After years of experiencing chronic back pain that expensive mattresses and other treatments couldn't fix, the speaker decided to try sleeping on a traditional Japanese floor futon as a temporary, inexpensive solution. To their surprise, within weeks, their back pain significantly improved and eventually disappeared, leading to dramatically better sleep quality and overall well-being. The speaker now advocates for this simple, low-cost approach to sleep, believing that a firm surface keeps the spine properly aligned, and shares their one-year experience, including benefits like improved mobility and challenges such as ensuring adequate airflow beneath the futon.