Lying on the floor helps anxiety by providing a physical "reset" through grounding, encouraging deep breathing, and shifting you out of fight-or-flight mode into the "rest-and-digest" state, making you more aware of your body and present moment, reducing rumination, and offering a simple break from mental stimulation. It leverages deep touch pressure and postural alignment to calm the nervous system, acting as a simple mindfulness tool when your mind feels overwhelmed.
Things you can try to help with anxiety, fear and panic
The theory is that for some PTSD and anxiety disorder patients, sleeping on the floor ensures a lighter sleep. This may help calm the nerves, knowing that if something were to happen, they could wake up more easily.
The nervous system seeks reduced stimulation when overwhelmed, and lying still on the floor accelerates that reduction. Autonomic regulation: Lying flat can lower heart rate and blood pressure slightly and activate parasympathetic (rest-and-digest) pathways, producing a calming effect after stress or arousal.
Coping in the Moment
Neglecting self-care is one of the most detrimental things you can do when you have anxiety. Skipping meals, not getting enough sleep, and not taking time for yourself can all increase your stress levels and worsen your anxiety.
In addition to behavioral tools, healthy eating, and lifestyle choices, drinking tea can also help with stress and anxiety relief.
Children may exhibit the following behaviors:
Seek safety “spots” in their environment, in whatever room they may be in at the time. Children who sleep on the floor instead of their bed after a trauma do so because they fear the comfort of a bed will let them sleep so hard that they won't hear danger coming.
“Bed rotting” is a Gen Z trend where individuals spend extended time in bed not for sleep or illness, but for passive activities like scrolling or watching content. 🛌 Popularized on TikTok, it is often framed as self-care and a response to stress, burnout, and societal pressure.
Grounding and Mindfulness
Grounding techniques are popular for those experiencing anxiety or stress. “When we lay our full body on the floor, we naturally become aware of the points making contact with it or the body,” Kamal says. “This awareness deepens our connection to the breath, body, and present moment.”
In Korean and many Japanese homes the central heating (water or air) went under the floor, so in order to stay warm your bed had to be on the ground. Instead of having fireplaces where heat is centralized in one area the heat is more evenly distributed in the floor and walls of the home.
Many people experience muscle tension when stressed, particularly in the neck, shoulders, and back. Lying flat on the ground encourages your body to relax its muscles, which helps release physical tension and can alleviate the mental strain caused by it. Promotes Grounding: Lying on the ground is a grounding technique.
The unhealthiest sleeping position is generally considered to be sleeping on your stomach (prone position), as it forces your neck to twist and flattens the natural curve of your spine, leading to neck, back, and shoulder pain, numbness, and poor sleep quality. An overly curled fetal position is also harmful, causing joint stiffness and restricted breathing, while sleeping on your back can worsen snoring and sleep apnea for some individuals.
Feeling nervous, restless or tense. Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom. Having an increased heart rate. Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation).
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the most effective form of psychotherapy for anxiety disorders. Generally a short-term treatment, CBT focuses on teaching you specific skills to improve your symptoms and gradually return to the activities you've avoided because of anxiety.
Supplement options
Although further studies are needed, vitamin D deficiency has been linked to anxiety and depression. Supplements may help manage symptoms of stress and anxiety in those who are deficient. Vitamin B complex supplements may also help lower stress and anxiety levels.
Whilst boomers and millennials may use the 😂 emoji, this has long since been deemed 'uncool' (or 'cheugy') by Gen Z. Instead, this has been replaced by the skull (💀) or the crying emoji (😭), dramatising the idea of 'dying with laughter'.
The 3-2-1 sleep rule is a simple wind-down routine: stop eating and drinking alcohol 3 hours before bed, stop working/mentally stimulating activities 2 hours before, and turn off screens (phones, TVs) 1 hour before sleep, helping you transition to rest by reducing stimulants and preparing your mind and body. It's often part of a larger 10-3-2-1-0 rule, which also adds no caffeine 10 hours prior and no hitting snooze (0) in the morning.
Across much of the world, it is no longer middle-aged adults who are the most miserable. Instead, young people, especially Gen Z, are reporting the highest levels of unhappiness of any age group.
Overthinking is a coping mechanism that people develop from an early stage in life, typically due to childhood trauma. Experiencing abuse, invalidation, or neglect as a child can push individuals into overthinking as a coping mechanism to have a sense of control and safety.
7 Clear Signs Your Body Is Releasing Stored Trauma
When lying on a harder surface like the floor, however, you may become more attuned to what your body is feeling and less focused on your thoughts. To get comfortable, it becomes necessary to sink into the floor and soften your muscles, Dr. Fogel added.
There are several things you can try to help combat anxiety, including:
Alcohol also can affect how well you sleep. Limit or avoid caffeine. Stop drinking caffeine at least 10 hours before bedtime or don't drink beverages that have caffeine. Caffeine can make you feel jittery, nervous and more anxious.
We asked experts which foods they recommend people with anxiety eat for breakfast to set them up for a calmer, healthier day ahead.