitting up with their backs against the wall given the limited and confined space that was available on the benches.
As long as you're able to rest comfortably and get enough sleep, the upright position might be the best option. Some people live with medical conditions that make sitting up more comfortable for sleeping. These include morbid obesity and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Sleeping upright can help those who experience pain when side-sleeping. It may also reduce sleep apnea symptoms. However, if done too often, it can increase the risk of blood clotting and back pain. For better sleep while sitting up, shoot for a 60-degree angle and use a pillow for back support.
Sleeping sitting up in a recliner shouldn't be harmful. It could, in some cases, raise your risk of deep-vein thrombosis, a blood clot in a limb that can occur if your arms or legs are bent and you are motionless for hours. This sometimes occurs in people who sit still for long periods of time in an airplane seat.
Many Vikings used picks to clean the gaps between their teeth, and some historian believes they may have also used fibrous hazel twigs and similar tools as a kind of brush. The Viking skeletons discovered over the decades have usually had relatively strong teeth too.
Vikings valued their appearance and cleanliness, they spent time, effort, and wealth on it, and they were about as clean as they practically could be during that time. Vikings equated daily combing, grooming and cleanliness with self-respect ...and personal presentation with honor and self-worth.
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.
For example, people did not bathe often, instead just washing their face and hands, and combing their hair and beards. When they did bathe, families would take turns to use the same water, because it took a long time to heat enough for a bath.
In Tudor times, urine that was coloured between pale yellow and white, with a cloudy surface, was thought to possibly indicate pregnancy. Other tests involved leaving a needle in a woman's urine to see if it rusted, or observing what happened if you mixed wine with urine.
Although it was illegal, contraception in the Tudor period did exist. It consisted of many varied and different methods including the man withdrawing from the woman before he ejaculated,and the taking of herbs and oils such as oil of mint, oil of rue, oil of savin and honeysuckles juice.
If you've ever been on a tour of an upper-class historical home or castle, the docent probably made a point of telling the group that beds of the past were so short because people used to sleep sitting upright, leaning against the headboard.
For millennia, people slept in two shifts – once in the evening, and once in the morning. But why? And how did the habit disappear?
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.
According to Egypt Today, “Based on the writings of Herodotus, ancient Egyptians used many healthy hygiene habits, such as washing and laundry. They also knew to use mint to make their breath fresh. According to Ancient History Online Encyclopedia, ancient Egyptians always tried to make their bodies clean.
The exact purpose of these grooves is unknown, but it is believed to have been decorative, a symbol of one's status as a warrior or meant to intimidate and frighten. Other Viking remains with stripes filed into the teeth have also been discovered, with some having three or even four teeth modified.
The Evolution of Hygiene
Neanderthals would use seashell tweezers to remove hair, and early paintings from caves depict beardless males. This suggests that even way back then, the Neanderthals understood hygiene and probably enjoyed it. Another one of the earliest signs of personal hygiene awareness was in 3000 BC.
Vikings worked long hours, carrying, and using heavy equipment which contributed to the formation of muscles, even from an early age.
Disease-transmitting parasites such as lice, fleas and ticks are reservoirs of pathogens including plague, relapsing fever and epidemic typhus, all of which may have infected the Vikings (Fig. 3).
The Vikings needed all the energy that they could get in the form of fat – especially in winter. Meat, fish, vegetables, cereals and milk products were all an important part of their diet. Sweet food was consumed in the form of berries, fruit and honey. In England the Vikings were often described as gluttonous.
By reclining the body while you sleep, you take the pressure off from your joints and spine, relieving the tension felt in the back. You also allow your core muscles to rest, which will support their healing and becoming stronger.
Sleep deprivation:
One of the main causes of falling asleep when sitting down is you're not getting enough sleep at night. According to the National Institute on Aging, adults need 7-9 hours of sleep each night for optimal health.
Sleeping in a chair every once in a while won't harm you, but sleeping in one every night may not be a good idea. Always talk with your doctor about best sleep practices if you're recovering from a surgery or currently living with chronic pain or a serious illness.