Friday, 17 October 2014

Health post about lymphatic drainage. Minor interest.

Gee, here’s weird. Okay, I’m sleeping on the floor with a big double duvet folded in two – on half and under half. If I have a self-inflating 7.5cm camping mat underneath (so not mega-padding), when I get up in the morning I have double bags of fluid under both eyes and a kind of dewlap that I thought was fat on the front of my throat. And some fluid retention to my ankles and abdomen.

If I take the camping mat away and have nothing but plain floor under the single-thickness duvet, in the morning I have no fluid retention to ankles and abdomen, nor on my throat (so it must have been fluid not fat – I guess the sinuses drain via there) and under my eyes is just wrinkly.


Floor sleeping affects lymphatic drainage that much! Who would have thought it?
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21 comments:

  1. Rebecca17 October 2014 at 11:00

    So........will you be eliminating the self-inflating camping mat?????

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  2. Pen Wilcock17 October 2014 at 11:06

    Oh, yes - I don't usually have it nowadays. I just got a yen for comfort a couple of nights, which is what alerted me to the difference it makes. I hope you are doing well, honey. Prayed for you today. xxx

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  3. Jenna17 October 2014 at 17:10

    With your inspiration, I recently spent our 8-day Feast of Tabernacles sleeping on a couple of quilts folded on the floor (didn't do the whole camping out bit). I found the difference is incredible. And I think you were right on target: one has to get past the IDEA of sleeping without a proper bed. I felt great, slept great. I noticed a huge increase in my dreaming; I sleep so fitfully usually (and suspiciously, in the bed) that it was a marked difference. I got up in the morning without that fog--which I wonder might relate to your lymphatic drainage post here. I also noticed what I perceived as a reduction of pressure or compression in my joints, as though I were walking taller and lankier. I was considering getting an IKEA pillow top to put underneath the quilts but after your post here, will reconsider. Hmm...... I need to find homes for all that mess that I'm hiding (even from myself) under the bed (revisiting Pen's posts about ejecting 365 things....)

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  4. Rebecca17 October 2014 at 18:34

    Thanks for praying. Progress is slow, sometimes painful, but noticeable :)

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  5. Judy Olson18 October 2014 at 17:06

    That does it! I'm trying it tonight. Pen, do you use a pillow? Anyone else?

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  6. Pen Wilcock18 October 2014 at 21:21

    I have one flat, soft pillow for sleeping.

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  7. kat18 October 2014 at 21:29

    too extreme by far for me, but very glad it's doing you good xxx oh and what's wrong with saying you're form Narnia, I did it all the time at one stage of life ;-)

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  8. Pen Wilcock18 October 2014 at 21:33

    Extreme Floor Sleeping. How exciting! xx

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  9. LANA19 October 2014 at 01:50

    I have sciatica. When I sleep in my bed my left hip often hurts. Do you think sleeping on the floor on a quilt would be helpful to someone like me? I am 65. How long did it take you to make the adjustment from bed to floor?

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  10. Pen Wilcock19 October 2014 at 11:06

    :0) Hi Lana - I am no authority on this, but I'd give it a go if I were you. See Jenna's and my responses to your comment on this previous post. x
    http://kindredofthequietway.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/sleeping.html

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  11. Judy Olson19 October 2014 at 13:10

    I did it! I slept on the floor, and I am happy to report no stiffness or soreness. I did wake up several times during the night, but that is not unusual. My dreams were very vivid. I could see things more clearly, like people's faces. I have a particular health issue that I would like to see cleared up and will try the floor for a week at least and see if there is improvement. (I am 62, by the way)

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  12. Pen Wilcock19 October 2014 at 13:43

    :0)

    I am finding that, like eating greens and drinking water, sleeping on the floor is something my body now craves.

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  13. kat19 October 2014 at 19:54

    you Radical you!!! xxx

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  14. Pen Wilcock19 October 2014 at 20:39

    :0D

    Look no further. The revolution begins here. With cabbage.

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  15. Rapunzel21 October 2014 at 02:07

    By coincidence I'd been thinking a lot about sleeping on the floor lately. Already have slept for maybe a couple of years on a cotton futon mattress on the floor, the elevation of 5 inches is perfect for my small blind elderly dog to hop up here.
    I live primarily in the loft of the house, and lately I've been looking at the space and saying to myself, "That mattress sure takes up a lot of space."
    Then laundry day a few weeks ago the sheets were not dry yet at bedtime, so I folded one of my quilts in half and slept inside it like a sleeping bag. Oddly more comfortable than layers of sheets and blankets. Have been doing it ever since.
    At Zen retreats we always sleep on the floor and I sleep wonderfully well. Always attributed it to the day-long meditation. Hmmm.
    The Manimal is going to London for a week or so on Friday, that would be a perfect time to experiment with extreme floor sleeping as he's not interested in extreme anything.

    I'm curious now as to the WHY. Will poke around and see what else I can learn.
    Thanks for the inspiration (instigation?)!

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  16. Pen Wilcock21 October 2014 at 11:03

    The WHY:

    A good article here ~ http://www.zafu.net/sleepergonomics.html

    And Katsuzo Nishi, here ~
    http://www.nishiusa.eurocontrol.biz

    xx

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  17. Pen Wilcock21 October 2014 at 11:11

    One further thing on floor sleeping. A body gives off a considerable amount of moisture asleep in bed at night. If sleeping on the floor wrapped in a quilt or sleeping bag, it is important to air it over the banisters or porch rail or just flung over a door for a few hours on rising, and helpful to sleep in not always one place if the floor is carpeted, to allow the carpet opportunity to air out.
    If sleeping on a low futon or mattress, this MUST be on a frame, as mould will accumulate in the mattress otherwise, and if the floor is carpeted it will go mouldy under a mattress straight on the floor with no frame.

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  18. Judy Olson21 October 2014 at 13:24

    I also found the article on zafu.net and it makes a lot of sense. I've just finished night #3, and I actually FEEL BETTER! I have a certain feeling of well-being! And it's funny, because last night I woke up a lot, and was annoyed by blankets and pillows sliding all over the place (my folded duvet is on a bare wood floor), but even so, I still felt well rested and rather chipper this morning. And weirdly, I keep looking forward to going to "bed"! This is marvelous, I cannot thank you enough!

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  19. Pen Wilcock21 October 2014 at 13:34

    Good, isn't it?

    :0D

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  20. Rapunzel21 October 2014 at 16:27

    Thank you for the WHY,
    Years ago when I first got rid of my bed frame and put the futon mattress on the floor you told me to make a low frame under it to allow air circulation and prevent mold. I did, and have not had any mold problem, so thanks for that, too!

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  21. Pen Wilcock21 October 2014 at 17:34

    Good girl!

    We have known each other that long? Hmm. One day we must meet in person. x

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Welcome, friend! I'm always interested to read your comments.