I've been sleeping in a hammock every night for a little over a year now.<p>Hammocks are cold, that is the biggest problem. You also can't really just flop down on one and lounge out the same way that you can in a bed.<p>From a totally utilitarian standpoint of "place for sleeping", a hammock has some benefits. It's small, it's highly portable (mine fits in my backpack), and it is pretty comfortable.<p>In reality, though, most people use their beds for a lot more than sleeping. Reading in my hammock is pretty difficult, so is using my laptop if I want to type anything. You can't comfortably fit more than one person in one (unless you've got a garden hammock with spreader bars on it).
Really misleading headline. The study wasn't about hammocks at all, just a normal bed that sways. Makes me think more of being on a boat. I haven't experienced the effect, but David Foster Wallace wrote about it: <a href="http://www.harpers.org/media/pdf/dfw/HarpersMagazine-1996-01-0007859.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://www.harpers.org/media/pdf/dfw/HarpersMagazine-1996-01...</a><p>(Not going to give the page number of the sleep thing because I believe everyone should read the whole thing :)
I've been sleeping on a woven dried-grass mat for over 2 years.
Best Sleep in my life.<p>It all started by accident when we moved bachelor-house and a grass mat was the only available sleeping spot left at 2am.<p>Benefits:<p>- Insulated from cold floor - never gets too hot or too cold.<p>- Keeps my spine fit; I've never had a better back in my life.<p>- Feels really secure - That may have more to do with me being a 250lb fat guy.<p>- Freedom to toss and turn as much as you want without worrying about whats happening beneath you.<p>- You can literally crash onto the mat with your day's exhaustion and nothing will break. I've mastered the art of falling into it without breaking bones.<p>The hammock sounds positively uncomfortable and terrifying from where I'm coming from.
When I was in Panama, in one of the places I went to, I had to sleep in a hammock, and it was hell! Really uncomfortable, my back hurt from being bent the whole night, and I kept waking up all the time because I couldn't find the right position. Also, I wasn't swaying, that might last for a few minutes only, but after you fall asleep, if you are not moving, you don't sway at all.<p>Even though it wasn't the best sleep, I could bear it. But the friend I was with couldn't take it, he wanted to leave at 5 in the morning the first night there, he was totally desperate.<p>From that experience I'd say there's no way hammocks make sleep easier.
Here is a link to the article: <a href="http://download.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/PIIS0960982211005392.pdf" rel="nofollow">http://download.cell.com/current-biology/pdf/PIIS09609822110...</a>
The article says it "increased the length of N2 sleep, a form of non-REM sleep that takes up about half of a good night's rest." Presumably this is at the cost of REM sleep? How is this then a good thing?
Daunted by the cost of a mattress bed and the idea of hauling it up my fifth-floor walkup in Manhattan, I opted for an indoor hammock instead. It's been the best sleeping experience I've ever had.<p>I used to get lower back problems when sleeping on a mattress that have disappeared since sleeping in the hammock. There are no real pressure points and it supports your body perfectly.<p>blhack mentioned that hammocks get cold. This is true as they don't retain any heat. I use a 'maximum heat' twin-size down comforter when the temperature drops.
A lot of long distance through-hikers on the Appalachian Trail here in the Eastern US use hammocks instead of tents. They're gotten a lot more popular due to the "lightweight" craze in backpacking (trying to shave every ounce off your full pack weight) and set up/break down a lot faster.
I didn't realize you could buy a hammock for under $20:
<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-14258-La-Paz-Hammock/dp/B000P9GZUA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1308619592&sr=8-1" rel="nofollow">http://www.amazon.com/Texsport-14258-La-Paz-Hammock/dp/B000P...</a><p>Now does anybody know how/where I can get something that rocks/pulls my hammock back and forth?
I don't like how they basically squeeze around your body, wrapping you all up. It's hard to turn around or even just to the side.<p>I guess the article was more about the 4 second rocking motion, though, which sounds delightful just from description.
This makes sense in that I have always found I sleep really well on small boats. I always assumed it was the sound of water lapping the hull lulling ones brain but the rocking of the boat might be what does it.