Buzz
Accidentally dozing off on the couch happens easily. Whether it’s during a TV show or a quick rest that turns into hours, the couch suddenly feels like the coziest place, and any blanket becomes the perfect cover.
But when you plan to spend the night on the couch, the experience changes entirely. What once felt like a dream now feels stiff and uneven, and the couch seems shorter than before. No position feels right, and the blanket that once warmed you now leaves you cold.
Luckily, there are ways to make your couch sleep more comfortable and manageable. Here’s how to improve your experience.
How to Sleep Comfortably on a Couch for the Night
A couch will never replace a bed (unless it’s a pull-out sofa, which isn’t the focus here), so it’s crucial to set realistic expectations, especially for taller individuals. With that in mind, here are some tips to make your night on the couch more manageable:
Remove the back cushions
Expand your sleeping area by taking off extra cushions or pillows, leaving only the seat cushions to act as your makeshift mattress. Eliminating the back cushions creates more width and gives you additional space to stretch out comfortably.
Use bedsheets to create your temporary bed
This might appear unnecessary, but using bedsheets to arrange the couch like a bed can make a significant difference. Regardless of the sheet size, they’ll likely be oversized and require tucking in.
The fitted sheet can unify the separate cushions into a single surface, preventing them from shifting or falling off during the night. Additionally, even if the couch fabric is soft, sheets tend to feel even more comfortable against your skin.
Choose a proper pillow
Rather than relying on small, uneven decorative pillows, use a standard bed pillow if available. Don’t forget to add a pillowcase, especially since you’ll already have sheets prepared.
Add multiple layers of blankets for warmth
Whether the couch is located in a living room, den, home office, or basement, it’s likely not in a space designed for sleeping, meaning the temperature control might be less than ideal. You could begin the night feeling chilly, only to wake up overheated, or the opposite might occur.
Your best approach is to have several blankets available and layer them as necessary, beginning with the top sheet. Even if it’s warm and you only need the sheet initially, keep an extra blanket nearby in case the temperature drops during the night.
Experiment with various sleeping positions
Even if you typically sleep on your back, side, or stomach, you might need to test different positions to get comfortable on the couch. Ideally, the couch would be long enough to let you stretch out on your back, but this isn’t always possible, and you may end up curling into a fetal position.
Consider creating a bed on the floor
If all else fails and you still can’t find comfort—or if the couch is too small for your height—consider taking off the back and seat cushions, arranging them in a row on the floor to create a temporary mattress. After that, follow the earlier steps, particularly using sheets to set up your sleeping area.
