Sleeping in a hammock is becoming ever more popular. Many people are removing their beds in favor of a hammock. I did the same thing and I’m happy I did. Only campers and hippies formerly shouted from the rooftops, I had the “best sleep ever!” More and more non-campers and non-hippies are enthusiastically touting the benefits of hammock sleep. But, what does the scientific and medical community say about hammocks?
Research, neglected for decades, has only recently been done to examine the truths about hammock sleeping. To date, scientific and medical research confirms what ancient societies already knew.
Brief History
Central American anthropologists have discovered that ancient societies favored hammocks from a minimum of 700 years ago. Even famous explorer Christopher Columbus, after he found the Bahamas, loved “sleeping in nets between trees.”
Historians note that the first hammock probably was invented by the Greeks around 450 B.C., which is many, many years before Columbus sailed to the Bahamas. The legendary Maya people called their hammocks, “the gift of the Gods.” Most people, even scientists, previously assumed ancient civilizations chose hammocks because they were off the ground, away from dangerous spiders and snakes, or pesky stinging ants. These uneducated civilizations may have embraced other reasons, however.
Historians note that the first hammock probably was invented by the Greeks around 450 B.C., which is many, many years before Columbus sailed to the Bahamas. The legendary Maya people called their hammocks, “the gift of the Gods.” Most people, even scientists, previously assumed ancient civilizations chose hammocks because they were off the ground, away from dangerous spiders and snakes, or pesky stinging ants. These uneducated civilizations may have embraced other reasons, however.
Studies Found Health Benefits with Hammock Sleep
Since scientific studies have now discovered long-touted benefits of hammock sleeping, other people are taking hammocks more seriously. As always, there is (has never been) no perfect product, so hammocks deliver many benefits with only one major potential downside.
Pros
You will fall asleep faster;
You will enjoy the health benefits of deeper sleep;
You’ll have better ability to focus the next day after a restful hammock sleep;
You will improve your reading skills;
Generally, you’ll increase your learning skills;
You may find your back pain disappears;
The gentle rocking motion has proven to make you “sleep like a baby;” and
You’ll not need to contend with the dust mites common to mattresses.
You will enjoy the health benefits of deeper sleep;
You’ll have better ability to focus the next day after a restful hammock sleep;
You will improve your reading skills;
Generally, you’ll increase your learning skills;
You may find your back pain disappears;
The gentle rocking motion has proven to make you “sleep like a baby;” and
You’ll not need to contend with the dust mites common to mattresses.
Con (only one catalogued downside)
Hammocks may hurt your romantic life, as hammocks shine when you’re sleeping “solo.” Even if you and your partner are “cuddly” types, few people enjoy sleeping when “joined at the hip.” Even two person hammocks may push the envelope when your partner is a light sleeper.
Try It, You’ll Like It
As you can see, the benefits of sleeping in a hammock seriously outweigh the one downside. Consider trying a hammock for a nap or for a night. A trial should convince you of the hammock-sleep benefits you get.
If you believe your mattress caused you back pain, since hammocks often relieve back pain, what have you got to lose except your back pain? The measured increase in brain wave activity from a 2011 university study (University of Geneva in Switzerland), also improves your memory and learning ability.
If you believe your mattress caused you back pain, since hammocks often relieve back pain, what have you got to lose except your back pain? The measured increase in brain wave activity from a 2011 university study (University of Geneva in Switzerland), also improves your memory and learning ability.
While there are scientific conclusions supporting the improved sleep quality you would receive from a hammock, there is only one way for you to prove it to yourself. Give hammocks a try and see what you’ve been missing. You may refuse to miss these benefits in the future.
