This guide will help you to understand that why you should choose hammock instead of bed for adventure trips and even for daily use. There are so many people, actually there is a whole community of hammock users out there claiming that hammock provides better sleep than bed.
It all started when this guy spent an entire year sleeping in a hammock instead of bed at his own home!
“My experience sleeping in a hammock has been amazing. I sleep 1000% better. I used to have a lot of back pain, that back pain has gone away completely. Every time I go and sleep in a bed it’s just a horrible experience. I will never, ever go back.”
Pretty amazing stuff. Here’s the exact hammock he’s been sleeping in instead of a bed.
Even several studies found the correlation between hammock and good sleep due to the rocking motion and better support.
Sleep is as important as food and water for the body and mind and thus hammock can be your best swinging bed which is known to alleviate back pain.
According to Sophie Schwartz of the University of Geneva –
“It is a common belief that rocking induces sleep: we irresistibly fall asleep in a rocking chair and, since immemorial times, we cradle our babies to sleep,”
So, let’s have a look at some reasons to choose hammock instead of bed…
Hammock Vs Bed: Know Which One is Better
Pros and Cons of Hammocks
Benefits of Sleeping in a Hammock
There are several studies claiming many benefits of swapping beds for hammocks such as…
- Swinging in a hammock can actually treat back pain effectively
- It provides deeper sense
- Make you ready for the next day with proper concentration
- No need to worry about soaked mattress
- Provides healthy physical stretch to your body by forcing you sleep on back and leaving legs and torso stretched out completely
- During adventure trips, it protects you from crawling insects on the ground and indirectly help your health.
- The rocking movement of the swinging hammock bed is known to cure insomnia
- It is good for memory consolidation and improve brain repair mechanism (Source)
- It occupies less space
Disadvantages of Rocking in a Hammock
Well, there are several downsides of sleeping in a hammock which you should know, such as…
- Improper setup of a hammock can lead to additional body aches
- Constant movement and bolts fitted loosely can cause collapse
- Sleeping experience can be compromised when your hammock forced you to sleep in a “back only” position with your partner
Pros and Cons of Beds
Sleeping in a stationary bed would remain a comfortable experience for many, but not for people who often go on adventure trips.
Let’s have a look at some benefits that entice people to sleep in a bed, such as…
Benefits of Sleeping in a Bed
- Beds are not designed to move during nights unless user physically moves it to different location
- Fixed position of bed lessen the chances of disturbed sleep due to the constant worry of falling
- As per the chosen style of the bed, you might have different storage options
- You would have multiple size, design, style, material options to select as per your need
Unfortunate Sides of Sleeping in a Bed
Besides advantages, there are several downsides of bed that may disappoint you, such as…
- It takes lots of space and requires decorative items around it
- If not maintained properly, it can be a breeding ground for dust mites and bacteria
- Improper choice of mattress material can cause several skin conditions such as rashes, itchy sensations, redness, etc
- For adventurers, typical beds are not suitable
- It costs too much in compare to hammock.
In brief, if you are an adventurous person and often go on camping and hiking then hammock or folding hammock bed would be the best option for you.
Of course, there are so many beds are available specially designed for camping and hiking but if you really want to experience the deep sleep amidst the extreme nature, then hammock is the perfect choice for you.