Before Beds: How Humans Slept Without Mattresses

SPEAKER_00 0:00 Is there anything better than sinking into a warm, cozy bed after a long day? It's one of life's simplest luxuries, and something most of us probably take for granted. But here's the thing: beds and mattresses, as we know them, are a relatively modern invention. So what did people do before modern beds? Were our ancient ancestors just always uncomfortable? Or were they like my cat, who can sleep pretty much anywhere in any location and seem to be very happy? Come to think of it, all other animals seem contented sleeping in what appeared to be very uncomfortable positions. So have modern beds actually done us a disservice? I'm Ollie, and this is what we did before. Welcome back. Today we're finding out what humans did before beds. How ancient sleep habits shape the way that we rest today, and why we might want to bring back some of the ancient sleeping practices of our ancestors. So, as we know, sleep isn't just about rest, it is a biological necessity. Sleep helps our brain process memories, clears out metabolic waste, repairs our bodies, and recharges us for the day ahead. It also does a lot of stuff that we're still trying to figure out. But what we do know is that without it, our cognition function plummet, and long-term sleep deprivation can lead to serious health issues. But it does put us in a pretty vulnerable position. Locked away in our homes at night, we're mostly safe. But for our ancestors, sleeping out in the wild wasn't exactly danger-free. Predators, harsh weather, insects, they were all constant threats. So for early humans, the way they slept and where they chose to do it was as much about survival as it was comfort. It probably won't surprise you to learn that the earliest humans likely slept in trees and things like that, like primates today, and then moved to the ground. Without pillows, blankets, or bed frames, our ancestors looked for soft patches of grass, moss, or leaves to rest on. These natural materials would have provided insulation from the cold ground and made things a little bit more bearable. Because you can actually lose a lot of body heat sleeping on the bare ground, and that heat loss can be quite dramatic depending on how cold the floor is. So even basic insulation was crucial for survival. Now, once we discovered fire, ancient humans would have been able to get around some of these issues and even take refuge in caves. Caves would have otherwise been a bit too cold. And the bonus is with fire that it would have also warded off predators and also been a deterrent for things like insects. In South Africa, actually, archaeologists discovered a 77,000-year-old sleeping mat made from compacted sedges and grasses inside of a cave. It was even layered with ash and insect-repelling plants, so an early form of pest control. This shows that our ancestors weren't just finding places to rest, they were also experimenting with ways to make sleep cleaner and safer and also more comfortable generally. And for a while, that 77,000-year-old sleeping mat was thought to be the oldest, but in 2020, archaeologists found what looked to be the remains of similar bedding from 200,000 years ago. So that pushes the earliest record of human-constructed bedding back by at least 100,000 years. They were excavating a cave in South Africa and found uh basically a fossilized grass bed, which I think is pretty cool. But what happens when humans start building things? When survival turns into comfort? Eventually, as humans evolved, sleeping directly on the ground was, of course, replaced by raised platforms. So the first beds were simple constructions made of wood or stone, often topped with animal hides, fur or vegetation. In tropical regions, people turned to hammocks to keep off the ground and escape biting insects. Invented by the indigenous people of Central and South America, hammocks were practical, portable, and easy to hang almost anywhere, so perfect for life on the move. And they were so effective, in fact, that when Europeans first encountered them in the 15th century, they quickly adopted the idea for use in ships. And even today, hammocks remain one of the best defenses against insect bites in regions where malaria is a threat. Then in colder climates, raised wooden platforms helped people avoid losing heat to the frozen ground. Some cultures even used uh heated stones or warm ashes under their beds for extra warmth, which I suppose is like an early version of today's heated blankets. In a bit I'll get onto the evolution of mattresses, but just as the objects that we sleep on have changed over time, so has the way that we sleep. The historian Roger Eckertch is known for his observations that some people during medieval times did something called biphasic sleeping. So what we tend to do in the modern age is called monophasic sleeping. We sleep for a full eight hours straight, uninterrupted. I mean, that's the hope at least, right? I'm not sure it quite works out for me like that every single night. But instead, the medieval people, what they did was basically split their usual eight hours in two, so they slept one half of the night, they woke up for a few hours to do stuff like smoke a pipe, visit close neighbours, maybe pray, make love, reflect on their dreams, whatever took their fancy basically. And then after a few hours, they'd go for round two and finish off their sleep. Some people argue that the reason sleep is such a challenge for so many people in the modern day is because we were not listening to our natural tendency towards biphasic sleeping. They even suggest the mass reliance on sleeping pills that's turned it into a multi-billion dollar industry may have been fueled by this. So if you find yourself having a moment of insomnia, maybe at 1am or something, you can chill and remember our ancestors who wouldn't have seen it as a problem. In fact, they would have made the most of this precious wake time. And if we go back to our caveman ancestors, this type of sleep pattern makes a lot of sense. It would have meant that they could take it in turns to keep watch at night rather than being vulnerable to predators the whole night through. Not everyone agrees with Eckertch though that biphasic sleeping is sort of the default for humans, so I wouldn't go changing your sleep routine right away. Now, this isn't to be confused with polyphasic sleeping. This is something some modern humans have experimented with, and this is where basically you sleep like a baby, breaking up your eight hours across the day into multiple short stints. One argument is that babies do it, so it must be our natural sleeping pattern. But it comes with a whole host of potential health problems, so I'd probably avoid that particular rabbit hole. Something else that could be overlooked is the fact that communal sleeping used to be really common as well. I always thought it was weird that we suddenly start sleeping in the same bed as our partner when we move in together, but it's actually more normal than I realized. In fact, it's a step down from what we used to do. Up until the 19th century, it was completely normal to share a bed with friends, colleagues, and sometimes even total strangers. This would have been a very practical thing for many, especially our ancient ancestors. It would have been a way to keep warm at a time when we didn't have things like central heating, or maybe when there were shortages of beds for people to stay in. But even the nobility and the wealthy of more modern times had sleeping companions, favoring a nighttime spent with chatter and warmth over sleeping alone. Sometimes they would sleep with their inferiors too. Royals would maybe sleep with their subjects, for instance. And in fact, in his famous diaries, Samuel Peeps says he often shared his bed with male colleagues or friends, which would have been a totally normal, non-sexual custom at the time. And this seems to be a process that went on through antiquity. Remember that 77,000-year-old mattress that I mentioned? Well, archaeologists speculate it would have been big enough to fit an entire family on it. So if you're ever watching a Netflix show featuring a royal family and they're sleeping alone, they may have got it wrong. Right, back to mattresses. So the concept of mattresses began with stuffing sacks. Animal hides or cloth were filled with grass, straw, or feathers to create a cushioned surface. The ancient Egyptians were doing this, often using bundles of palm leaves and later developed more elaborate practices. For example, wealthy Egyptians slept on raised wooden frames with woven cords or leather strips for support. Carvings and inlays made the beds as much a status symbol as a place for sleep. The Egyptians also introduced day beds, which are similar to a modern day chaislong, used for reclining and relaxing, but also for sleeping. Both the Greeks and the Romans had their own versions of this later too, which they would have used mostly for reclining during meals and social gatherings. Around 700 BC, the ancient Greeks had the Klein, often featuring elaborate decorations and plush cushions, while the Romans had their equivalent, opulent lectus beds, with metal frames, silk bedding, and even separate mattresses for different occasions. The Romans also built the first proper luxury beds, often decorated with gold, silver, and bronze. But it wasn't until the medieval and Renaissance periods, around 1300 to 1600 AD, that mattresses improved dramatically. People began covering them in fabrics like velvet and silk and filling them with better materials like pea shucks, straw, and feathers. And while feather mattresses do sound fancy, in reality they weren't always the soft, cloud-like beds that we imagine. They could smell terrible, and the feathers often came with an unwanted bonus, lice. Later on then, and rope beds were invented in the 16th and 17th centuries, where the mattresses were supported by a lattice of rope rather than wooden slats. These needed tightening regularly as the ropes would sag and it would eventually become uncomfortable. Many believe this is where the phrase sleep tight comes from, because the tighter your ropes, the more comfortable your sleep. However, this fact is contested, particularly because the word tight would have been commonly used to mean soundly or securely. And by the late 18th century, cotton became a new material for mattress stuffing, and cotton mattresses were often used in conjunction with cast iron bedframes to prevent pests. But fast forward to the 19th century and the invention of coil springs revolutionized mattress design. The first coil type was the Bonnell Spring Design, patented in 1865, and by the early 1900s, companies like Simmons and Seely began mass-producing spring mattresses, making comfort more accessible to the masses. We now also, of course, have foam mattresses, hybrid mattresses, latex, airbeds, and waterbeds, so the variety is quite comprehensive, and today the global mattress industry is now worth over $47 billion, expected to reach over 67 billion by 2030. But here's an interesting twist. While plush memory foam and pillowtop mattresses dominate the market, research suggests that sleeping on firmer surfaces or even the ground can be better for your posture and spinal health. In Japan, they've got the futon, which dates back centuries. I actually used to sleep on one growing up, and a futon is basically a thin mattress traditionally placed on top of a tatami mat, a woven floor covering made from rush grass. The beauty of the futon is that it can be rolled up and stored away during the day, turning the same room into a multi-purpose living space. Even today, many Japanese believe sleeping on a futon is healthier for spinal alignment, and some studies suggest people who use them report fewer back problems. That's why some experts argue that our modern obsession with soft mattresses might be contributing to chronic pain issues. Having said that, sleeping on something like a futon or generally a hard surface like the floor definitely won't suit everyone. It may be painful for side sleepers or people with joint issues, but if you're a back sleeper, then it might be perfect for you. So, what surprised you most about these facts? I think it was the communal sleeping for me. I do wonder if that will ever make a return. Let me know what you think in the comments and also tell me what you'd like me to cover in the next episode of what we did before. I have a long list including what we did before toilets, haircuts, tissues, surnames, prisms, and a load more as well. And I'd love for you to add to that list. Subscribe and like if you enjoyed this, and I'll see you for the next one.