Have you ever wondered why it is that you can’t help but fall asleep in a rocking chair or why cradling and rocking your baby to sleep is the only way they will doze off? Well now we have the answer thanks to a group of Swiss scientists who recently published their findings from a group of 12 test subjects.
So now its official, gently rocking yourself to sleep will help you doze off quicker and you will fall into a deeper more restful sleep faster. Those of us who use a hammock as a bed have known this for quite some time but thanks to this study it’s now official, gently rocking yourself to sleep will provide you with a more restful nights rest.
Here is how those smart Swiss scientists figured it out
They began with a group of 12 male volunteers (Any job that you can take a nap on has to be a good one right!) each was asked to take a nap on a custom made hammock bed that could rock gently or remain motionless, depending on the test. Each candidate took 2 naps, one while the hammock bed was rocking and the other while it was motionless.
Each volunteer’s brain waves were monitored through each of the 2 naps and once the results were in the evidence was conclusive. Not only did each of the volunteers sleep better while there were gently rocking in the hammock bed, but they feel asleep faster and were more refreshed when the woke up.
“We observed a faster transition to sleep in each and every subject in the swinging condition,” researcher Michel Mühlethaler, also from the University of Geneva, says in the release. “Surprisingly, we also observed a dramatic boosting of certain types of sleep-related [brain wave] oscillations.”
If this hasn’t convinced you to replace your bed with a hammock, they also found some other advantages which might just convince you. The study also showed that sleeping in a rocking hammock also increases a brain activity known as sleep spindles, ok I’m not sure exactly what they are but the study says that they are normally associated with deep sleep and memory consolidation.
More good news from this study also suggests that sleeping in a hammock will mean you will fall into a deeper sleep sooner.
The scientists were so impressed that they have now begun to look at using a hammock to cure certain sleep disorders.
And one last thing to consider if you want to swap your bed for a hammock, 8 out of the 12 said that sleeping in a hammock was more pleasant than their bed.
So there you have it, scientific proof that a hammock will give you a better nights sleep.