Light Therapy Mat on a Bed: How to Use One Without the Floor

By the WECCT Care Editorial Team · Published 14 October 2026

Conversations about using a light therapy mat on a bed tend to arrive at the same objection, and it is never about the light. It is about the floor. If your knees, hips or back make getting down to the ground the hardest part of your day, then a device that requires exactly that is not a device you will use, however good the light is.

This article is about the practical side: the four ways people use a mat without kneeling, what each position costs you in coverage, how to put it away without bending, and the three worries that come up most often. You will find no claims about results here, only how the thing is used.

Why "you have to lie on the floor" puts people off

It is worth naming the problem properly, because the usual answer is to say "it is only twenty minutes". Twenty minutes on the floor is not the issue.

The issue is the sequence. You have to lower yourself down, arrange the mat with your hands while your weight is on your knees, stay in a position your body may not enjoy, and then get back up again afterwards. Four moments of difficulty wrapped around twenty minutes of comfort is a bad trade, and most people work that out before they spend any money.

The same logic applies to the mat itself. Products that roll or fold away are only convenient if the process of rolling or folding does not involve bending to the floor either.

Four ways to use it without kneeling

The devices in this range combine red light at around 660 nm with near-infrared light at around 850 nm across a flexible surface. Because the surface is flexible, it does not have to be on the floor. These four placements are the ones people settle on.

On a bed

This is the simplest option, and the one we would suggest trying first. Lay the mat flat on top of the bed, lie down on it, and use it exactly as you would in any other position. The timer takes care of the end of the session, and the light switches itself off, so there is nothing to watch and nothing to get up for.

Two things to check. First, whether your bed surface is firm enough that the mat does not fold under you at the hips. Second, whether the mat's own weight makes it slide; a folded towel under the top edge solves it.

Leaning back on a sofa

Sitting with the mat draped behind the back and over the legs works well for the lower back and the thighs, and it is the position most people can hold for a full session without discomfort. You keep your feet on the floor, which means your knees stay supported and getting up at the end is no different from getting up after watching television.

The trade-off is the shoulders. If you are sitting at an angle, the upper back gets less contact than it would if you were flat.

Draped over your legs in a chair

With the mat folded over your thighs and the part nearest you over the lap, a chair session covers hips and thighs. It requires no lowering at all, no rearranging, and nothing to hold. It is the easiest of the four to start and the easiest to end.

It is also the least coverage. If your main concern is the upper back or the shoulders, this position will not reach them.

Alongside the edge of a bed

If you want the mat on the floor but do not want the difficulty of getting down to it, place it beside the bed rather than in the middle of the room. Sit on the edge of the bed, lower yourself onto the mat, and roll back onto the bed afterwards so that your hands have something solid to push against. The bed at your side provides a rail, and a rail changes everything about how difficult a movement feels.

This is also the arrangement that works when a second person is helping. The helper never has to take weight, only steady a shoulder.

What you lose with each position, honestly

No position gives you everything, and anyone telling you otherwise has not spent time in a chair with a mat on their lap.

If your main difficulty is the lower back and hips, the sofa and bed positions between them cover almost everything you need. If it is the neck and shoulders, sitting positions are the wrong tool, and a mat with a raised section at one end is a better answer than any amount of rearranging. The mat with neck support has the neck section built into the same surface at one end, so nothing has to be moved or lined up part-way through a session, and it rolls up the same way as the smaller models.

Starting with the simpler option

For anyone who is unsure which position will work, the sensible first step is the one that asks the least of you. The easy-use mat is a single button with five levels and a timer that runs from 10 to 90 minutes, and it rolls up small enough to live in a cupboard or beside a bed. Because it asks nothing complicated of you, it is a reasonable way to find out whether a mat suits your day before considering a larger one. The whole range, including the longer and wider sizes, is set out in the light therapy mats collection.

Putting it away without bending

Storage is where an otherwise easy device quietly becomes a difficult one, so it is worth solving properly rather than hoping.

Lay it loosely in a roll rather than a tight fold, and do it while you are still sitting on the bed or the sofa, not after you have stood up. If bent posture is the part you want to avoid, keep a low stool or a chair arm next to where the mat lives so the movement becomes a lean rather than a stoop. And if storage is going to be a daily argument, choose a place where the mat can simply stay out. A mat that lives beside the bed and is never put away gets used far more than one that lives behind a door.

Three common worries

Will it be damaged by body weight? The surface is designed to be lain on, so normal use is not a problem. What does cause damage is sharp folding, or storing it under something heavy for months. Roll it, do not crease it.

Will it get too hot? These devices produce light rather than a strong surface heat, and most people describe the sensation as mild rather than hot. Levels can be set low, and the timer switches everything off at the end. If a session ever feels uncomfortable rather than warm, stop, and mention it to your doctor if it keeps happening.

Is getting up afterwards going to be a problem? This is the real question, and the honest answer is that it depends on the position. On a bed, at the end of a session, you are already somewhere you can sit up from normally. That is the main argument for the bed and sofa options over the floor.

A note on safety

Reviews of light therapy in people aged 60 and over are reassuring on tolerance. A 2026 systematic review of 23 randomised controlled trials published in Dentistry Journal, covering participants aged 60 and above, reported no clinically significant adverse events across the included studies. A separate review in Lasers in Medical Science, covering 283 participants, recorded only mild and short-lived skin reactions, with no serious adverse events.

The standard precautions are still worth knowing: pregnancy, an active tumour in the area you would use it on, medication that makes your skin sensitive to light, and direct exposure of the eyes. Several of these are based on caution rather than on recorded harm, but if any might apply to you, ask your doctor before you start rather than after.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can you use a light therapy mat on a bed?

Yes, and for many people it is the easiest option. Lay it flat on the bed surface, lie down, and let the timer switch it off. Check that the mattress is firm enough that the mat does not bunch at the hips.

Q: Is light therapy on a bed as effective as on the floor?

Position changes how much of you is in contact with the surface, not how the light behaves. Flat on a firm bed, coverage is close to what you would get on the floor. What changes with softer surfaces is the contact at the hips and shoulders.

Q: What if I cannot get down on the floor at all?

Then do not. Sitting positions cover the hips, thighs and lower back well. For the neck and shoulders, a mat with a built-in neck section is a better answer than a floor-level approach.

Q: How do I store it if bending down is difficult?

Roll it from a seated position, keep it at a height you can reach without stooping, and if possible choose a spot where it can stay out between sessions. A mat that is always within reach is used far more often.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. If you have ongoing health concerns, speak to a qualified healthcare professional.

References

1. Tanya S, Srisilapanan P. Clinical efficacy and safety of photobiomodulation therapy for orofacial conditions in older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Dentistry Journal, 2026;14(4):231. https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6767/14/4/231
2. Hassan M, Al Balah O, Osama M. Physiological action of photobiomodulation using 650 nm diode laser for treating frozen shoulder: a comprehensive review. Lasers in Medical Science, 2025;40:520. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12698824/
3. Kormos W. What makes my joints stiff in the morning? Harvard Health Publishing, 2016. https://www.health.harvard.edu/pain/what-makes-my-joints-stiff-in-the-morning
4. Oliveira S, Andrade R, Valente C, et al. Effectiveness of photobiomodulation in reducing pain and disability in patients with knee osteoarthritis: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Physical Therapy, 2024. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38775202/