Hammocks Make For Better Sleep

Babies aren’t the only ones who benefit from gentle rocking. A new study suggests that when you lie down for some shut-eye, swaying in a hammock will help you fall asleep faster, and make you sleep more deeply, than napping on a stationary bed or couch.

Swiss researchers monitored the brain activity of 12 men during a 45-minute nap on a stationary bed and a nap of the same length on a gently rocking bed designed to simulate a hammock. When they were in the “hammock,” the men drifted off to sleep one minute faster, on average, and entered a deeper stage of sleep more than three minutes faster than when they napped in the still bed, the researchers found.

In addition, they were surprised to discover that the men, while rocking, spent nearly five more minutes in that second stage of sleep (known as N2), which typically makes up about half of a normal night’s rest. They also spent less time in the initial stage that serves as a transition between wakefulness and sleep.

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