Many people ask me about the pros and cons to hammock sleeping and whether or not you should actually spend a whole night in a hammock. It’s a common assumption that by morning your back will be all knotted up and your neck kinked. Many have considered using a hammock to replace their beds or take on their next backpacking trip, but become hesitant when faced with the common rumor. Usually these questions come from a skeptical standpoint where they imagine the ‘banana’ shape of a hammock and wonder how that could possibly provide long-term comfort throughout the night. 

Guess what? Sleeping in hammocks is actually good for you. It shocks most when I tell them that hammocks actually have been proven to cure insomnia and relief common back problems. While sleeping studies are only recently discovering the health benefits of hammocks it is actually a common practice in most cultures. Central and South America have been sleeping in hammocks for centuries and it’s not due to poverty, but rather they understand the long term benefits and have embraced it into their culture. Many even began sleeping in hammocks as infants and have carried it over into their adulthood.

So it’s your first time setting up a hammock, you’re all pumped and excited to jump on in and doze off. As you take a step back you realize that the hammock has a curve and your back starts to ache at just the thought of bending in such a way all night. At this point you write off that situation and you buckle down to tighten your hammock as tight as possible. You’ve just made a mistake. 

 Certainly when you tighten your hammock it provides a flatter surface; something you would be more willing to sleep in. The issue is, the hammock will always dip in and with it too tight the edges of the hammock begin to cocoon leaving you with little room to stretch and feeling constrained. Not to mention that pulling it too tight makes it more prone to damaging its attachment points (trees, posts etc.). It’s actually possible to lie your body flat in a hammock without pulling the hammock tight. The natural curve of hammocks is actually the crucial part to achieving that flat, zero pressure point surface which makes hammocks so healthy.