This article deals with the most common use of the word hammock, a sling for sleeping or resting in. Particularly in the southern United States, a hammock can also mean a piece of thickly wooded land, usually covered with bushes and vines.

The hammock is a device used to sleep or rest in. It consists of cloth or a network of twine or thin rope which is stretched between two firm points.

The hammock was developed in Pre-Columbian South America or the Caribbean.

Hammocks are standard items in almost all homes in the Yucatán. They were not part of Classic era Maya civilization; they were said to have arrived in Yucatán from the Caribbean less than two centuries before the Spanish conquest. They are made of various materials, and the quality depends greatly on the thread and the number of threads used. Hammocks are made in villages surrounding the capital city Mérida and are sold throughout the world as well as locally. Hammocks hold such a strong place in the hearts of the Yucatecans, that even the most humble of homes have hammock hooks in the walls. Mayan hammocks are made on a loom and are hand woven by men, women and children.

There are currently a wide variety of hammocks available. There are hammocks that are designed specifically for backpacking and include mosquito netting along with pockets for nighttime storage. There are hammocks made out of thin and lightweight material which makes them ideal for taking on daytrips. Other hammocks include self-standing metal or wood structures that support the hammock. Although many people today purchase them premade, it is also possible to make your own hammock.

The best way to sleep in a hammock is to lie in it diagonally which results in a flat rather than banana-shaped snooze. Hammocks are often for individual use but there are also doubles, family and orgy sized varieties.

External Links

• Info on how to hang, wash and store Mayan hammocks

Ships

Hammocks on an US Navy ship

Hammocks have also traditionally been used by sailors on sailing ships; since a hammock moves in concert with the motion of the vessel, the sleeper is not at a risk of being thrown onto the floor.

Some people worry that it is easy to fall out of a hammock during sleep, but this is rarely the case. The sides of traditional hammocks wrap around the sleeper like a cocoon and make an inadvertent fall virtually impossible.