Rock to Sleep

According to an article in the June 2012  issue of Good Housekeeping magazine, to sweeten your summer siesta, head for the hammock.  When scientist at the University of Geneva monitored the brain waves of nappers on two different days.  One experiment had the subjects sleeping in a stationary bed, the other as they rested in a bed that slowly swayed from side to side.  They found that rocking helped participants go from awake to fully asleep 3.5 minutes faster on average.  It also had a surprisingly powerful effect on brain waves, leading to more time spent in deep, restorative shut-eye. 

The reason:

The part of the brain that receives information on motion and balance is stimulated by a swinging motion, which may reinforce the types of waves characteristic of deeper sleep, say the authors.  And thanks to the sounder rest, hammock hours might boost performance and well-being while you're awake.