How can lying flat on the floor hurt your back? Here’s the deal: Many of us are not actually lying flat when we lie down. We’re simply not able to, because of how our bodies adapt to a lot of sitting time (tight hips and upper back rounding). Usually these changes aren’t permanent, but they’re also not immediately adjustable. They’re more like semi-permanent hair coloring, which takes regular washings to get out.

~ Katy Bowman, from Why Does My Lower Back Hurt When I Lie Down?

Sleep. For decades I’ve been iteratively making small changes to improve my sleep. Along the way, several of the changes have been to firmer surfaces. These days, the “bed” is a tatami mat with a futon. It’s amazing what your body will accommodate given time. It’s also amazing how sleeping on flat, hard surfaces (along with just yoga sun salutations) resolved my back pain. There, I said it.

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