Your Guide To Sleeping On The Sofa

Want to know how you can make your sofa more comfortable? We have all had to sleep on a couch at some point, and if you haven’t then don’t worry, your time will come! To help you wake up feeling fresh as a daisy, we have compiled a list of ways to ensure a blissful sleep.

What are the benefits of a sofa bed?

Sofa beds have many advantages, which makes them a versatile choice.

Space saving: ideal for smaller spaces, serving as a seat in the day and a bed at night. Read our storage beds buying guide for more tips.
Accommodating guests: your guests can have a comfortable place to rest their heads. Having a sofa bed is particularly useful over the Christmas period when you are expecting a lot of visitors.
Multi-functional: sofa beds are suitable for reading, watching television and lounging throughout the day.
Designs: with a selection of shapes and styles to choose from, your sofa bed can elevate your room decor.
Practical: a sofa bed is useful for open-plan spaces like studio apartments, where you need to make use of a multi-functional room. Take a look at the 5 best sofa beds for any space.

How to make your sofa comfortable?

1) Prepare your surface

If you’re sleeping on a sofa, you’ll notice that you tend to sink into the cushions, rather than being supported. This is because the cushions on a sofa are usually made from a foam filling, and there are no springs to displace your weight properly. To counteract this place a thick blanket on the cushions which will help to make the surface firmer.

Remove the back cushions so that you have a wider ‘bed’ upon which to sleep. This gives you a bit more space to roll around, and if you miss out on this step you’ll discover that a sofa feels narrow once you’ve been on it a few hours!

2) Choose the best bedding

Make sure you get the comfiest pillow and blanket to sleep with if you can. After all, you’ve sacrificed a bed for a less comfortable lie down, so it’s only fair to have good quality bedding to make up for it and make sure you’re kitted out well enough that sleeping on the sofa isn’t going to be a massive chore.

3) Invest in a mattress topper

A mattress topper can significantly enhance the comfort of a sofa bed by providing an additional layer of padding and support. Sofa bed mattresses are often thinner and less plush than regular mattresses, leading to discomfort for some users. Adding a quality mattress topper can help alleviate pressure points, improve spinal alignment, and offer a more restful sleep experience.

4) Treat it like a bed

We all know that a sofa doesn’t have the same proportions as a bed. This means you may not be able to stretch out as well as you usually would. To combat this problem and make sure sleeping on the sofa isn’t going to consist of tossing back and forth entirely these positions should help:

If the sofa is long enough, sleep on your back. If possible, remove the cushions on the arms to give yourself a few more inches of stretching space. However, if you’re on a two-seater sofa bed, you may have to skip this position. Try hanging your legs over the arm, or finding a chair to place your feet on, lying at a slight angle to make the most of the extra length.
The foetal position is favoured by most, so it’s more than likely that you naturally defer to this shape when you sleep. It makes the best use of the small space available to you while keeping you warm all night long.

And if none of this works? Then you might want to try the floor. Though sleeping on the floor isn’t recommended there’s no arguing with the fact that you’ll probably have a lot more legroom this way. Remove the bottom cushions from your sofa and use these to create a temporary mattress that will help you get through the night more soundly.

If you have regular guests or sofa surfers staying at your home, why not invest in a sofa bed? Give them a great night’s sleep. If you need a little help deciding on the best type, check out our sofa bed buying guide first.