How to Sleep Better and Live Healthy With an Indoor Hammock Bed

There are countless benefits to sleeping in a hammock. They place your back and neck in the ideal angle to open your air passageways, and increase oxygen and blood flow to your brain and throughout your body. The gentle rocking motion leads to falling faster asleep and achieving longer, more sustained periods of REM sleep. The proper hammock weave can also reduce pressure on your back and joints. The end result from sleeping in a hammock is that you'll awake more refreshed, recover faster when you're sick or in pain, and even increase your brain's capacity to problem solve throughout the day.

But to get all those benefits it's important to choose the right hammock. So read up, and then find a great hammock shop online and you're on your way a better, more relaxed life ahead. Here's what to look for in an indoor hammock bed.

Size: 

For a hammock you hang in the backyard and occasionally use any size will do. For a hammock you plan on sleeping in every night the size of the hammock is key to your comfort and freedom of movement. For any adult over 5' 6," a two person hammock is highly recommended. Two person hammocks will be much wider, and that extra width will allow you to sleep at an angle, which helps you lie in a flatter position that will more closely resemble what you're used to in a bed.

Weave: 

In indoor hammock bed should have an open weave. The only reason solid fabric hammocks exist is to resist the elements. Solid fabric hammocks don't breathe well and they can never stretch and flex to your body weight the way a proper woven hammock can. Woven hammocks are much, much more comfortable, however, and will make a much more pleasant sleeping experience.

Origin: 

Nicaraguan and Mayan (Mexican) hammocks both feature an elaborate weave that has been perfected over centuries. They feature an interlocking "spring weave" in which one strand will intertwine with two or three others, resulting in a hammock that stretches and adapts according to your own body weight and shape. A solid fabric hammock cannot do this, and neither can the typical American rope hammock, which features a very thick, rigid and unforgiving weave.

Style: 

People spend a lot of time trying to pick out the right color bedspread, carpet, and wallpaper or paint. An indoor hammock bed should be no different. Hammocks don't have to resemble a boring, white fishnet. There are several great online hammock shops selling colorful Mexican and Nicaraguan hammocks. Lazy Bandido even sells very stylish large two-person models with fringes on the side that can be used as a blanket on a cool night.

One last tip: 

Whichever hammock you choose, you'll need the right hardware to hang the hammock. A pair of eye screws, spring links (carabiners) and two 10 ft lengths of rope is perfect. You can pick these up at your local hardware store, or usually find them for sale on the same website you're getting your hammock from.