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The original was posted on /r/tifu by /u/StardustZJackson on 2024-11-15 22:20:50+00:00.

This story actually begins when I moved out for college as a teenager. You see, I’ve always had trouble falling asleep. As a child it would usually take me an hour or two to finally pass out. I also couldn’t always sleep for a full 8 hours, I always woke up very early and got more like 6 or 7 hours. I did notice that I was able to fall asleep faster and sleep longer when I had soft pillows and plushies. So when I moved out for college at 18 I thought if I had a softer mattress I’d be able to fall asleep faster. I went on Amazon and bought the softest foam mattress I could find based on reviews, and you know what? It worked! I was able to fall asleep in 15 minutes with the new mattress, and slept for 8-10 hours with it.

I don’t know when exactly it happened, it wasn’t right away, but a year or so after I moved out I started having really bad back pain. Back problems run in my family, so I didn’t think much of it and did my best to work through it. Especially as a broke college kid with no money for a doctor, I thought it might just be a result of stress or my active lifestyle. Especially since most of that pain could be taken care of with some over the counter pain killers and stretching.

However, the last year or so it got so much worse. I would lay in bed for 30 minutes every morning, not to procrastinate or be lazy, but because I would be in so much pain every morning when I woke up I literally couldn’t move. The pain was so bad I would be sobbing just trying to get out of bed. I would have to inch my way over to the edge of the bed on my back and slowly slide off so I could sit on the floor. I don’t know why but I was usually able to stand up from sitting on the floor, but it would cause shocks of pain up and down my spine to try and sit up from laying down on the mattress.

Nothing I tried over the last year helped either. I did yoga, swimming, pain killers, massage therapy, I was even considering trying acupuncture- which for me was a crazy last resort because I’m terrified of needles. I panic getting my annual flu shot! Everything I tried helped relieve my pain throughout the day, but the next morning I would be in the same position again. Struggling and crying just to get up.

A couple months ago though I visited my friend in a different state and stayed in their guest room. The mattress was very hard and I had some trouble falling asleep. When I woke up in the morning though, no pain. I was able to sit up and get off the bed with zero issues. It was like that the entire week. I thought back and realized that when I went on vacation a couple years ago with one of my exs we stayed at a hotel with a medium firm mattress, and I had less back pain that week as well.

I did some research online, and some people said that if you’re waking up EVERY morning with back pain, your mattress might be too soft and not giving you enough support. Well I recently moved apartments and decided to try sleeping on the floor before putting my bed frame back together to see if the mattress really was the problem. Guess what?! My back pain is basically 90% gone after a few weeks.

I’m currently sleeping on the floor with just some pillows and blankets. I’m back to having some trouble falling asleep, and sleeping for fewer hours (about 6-7 instead of 8-10), like when I was a child. Although, I have found that waking up earlier and not struggling for 30 minutes every morning is helping me be more productive at the beginning of the day. I guess a soft mattress is more comfortable to me, but my back really does need support. I’ll take being slightly more tired compared to being in constant pain.

I moved out at 18, and am 27 now, so this has been going on for almost a decade! I’m just mad at myself for not connecting the dots sooner, and basically torturing myself every day for 9 years. I guess because it didn’t happen right away, escalated slowly, and only got really bad over the last year it wasn’t obvious to me. Although I still feel dumb and am kicking myself. My mattress and bedframe are currently in the living room, and I’m trying to think about what to do with them. Should I sell them or throw them away? I’m not sure. I’m also thinking about getting one of those Japanese floor mattresses because I don’t want to risk this ever happening again. I’m going to pass on the same advice that I also got from an Internet stranger: if you’re waking up EVERY morning with pain, check to see if your mattress is the problem.

TL;DR: I didn’t realize my mattress was too soft and was the cause of my chronic back pain for 9 years. I’m now sleeping on the floor.