Do hammocks make good beds?

Question

Same question, different category thingy:

My room is freaking tiny and I'm trying to re-do it. I just want more space in my room and so I was looking at futons/ sofa beds first, but then I thought, hey why not a hammock!? People are saying it will hurt my back--but they've been as comfortable as ever since I can remember... Does anyone have any solid information on this?

Thanks for your responses, I appreciate it.

Answer 1

I don't recommend a hammock for general use. I situated a mattress in such a way that it was not flat, and it caused my spine to twist. If your back is in that curved position for 6-9 hours per day, I believe your back (spine) would curve ... It would be harder to walk & sit up straight is what I'm saying.

Can you build or have someone build a "bunk bed"-type fixture and put your dresser or desk underneathe it. (Such that you are sleeping over a desk area or dresser...)

Check out www.diyNetwork.com [Do It Yourself Network] and see if they have advice for small areas. There are a lot of TV shows that offer advice on making the most of space... Probably a lot of websites too. (Do a search.)

Hope you can figure something out... I know what "cramped" is! :)

Answer 2

well the people that you have been asking are right, it will definitely hurt your back. A hammock is on an angle like a "u" your body in that constant position will have problems and you'll after a month of sleeping in the hammock will have a hunch in your back and you will walk with a slouch. Just get a futon or a sofa bed. A hammock is also not anything good to sleep in, especially if you sleep on your side and not flat on your back. If you get a hammock be ready for some sleepless nights.

Answer 3

In the city I live in (I'm Mexican) hammocks are very, very comon, And not because we can't afford a bed as many might think. It is because of the trribly hot weather. Hammocks make really fresh places to sleep in, and it might give you some backpain but only the 1st days while your body adjusts to it. After that, you'll just feel perfectly confortable and fresh. And yes, they do take up a lot less space and you can just fold them during the day so they dont occupy extra space in your room. Another advantage is that you need no blankets or bedcovers to wash!

Answer 4

Hammocks are very comfortable to lay in for awhile, but they are hard on the back. One needs something with more support in it. Down the road a year or two after sleeping in a hammock constantly you could develope back problems. Why not build a loft-style bed? This will allow you to use the space below it for a desk, bookcases, or a dresser. Or try a trundle bed with storage under-neath of it.

Answer 5

When your a fourteen year old boy sleeping out in the back yard during the summer holidays, there is nothing quite so comfortable as a hammock, or so you try to convince yourself. Anyone older and wiser has no excuses.

Is your name Gilligan?

No. Stick with the futon idea.

Answer 6

You can add a hammock in your room as a feature, but you dont want that to be where you sleep every night. Get a big piece of plywood and some chains and hang your mattress from the ceiling with eye hooks (into a ceiling beam). It looks super cool and you can rock yourself to sleep.

Answer 7

Indians in Mexico and Central America sleep in hammocks, sailors on old sailing ships slept in hammocks, my son slept in one when he moved into a tiny room to get away from his brother. All with no harm... It might take some getting used to though.

Answer 8

Sleeping in a hammock over a long period of time will leave you with back problems. I'd go the futon route instead.

Answer 9

Much as I hate to say this a Hammock isn't the way to go. Maybe you can redo the room to allow a trundle bed (Hideaway that stows in the wall).

Answer 10

I think it could cause back problems, but for many many years the British and other navy's used hammocks for their crews, and they only had 14 inches across for each person.