Do you find yourself accidentally falling asleep on your loveseat frequently? If you have, you probably also find yourself with pain in your neck, back, or hips. It's easy to stay up watching television these days and doze off right there. The only problem is the issues you might experience the next day. With that said, can you sleep on a loveseat?
The truth is, a loveseat is not the most ideal sleeping surface. While it might be okay for a night that you had to crash at a friend's place, sleeping on a loveseat regularly is not really a healthy habit to have.
There are several reasons that it is not advisable to make sleeping on your loveseat your primary sleeping location. We'll cover these reasons in greater detail below, so be sure to keep reading.
Why shouldn't you sleep on a loveseat?
Let's break down the reasons as to why you shouldn't sleep on a loveseat.
1. Location
A loveseat is generally located in a living room. The living room is one of the most lit up rooms of a house; between overhead lights, the lamps, recessed lighting, and the TV and other smart devices. These lights are harmful to your sleeping patterns by disrupting your REM cycles.
The more your sleep is disrupted, the less restful sleep you get. Unrestful sleep leads to unpleasant waking hours, sore body, stiff joints, poor memory, and short temper.
2. Position
Small sofas like loveseats are not conducive places to find the proper sleeping position. Holding a position that is not comfortable with your body will lead to pain in your neck, back, hips, and muscles throughout your body. Over time, this can morph from irritating pain to actual damage to your body and joints.
3. Material
Couches and loveseats were not designed to be used as a bed. They were designed for people to sit on. Because of this, material that is used on loveseats does not offer the best solution for sleeping. Often they can cause your body to feel too hot and lead you to sweat excessively.
4. Hygiene
Sofas of any kind are not usually as clean as your mattress would be. People tend to wash their sheets every week, but it is not likely that you wash your loveseat as often. A clean environment to relax and breathe is prudent to ensure a healthy night's sleep.
5. Distractions
A loveseat or couch of any kind is generally a place where people talk, move around, watch TV, listen to music, and socialize. The living room where the loveseat may be could be located near an adjacent room that gives off more noise and distraction. This can lead to family members or friends disturbing your sleep or just simply getting distracted by overhearing conversations or things playing on the television.
6. It's not good for the loveseat
Loveseats are made for sitting, not for sleeping. Over time, excessive sleeping on a loveseat can cause damage to the sofa by impacting the cushions' foam, covers, and frame. Taking a little snooze now and then won't cause too much of a problem, but don't let it replace your mattress.
How To Make The Most Out Of Sleeping On A Loveseat
There are times when sleeping on a loveseat or a sofa is inevitable. This could be because you are crashing at someone's house (or someone is crashing at yours), or because you don't have space for both a mattress and a loveseat. Either way, there are a few alternatives and steps that can be taken to make the most out of the experience.
Option 1: When someone needs to sleep on your loveseat
There may come a time when someone needs to crash on your loveseat or couch. Don't worry about too much damage occurring from only one or two nights of sleeping.
Additionally, add a sheet and a pillow. This will not only help with their comfort, but it will protect your loveseat from the oils on the skin. This will keep your loveseat as clean as possible, and provide a clean and soft surface for the sleeper.
Option 2: When you don't have enough space
Some studio apartments don't offer a lot of additional space to accommodate both a sofa and a bed. Or maybe you are working with a single room of a house that you would like to include both items but space is limited. You may consider investing in a sleeper sofa or a futon instead of a traditional loveseat or couch. This will offer the benefit of being able to look and act like a couch/ loveseat but also was made with the intent to sleep on regularly as well.
A sleeper sofa is a sofa that has a bed that either pulls out from under the cushions or that possesses cushions that unfold in a manner that would make a suitable bed for sleeping. These are excellent options if you like the look of a traditional loveseat or sofa.
Click here to see this sleeper sofa on Amazon.
A futon would be a good alternative if you want something a little more straight forward and modern. This doesn't have the look of a traditional sofa, but it offers all of the benefits of being able to be placed in a sitting position and designed to be slept on regularly.
Click here to see this futon on Amazon.
How Can You Sleep Comfortably On A Small Couch?
A lot of the space on a small couch is taken up by the back cushions. One of the quickest and most impactful changes you can easily implement is to remove these back cushions. This will free up additional space, making you feel less cramped.
Once you've removed the back cushions, put down a sheet to make the texture of the couch more comfortable to your skin. This will also aid in regulating your body temperature as you sleep. Often, sleeping on the couch can cause your body to run hot and lead to excessive sweating.
Finally, just because you're on a couch with cushions doesn't mean you don't need a pillow. Make sure you have a pillow to support your head. Head support and proper positioning will dramatically increase the comfort level of sleeping on a smaller couch.
Can Sleeping On A Loveseat Cause Hip Pain?
Hip pain is a common problem to face in life. One of the most common causes of hip pain is improper sleeping positions. When sleeping on a loveseat, depending on your height, you may have to sleep on your side in a modified fetal position to be comfortable. This can cause a lot of pressure to hit near your hip area. The additional pressure on your hips can cause your hips to feel sore and stiff.
If you are able to find a comfortable position on your loveseat without putting additional pressure on your hips, then sleeping on the loveseat would not cause any more pain than sleeping in a bed might. Hip pain can come from the sleeping surface to be too hard or too soft, which does not support the joints properly, adding additional pressure in tender areas.
One thing that you can do to help ease the pain in your hips while laying on the loveseat (or in bed, for that matter) is to place a small pillow between your knees so that your hips are aligned.
Click here to see this knee pillow on Amazon.
Another option would be to see if you can find a comfortable position laying on your back on the loveseat with your legs propped over the armrest.
Can Sleeping On A Loveseat Ruin It?
The amount of damage caused by sleeping on a loveseat depends on how often the loveseat is slept on. An occasional one-nighter will not cause any harm to your loveseat. However, sleeping on your loveseat every day will cause wear and tear much faster. The extent of the wear and tear will heavily depend on how the couch is slept on, and the height and weight of the sleeper.
Additionally, loveseats that are slept on frequently will require more intense upkeep than those that are not. If the upkeep is not properly done, the life expectancy of the couch will decrease.
Too much wear and tear on a loveseat can cause damage by making cushions sag, damaging the covers of the cushions, compressing the foam inside the cushions, or potentially breaking the frame.
In Closing
While it is not recommended to use your loveseat as your primary place to slumber, a nap now and then won't hurt you or the sofa. Just keep in mind that if you wake up with a stiff neck or sore back after doing so, it is likely due to the strain that sleeping on the loveseat put on your body. To recover, avoid sleeping on your loveseat, and sleep in a bed instead.
Check out our article on how long a couch will typically last here.
And if you're looking to replace foam from a damaged loveseat, check out our article on where to buy couch cushion foam!