Hammocks are cold, that is the biggest problem. You also can't really just flop down on one and lounge out the same way that you can in a bed.

From a totally utilitarian standpoint of "place for sleeping", a hammock has some benefits. It's small, it's highly portable (mine fits in my backpack), and it is pretty comfortable.

In reality, though, most people use their beds for a lot more than sleeping. Reading in my hammock is pretty difficult, so is using my laptop if I want to type anything. You can't comfortably fit more than one person in one (unless you've got a garden hammock with spreader bars on it).

Basically, by intentionally depriving myself of something, it stops being "normal" and becomes a luxury. I was at my parents' house for Christmas in December, and felt like I was at a 5 star hotel.

I've done similar "hacks" to my diet. I did a month where I ate nothing but rice and beans (a very very healthy dish, actually). The first week or so when I was finished with the experiment, everything I ate tasted amazing.

The car that I drive is fairly beat up; I drove my sister's car to San Diego a few months ago, and I might as well have been driving a Bentley. A CD player? I can listen to whatever music I want!? It doesn't rattle when I go over 55?!? I can hold a conversation inside without having to yell?? etc. etc.

Silly, I know, but effective.

Absolutely not. You could try it the other way. Work harder to earn more money, to be able to buy better stuff to get the same fealing. ;)

I slept in a hammock for a while in a cramped basement apartment; it was one of those cheap nylon mesh ones, but really comfortable. Until the gentle rocking motion wore through several of the nylon cords and dumped me on the concrete floor one night. Worse, I knew from rock climbing that nylon rubbing on nylon wears ropes out really quickly, but it never occurred to me to apply that to the hammock until after.

I also use a small cylindrical neck pillow and a twin-size down comforter.

I've been using this setup since mid-April with great success.

(I've not met a hammock)

I think I'd say you know when it's set up properly when you feel almost weightless in that the hammock suspends your weight evenly. I wouldn't go by pictures of hammocks that have been set up as many are way more loose than I'd consider livable.

(Not going to give the page number of the sleep thing because I believe everyone should read the whole thing :)

I've slept aboard LSTs, and on smaller boats. I don't think I've ever slept better, or longer.

I read a few pages, and it's absolutely shit. This guy has a terrible attitude. Why would I read 20some pages about some guy bitching about cruise ships?

EDIT: I've actually been on a cruise, so I can tell this is all just a bunch of (highly subjective) crap.

It all started by accident when we moved bachelor-house and a grass mat was the only available sleeping spot left at 2am.

Benefits:

- Insulated from cold floor - never gets too hot or too cold.

- Keeps my spine fit; I've never had a better back in my life.

- Feels really secure - That may have more to do with me being a 250lb fat guy.

- Freedom to toss and turn as much as you want without worrying about whats happening beneath you.

- You can literally crash onto the mat with your day's exhaustion and nothing will break. I've mastered the art of falling into it without breaking bones.

The hammock sounds positively uncomfortable and terrifying from where I'm coming from.

Even though it wasn't the best sleep, I could bear it. But the friend I was with couldn't take it, he wanted to leave at 5 in the morning the first night there, he was totally desperate.

From that experience I'd say there's no way hammocks make sleep easier.

I used to get lower back problems when sleeping on a mattress that have disappeared since sleeping in the hammock. There are no real pressure points and it supports your body perfectly.

blhack mentioned that hammocks get cold. This is true as they don't retain any heat. I use a 'maximum heat' twin-size down comforter when the temperature drops.

(If you're vain it is worth noting that if you sleep on part of your face, every night for your life, you will get wrinkles there much faster. Therefore sleeping on your back will keep you looking better, longer.)

Also, what sleep position do you use? Just normal hammock style or diagonal 'brazillian style'?

There is nothing romantic about sleeping.

The hammock takes up significantly less space than a mattress bed, especially the queen-sized mattress bed I usually need, so I find myself with a big empty space in my room where bed frame might have been.

http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/

Now does anybody know how/where I can get something that rocks/pulls my hammock back and forth?

I guess the article was more about the 4 second rocking motion, though, which sounds delightful just from description.

In other words, what is the ratio of sleeping hours in a non-moving bed to a rocking-bed?

I'm dubious of anything that claims to pull this off. My own failed attempts have convinced me that sleep is not something that can be lifehacked. There is some variation in sleep requirements between individuals, but you and I each have a number (probably ~8 hours) below which our bodies start getting cranky. There are loads of studies showing that any form of sleep deprivation -- and I would include here trying to optimize down your overall sleep time -- has reliable, long term negative consequences. What's more, there seems to be an unusual level of consensus on this subject. (I say 'unusual' because medical researchers never agree on anything. :-)

Then I asked him:

- And at night?

- At night I sleep!

Mechanically pushing a waterbed would also be easier than making a bed rockable.

I live in a very old house that is made of brick, so I couldn't really mount mine directly to the walls (I could, but I'd rather not anchor things into the brick on a house I don't own [it's a rental]).

I bought a hammock stand for $100 and it fits in my rather small bedroom just fine.