When people think of sleeping in a hammock more often than not they will envision waking with cramped necks and strained back muscles. The other main problem people have with trying hammock for the first time is waking up on the floor. Which is why the question begs “are hammocks comfortable for sleeping in”. You may fall asleep in a hammock but it certainly isn’t preferred way to get full back support if you have existing back problems.
However if you fight insomnia sleeping in a hammock could be the best sleep you will ever have. It varies form person to person. But the bottom line is, they are comfortable if you know how to sleep in them and you don’t have a inferior hammock.
But imagine this, hammocks actually are all that and more. The hammock is one of the best sleeping option and can distribute the weight of even very large and heavy people evenly while still keeping you perfectly warm in the winter or cool in the summer.
Are Hammocks Good To Sleep In?
There are recent studies performed that advocate the hammock as one of the best solutions to insomnia due to the soft swinging motion. While also improving the restfulness of the sleeping cycle. It may surprise you to know that from Yucatan Peninsula all the way down to the jungles of South America many millions of people use this as the preferred sleeping option over the conventional bed. These sleeping options are also available to a high degree of sophistication and luxury, as you can see from a simple Google search.
For reasons of high heat in the summers and the fact that this has been the preferred form of sleeping since the discoveries of hemp fibers in Pre-Hispanic Mesoamerican Cultures, people have come to accept this as the best way to get a good rest. When lavishly draped with proper mosquito netting, the hammock is very beautiful furnishing that packs up in the morning and can be kept in a linen drawer — the best space saver.
Camping In A Hammock Is The Preferred Way By Many Campers
Not everyone associates a hammock with camping, but it can be one of the best ways to spend your time outdoors. In fact, many campers prefer the hammock camping lifestyle where all that’s needed is a hammock style tent. This is because they are lightweight, portable and often easier to set up and take down. Not to mention the freedom you get in choosing a campsite that may otherwise be off limits to a standard tent. Like between two trees by the creek.
These are unique hammocks in that they can offer a dome like insect protection that offer 360° protection from mosquitoes and no-see-ums. Which is extremely important if you camp in summer and by water as insects just love the water. But we don’t love insects biting our skin during the night. Well, I don’t anyways. Some of these types of hammocks also offer protection from wind and rain in the form of a built in rain-fly similar to that of a tent. So if you ask me, any hammocks for camping should include insect protection and protection from the elements. No if buts or maybes.
The Types of Hammocks will Determine How Comfortable They Are
The truth is that not all hammocks are made the same. There are hammocks that will provide the type of high quality support and comfort you see described here and then there is another type you will see available in many outdoors stores that is not as well designed and can cause serious back problems.
Rest & Relax Hammocks
Many are still comfortable and found in many gardens for example. Which are intended for for resting and relaxing which 100% fine. But would not actually serve you as a decent sleeping support. Here is how to recognize the “rest and relax” type hammock.
- Loose weave with the twine leaving large “waffle” shaped spaces between threads.
- Sparse Net-like construction made of thicker threads.
- Wooden beams running across the hammock for to which all strands connect in a basket types form.
How to use this type of hammock
The “Saturday afternoon” hammock is suspended between two secure columns, ideally a tall leafy tree through which sunlight can filter. The reposing individual will lie parallel to the length of the hammock with the head toward one secure post and their feet toward the other secure end.
The body is not well supported and the midsection tends to sag low while the shoulders and back are laid back in great position for reading — but not the best for sleeping regularly. Furthermore, after countless bodies have slept here they can get pretty dirty and are hard to clean.
Sleeping Style Hammocks
Then there is the proper sleeping hammock that can sleep a person or even a family of people quite comfortably. If you have never slept in a hammock before, it may take some getting use to. So don’t be afraid when you think ‘somethings wrong’. Most likely it’s you not use to sleeping in a hammock. They do take time to get the hang of.
How to Recognize the Sleeping Style Hammock:
- Very finely woven fibers.
- Tight weave that can effectively block all transparency.
- Absence of any wooden girders running across the hammock weave.
- Make sure you check the weight capacity of the hammock. Especially if you are two people in one double hammock. Nobody wants to end up flat on their back during the night.
Sleeping in the hammock can take some time to learn. The technique makes all the difference when getting the best sleep from your hammock. First, if you lay in this type of hammock as you would in the other you will sag in the same way. But, if you spread the weight of the body across the hammock, that is parallel with the width of the hammock, something amazing happens. Don’t rest into one side of the hammock over the other. This can lead to tipping the hammock. So try find the middle and have equal amounts of material on either side of your body.
The Materials Matter
The specially woven fibers of the hammock, especially the very silken resilient fibers used on the finest hammocks contribute immensely to comfort. They are what scatters the body weight in an even uniform way that cradles the contours of the body better than memory foam mattresses in my opinion. The special dynamics of the weave apply greater support where your body is heavier resulting in a completely level position that is also perfectly comfortable — even without a pillow. But this is subject to your individual preference.
Of course, if you want to use a pillow you can, you can even sleep with several other people in a large King-size hammock and each person will receive the proper night’s sleep — provided there is plenty of spacing between them.
Hammocks truly are a sophisticated sleeping solution that can be extremely comfortable for one person and be hated by the next. It will really come down to personal taste and personal fears of falling etc. But overall, hammocks are comfortable and best of all, most of them are machine washable. So a hammock can last a long time if looked after correctly.