So, Scandinavian vs. Continental United States; America includes some very south-latitude habitats. Wet, hot swamps that (I presume) have more insects than the frigid cold of the frozen north.
Taller beds have less chance of draping sheets on the floor and letting crawly things up into the bed.
A better question is how do other countries get on beds less than a foot off the ground without breaking them? Like, am I supposed to do a quick core workout and squat onto the bed? Or should I take a knee and roll into it?
I try to lay down gently but at 6'2" it's still a looooong way down to the mattress.
@SeanR
Oh, Samoa is way ahead of you.
Mind you, it's ALSO the USA's fault.
If you have Netflix, check out a infotainment program called "Patriot Act, with Hasan Minhaj" Volume 5, episode 1. titled: "How America is causing global obesity". :/
@Louhikaarme Like Granny Weatherwax, I walk unafraid through the darkness, secure in the knowledge that it is filled with strange and terrible things, and it's me. (also applies to sleeping arrangements.)
Why so tall? 1. You can store boxes of yule ornaments & wrapping underneath 2. The cat has somewhere to hide when you need to get them to the vet 3. Dust Bunnies need a lair to grow properly.
@Lichruler
You need a longer bed, not taller -unless you sleep standing up. It is a y axis and x axis translation issue.
I sleep with an ice pack on my head for the headache because I watch too much news. -and my bed it too tall.
@GaryM No, tall is more necessary than long...sleeping curled a bit is less of a pain that standing from a sort of crouch. (I'm only 5'11", and getting out of my (low) bed involves a sort of kip-up.)
@GaryM No Can confirm. My husband is tall it is fine if his feet hang off but the getting up and down can be a pain. we are working on our house so it is just a mattress on the floor if he had to do a lot of squats at work it's hard to get up when it's low better to be in a sitting position to help get his legs under him.
American beds are perfect! Much easier to get into and out of for adult size people. The storage space is a bonus, but it is nice that they can be at the height of a chair rather than a low sofa.
It is us Europeans who are doing it wrong.
Same thing with cars . Nothing worse than a low sedan where you feel your butt is just above the road. You feel you put the car on, rather than sit in it. Better with a pickup or other reasonably big car, where you sit down in the same height as you would on a chair.
God bless the US for being nice to people who are tall (and/or overweight) :-)
Also: I'm telling you, American beds are the greatest....it's true! ;-P
@eLVeeJay I am both tall-ish (six foot) and overweight, and I MISS low-slung cars. I used to have a 1995 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi that cornered like a cat even if it weighed 3900lbs. My current Chevy Equinox is the same weight and nearly half again the power, but it feels like a bloated pig compared to the Bonneville because it's too damned tall.
I do like a taller bed, though.
@Asciender low cars are definitely more fun. I had a 1993 Honda Del Sol, despite being (er. Hold on, let me math,) 183cm and built like a stereotypical American. But it didn't matter to me that it was harder to get in and out, the driving experience was worth it and then some.
Also, I sleep on a mattress on the floor, so maybe I'm just weird, for an American.