Sleep expert reveals why the height of your bed could be why you can't fall asleep and why you keep waking up through the night — and how to fix it

Discovering why you have insomnia can be tricky to pinpoint, as a lot of things can spark trouble both falling and staying asleep. But have you ever considered that the height of your bed could be the culprit?

Diet, stress, anxiety, and caffeine intake are just a few of the most common reasons why you could be struggling to fall asleep, but none of these were the cause of my recent bout of insomnia.

Mine came about while staying with my family in my childhood bedroom. It wasn't my usual sleep environment, but I've ruled out the first night effect as the cause for my insomnia — my old bedroom is hardly an unfamiliar sleep space.

However, while the environment wasn't unfamiliar, there was one thing in my room that was: my bed.

Between my visits, my family replaced the old, rickety bed in my bedroom with a newer model. And my sleep didn't like it.

To find out why, I got in touch with sleep therapist Denise Iordache, sleep therapist and founder of JoySpace Therapy. She suggested that my insomnia was down to the height of the bed — here's why...

How a new bed gave me insomnia

The platform bed frame in the apartment I now live in is under 14" inches off the ground. It's the perfect height for my 12" mattress, as I never feel too lifted off the ground.

However, when visiting my family, I slept on a storage bed (you know, the ones that you can open up to reveal a secret compartment), a bed type that's notoriously high to make room for all that storage space.

In fact, at 24" high, it was almost a foot taller than my own bed. This height difference, according to Iordache, was the source of my insomnia during the visit.

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This insomnia persisted throughout my over-a-week-long stay, and it was only during the last night that I felt I was gradually starting to get used to it.

The taller height made me feel subconsciously unsafe and disorientated, as if I was going to fall out of bed (despite the mattress having pretty good edge support).

My usual sleep onset latency (that's the technical term for the length of time it took me to fall asleep) was extended way beyond the typical under-20-minute time it usually takes me to nod off.

That meant that by the time I had eventually fallen asleep, I ended up oversleeping in the morning in order to make up for the lost sleep at the beginning of the night.

How can a bed's height cause insomnia?

When you find a bed uncomfortable, the height is rarely ever blamed. Mattresses are usually seen as the culprit, as sleeping on the wrong mattress can sabotage your sleep. Sleeping on the best mattress for your sleep, on the other hand, can transform your sleep fir the better.

However, according to Iordache, sensing the difference between your bed's height and the bed height you're typically used to can be play a major role in insomnia.

“The impact here is primarily psychological and proprioceptive (your body’s ‘sixth sense’ that tells your brain where your body is in space)," the sleep expert says.

"When you sleep on a bed that is significantly higher or lower than your own, your brain’s ‘mapping’ of the environment is disrupted. Research into sensory processing and sleep."

She also explains that being higher off the ground can make your brain more alert than usual to monitor for potential threats.

"Environments suggests that physical instability or an unfamiliar spatial orientation can trigger a ‘vigilance’ response," she tells me.

"Equally, during the lighter stages of sleep or brief nocturnal awakenings, your subconscious may remain in a state of low-level hyper-vigilance to prevent you from falling out of bed.

What is the ideal bed height?

There is no ideal bed height, as the best bed frame depends on the individual. Standard traditional bed frames around 25 inches off the ground, which can be a bit disorientating for those who are used to sleeping on platform beds (which around 12" off the ground).

In addition, I also advise checking to see if the height of your mattress is the problem, as choosing the right mattress height is crucial for getting the best sleep.

How to fix the height of your bed frame

For some insight on how to fix your bed frame's height, I've asked Martin Seeley, bed expert and CEO of MattressNextDay, for some advice.

“The first step is to look at the bed frame itself," says Seeley. "Many frames sit higher because of long legs, thick bases or deep side rails. It’s worth checking whether the bed base is adding unnecessary height.

"For example, a deep divan or storage base will naturally sit higher than a low-profile frame.”

Once you've figured out what's causing the extra height, Seeley advises looking for an appropriate way to fix it.

"If the frame allows it, shortening or removing the legs can significantly reduce the overall height while maintaining stability.

“Some slatted frames also allow the slats to be set lower within the frame, which can help subtly reduce height without compromising comfort," he suggests.

That said, there is a way to make your bed feel safer if your frame can't be adjusted but you feel like you're going to tumble out.

“If your existing frame can’t be altered, adding a bedside rail can provide extra support," suggests Seeley.

Some people may even choose to ditch the frame entirely and sleep on the floor instead, preferring the feeling of safety of being closer to the ground as opposed to sleeping too high in the air.

However, it's worth worth checking whether your mattress can be placed directly on the ground beforehand, as not all mattresses are compatible with being placed on the floor.

What if your insomnia isn't caused by your bed frame?

While bed height can trigger a bout of insomnia, the truth is that the sleep disorder can have a wide range of causes.

“In many cases, insomnia isn’t caused by one single thing," warns Iordache. "It is usually caused and/or maintained by a mix of biological, psychological and behavioural factors, but it's commonly down to stress and anxiety.

Iordache says there are many other common contributing factors:

• Irregular sleep schedules (for example, from shift work)
• Various health conditions such as sleep apnea
• Excessive mental load
• Perfectionism
• Hormonal changes
• Alcohol and caffeine consumption
• Medications
• Learned sleep habits where the bed becomes associated with wakefulness and worry

While insomnia is common, Iordache says it isn’t something you’re expected to just push through.

“You should see a doctor if insomnia lasts longer than a few weeks, is affecting your daytime functioning, comes with other symptoms, such as low mood, panic, breathing issues during sleep, or significant physical or psychological changes" she advises.

Also, Iordache says that another red flag is when you start to rely on unhealthy habits for sleeping.

"Seek medical advice if sleep problems start suddenly without an obvious cause, or if you feel like you’re starting to rely on alcohol or medication to help you fall sleep," the sleep expert tells me. Persistent sleep troubles deserve proper assessment and support.”

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