Beds

[y4r5xeym5]

I love my bed too much, although I honestly don't fit on it too well...I'd easily replace said bed with a hammock, though.

 

[Alice?]

I shudder in horror at the thought of sleeping in that thing.

Why?
My imagination would go wild in there with the lights; and the music is in surround sound so I could just let it flow through me and space out or let my thoughts wander...

 

[bananaphallus]

My mattress is on the floor at the moment, it's great/slightly depressing - the novelty has worn off, it's just a mattress on a floor. During my first year at college my roommate went absolutely nuts and left about 4 months in, leaving me with the room to myself and two beds, which I immediately turned into one mega-bed, incredible. I don't know about all this hammock business, I sleep face-down, and in my experience attempting to sleep in this manner while 'hammocking' is utterly futile/annoying. I do remember zipping myself away into a bean-bag-ish seat once as a wide-eyed whippersnapper, if I could've slept like that without dying, I surely would've.

 

[shoeless]

i hate beds. i hate mattresses. i hate couches. i hate the floor. i hate sleeping.

seems like no matter where i am, i'll be super uncomfortable.

i slept on just a mattress for a while, and i've slept on just a futon, just a couch, etc. it all sucks. i always wake up achey and uncomfortable.

if i had my way i would function for 24 hours a day without needing sleep at all. but, alas, i am still human.

 

[Lithorn]

Why?
My imagination would go wild in there with the lights; and the music is in surround sound so I could just let it flow through me and space out or let my thoughts wander...

It's so artificial and suffocating.

 

[420MuNkEy]

My bed could easily be replaced by a couch. It's just a raised padded surface that I lay flat on while watching a documentary/TV show/Movie whilst feeling tired. Most often whatever I'm watching is interrupted by the onset of sleep. It serves no function that is not matched by a couch (provided the couch is wide (or long depending on how you perceive it) enough to lay comfortably on.

If you require an increased size to accommodate a partner, then a bed is understandable, but unless you have some specific requirements about the bed (ie, if you get back pain from a certain type or something), an inflatable air mattress marketed for camping is much cheaper with comfort comparable to many 'normal' mattresses (You can fine tune the air pressure to get the right "firmness" you like). You can even put sheets and stuff on these beds, as they inflate to match the sizes/shapes of retail mattresses. Also these are ridiculously easy to move. You can just throw it up against a wall or move it out of the way when not needed. Last but not least, they are easy as hell to clean if needed (like you get sick and vomit on it).

 

[LucasM]

As long as it is dark and quiet and I can conserve body heat, who needs a bed? I remember sleeping on the spiky rocky side of a tent, with no mattress of any kind and sleeping fine, though a bit bruised. Satisfying in a masochistic sort of way.
Hammocks are nice.

 

[Alice?]

It's so artificial and suffocating.

I suppose I can understand that.

 

[Auburn]

but, alas, i am still human.

*smiles* that's my line!

I've slept on the floor for several months; it wasn't so bad. Currently I have a foam mattress I sleep on but it's not so comfy anymore - though I suspect this is moreso due to lack of exercise, which is itself a relaxant.

I've also trained myself to sleep on my back because I had heard some stuff about the way it's better for the spine. I can do it but I still prefer to sleep face-down.

As for space, I have mines against the wall, twin size, so it's no big deal. I also chopped the legs off so that it'd be closer to the ground. I don't like tall beds.

 

[Crazythinker1]

I have slept on the floor for years with nothing more than two foam pads, some really soft sheets and a few blankets.

 

[Kuu]

Oh man, I'd love to have a hammock in my room. They're so comfortable, and I think the subtle swinging motion would lull me into sleep. I also sleep well on the couch in my living room.

But this would be the ultimate bed!!

Spoiler

It's called a Transport Perceptual Pod, and it's got light show setting and speakers built into it! I also like the enclosed space. I think it's amazing.

That'd be great, but I think I would hit my head all the time. Though if the girl is included, I guess the tradeoff would be worth it

 

[red eyes]

I personally can sleep any where that is not cold, on top of a dinner table, rough carpet, soft carpet, linoleum, hardwood floors, my hammock, sofas and recliners, but I do honestly prefer my nice bed with all the layers' o' softness. just more refreshing; that is WHEN I actually sleep.

 

[EditorOne]

I think hammocks have potential, especially if you could work them around a little so you don't end up like a doughnut in a bag. Are there not enclosed sleeping hammocks for the tropics, kind of a screen-enclosed box or tube with some rigidity? The nice part is you can roll them up and get them out of the way when not needed. Navies used to do this all the time, the gun deck on a sailing ship was the sleeping quarters, when it was time to call it quits all the hammocks were rolled and stored along the ship's rail.

Just about any well-built boat will give you a lot of ideas for clever storage. We had a house once built by a boat-builder; that guy had closets where most people couldn't fit a piece of trim, and every door opened to within a quarter inch of every other door, just enough clearance room. It was amazing.

Many years ago I built a semi-enclosed bed for my middle son. Drawers underneath, bed platform a bit higher than usual, and the sleeping area was enclosed except for a cut-out oval maybe five feet long and 30 inches high, then a top to the ceiling, with doors, for more storage. I recessed a light inside so he could read. It was a tad smaller than a single, we used a four-inch piece of foam and made our own mattress. The wood was done as much as possible in heavy planking, so, yeah, the kid had the feel of a ship's cabin. Some of that sounds like what some of you would find comfortable.

I slept in a thin rock crevice one time to get away from the incredibly loud and annoying Boy Scout troop sharing space on Bear Mountain in NY. I remember it was not working, then all of a sudden shoulders and hips went into two convenient low spots and I was asleep. It might have been the best night's sleep I've ever had, fixed a stiff neck and everything. I ought to go back and find that crevice....

Beds tend to look better as you get older, I've found.

 

[The Frood]

I can sleep most places, but I like to have the temperature just right and something soft for my back (just got back from backpacking, my toes were freezing, and several roots/rocks were digging into my back. Did not sleep very well.)

But, I like a bed raised above the ground so I can slide out and immediately be on my feet/in a sitting position. Also, beds provide a lot of freedom of movement.

It can be difficult/painful/hard to find the motivation, to get off the ground for me.
I also can't sit on the ground without a backrest, or else my knees and/or back will hurt.

Hammocks are alright, but semi-restricting. (you have to sleep in them right. Lying like a banana is really uncomfortable. Brazillian hammocks are the way to go, you lay diagonally or horizontally.)

I have a big foof-chair (bean-bag chair with foam inside) that is alright to sleep in, but also restricting.

I used to have a metal bunk-bed(well I guess it was technically a loft-bed). I hated the thing! I didn't like having to climb up and down, I kept hitting my head when trying to use the desk under it, and I also hit my head on the ceiling, and the thing squeaked every time i moved!

hmm, water beds are comfy (or at least it was the one time I got to lay on one when I was 6 lol) . I think a suspended bed would be kind of cool.

In answer to the OP, My bed isn't a waste of space, I cram stuff under it, sleep/lounge/sit on it, and it is a workable surface that is usable while standing.

lol, to add to this already over-long post on sleeping spaces, some bed-related links leading to pictures of interesting and possibly comfortable beds.

Spoiler

http://freshome.com/2008/03/18/16-of-the-most-extreme-modern-beds-youll-ever-see/

http://listphobia.com/2009/03/14/10-most-interesting-and-unusual-bed-styles/

http://www.crazyjunkyard.com/weird-and-unusual-beds/

http://www.vat19.com/blog/2008/06/delightful_strange_unusual_bed.html

Now I am going to bed.
http://www.vat19.com/blog/2008/06/delightful_strange_unusual_bed.html