We’re not surprised that neck hammocks are becoming so popular. Getting the best neck hammock is truly a game-changer (we’ll tell you which ones later). They’re being recommended by physical therapists, chiropractors, masseuse, and doctors. They’ve been featured on Trendhunter, Mashable, and The Chive.
Unfortunately, many of us have to put our Doctor, Physical Therapist, Massage, and Chiropractor visits on hold due to coronavirus (which only adds stress and tension!).
Luckily, Neck Hammocks can relieve the tension and reduce stress from home without pain medications or surgery. To understand how neck hammocks work, you need to understand how our sedentary lifestyle is actually reshaping our spines.
(In a Hurry? Our top choice for the best neck hammock was this one).
The Problem
We store a LOT of tension in the back of our necks. When we sit at a desk, our neck muscles actually shorten, compressing the spine. The compression unfortunately leads to pain, and even throws our alignment off. It’s a slippery, painful slope.
Even worse, every time we look at our phones, or sit with bad posture – we are significantly increasing the strain on our neck muscles.
We no longer have the natural curve of our cervical spine.
The Solution
Undoing the painful cycle starts with the neck. If we can relieve the stress, we can regain proper movement, fluids, and function of the spine. Doctors and therapists have known this for hundreds of years, and they still have treatments designed to restore cervical movements.
One of the most important treatments in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine, or ‘OMM’ is a pressure release technique known as suboccipital tension release. This OMM protocol relieves tension at the base of your skull and helps with headaches.
Physical Therapists and doctors also have Cerival Traction devices designed to get do exactly what a simple neck hammmock does.
A neck hammock replicates these popular medical practices at home.
So what is a neck hammock, exactly?
A neck hammock is a cradle to support your neck and release the strain and tension, pulling the neck and spine into their natural positions. The neck hammock has supports that are usually attached to a wall that pull the neck into position while the patient lies on the floor.
Do Neck Hammocks Work?
Yes. Using a neck hammock for just 10 minutes a day has been shown to restore the natural curve of the spine and relieve compression.
The downward spiral created by our sedentary lifestyle and phones (‘text neck’) can actually be reversed with a fortuitous cycle of benefits from a neck hammock or similar medical treatment.
Neck Hammock Benefits
- Relieve pinched nerves
- Gradually stretch and relax your neck muscles
- Decompress the spine
- Restores natural spine curvature
- Restore spine circulation
- Rehydrating herniated disks
- Reduce Tension
All these benefits from a low-tech device you can use from home. What have you got to lose?
Best Neck Hammocks
The best neck hammocks are…
The Original Neck Hammock
The original neck hammock company that started it all is still the best neck hammock, according to most reviews. This is the most simple, and most portable on the market.
It was designed by a physical therapist who wanted to help his patients treat themselves at home. While some PTs would like to keep their patients dependent on them, this says a lot about the company and the product.
This is hands down the best neck hammock on the market, and comes with EVERYTHING you need.
There are a lot of knock-offs and imitators (but they’re not all bad, see below), so if you want to make sure it’s the original neck hammock, click the link below, or double check that it’s from ‘Neck Hammocks, INC’.
The Original Neck Hammock Portable Cervical Traction Device for Neck Pain Relief and Relaxation
$49.99 in stock
Features
- The Original Neck Hammock is a patented cervical traction assistant that works by gently pulling the head away from the neck to stretch and decompress the spinal cord, which increases bloodflow, oxegenates the surrounding muscles, decreases pain, and increases mobility of the neck and shoulders.
- The Neck Hammock takes only 10 minutes a day and is the easiest, most portable, one-size-fits-all solution for your back and neck troubles - perfect for athletes, long flights, business trips, long work days, and more!
- The patented straps are designed to wrap around any door, railing, or pole, giving you the flexibility to use the Neck Hammock wherever you want - no more laborious setup or oversized equipment
- Comes with 2 sewn-in, medical-grade adjustable straps for customizable comfort & maximum durability.
- The Neck Hammock was created by Dr. Steve Sudell Jr., a licensed physical therapist with over a decade of experience in physical rehabilitation. U.S. Pat. Nos. 10,307,284, D824,035, D845,492, D845,493, and D845,494.
The Head Hammock
The Head Hammock (see what they did there) is actually a neck hammock, made by Osewawa and sold on Amazon. It’s actually pretty well done, and has the best reviews on Amazon for neck hammocks.
We haven’t been able to test this one but it looks extremely comfortable, with much more padding than the original neck hammock.
We have slightly less confidence in the results of the head hammock (not designed by a PT), it’s also less expensive.
Cozy Life Neck Head Hammock
The Cozy Life Neck Head Hammock is another popular head hammock on Amazon. The neck sling is extra stretchy and forms around your head really nicely.
This one is more adjustable than some of the other options, so you’ll have more options on what you want to hang it from. You can even adjust the head hammock while lying down.
Neck Hammock Instructions
Suspension Point
The most important thing about setting up and using a head hammock is to secure it to a stable suspension point. It needs to be safe but it also shouldn’t flex AT ALL. The head hammocks have the perfect amount of flex built into the straps, so anything additional will not be optimal.
We’ve seen head hammocks hanging from door knobs, and other flimsy, movable points but it’s worth spending the time to find or build a solid hanging point.
It’s absolutely worth buying hammock hanging points like these to have a solid hanging point from the wall or ceiling.
If you have a pullup bar, or some suspension point above a door or from a ceiling rafter you are in luck. That will likely make a perfect suspension point.
How To Use a Neck Hammock
- You typically want your neck 2-4 inches off the ground but check the instructions with the specific model you purchased. The further from the ground, the greater the stretch. We recommend starting closer to 2 inches off the ground.
It’s pretty easy to adjust the strap as your neck becomes more flexible, getting closer to 4 inches off the ground.
Now that you have your head in position, just relax for 10 minutes. Repeat at least three times a week – but it will feel so good you’ll probably do it every day. Happy hanging.
Want another tip for improving your desk comfort? Check out foot hammocks.