A GRANDAD-OF-THREE has revealed he’s spent almost 14 years sleeping in his garden in a hammock.
David Priestley, 68, from Lincoln, found that sleeping outside helped ease his chronic back pain and kept his sinuses clear.
Sleeping indoors is “overrated”, according to the former RAF armourer.
He said: “We’re all animals and we’ve become indoctrinated to sleeping indoors.”
The 68-year-old claimed he didn’t care what his neighbours thought because he was “happy and healthy”.
David has since turned his old bedroom into a workshop.
The grandad first learned the benefits of sleeping outside while on a camping trip in 2010.
He suffers from “three prolapsed discs” but claimed to feel much better after he spent the night in a hammock.
Surprised by the effects, he decided to make a similar set-up in his garden.
David was supposed to have surgery but it was cancelled after his symptoms improved.
He estimates he’s spent less than five weeks indoors over the past 14 years.
David admitted to bringing his hammock with him when he visited his friends.
He’ll often look on Google Earth to locate a forest area to set up camp.
Yet, even a lack of trees doesn’t stop the ex-RAF armourer from getting a good night’s sleep.
“I’ve been known to string out a hammock between a lamp post and the roof rack on my van,” David added,
However, a skiing accident which saw him dislocate his shoulder, meant he had to sleep indoors while he recovered.
The now part-time skiing instructor revealed that he doesn’t get cold at night and only wears a pair of boxers and a T-shirt to bed.
David keeps warm by ensuring there “are air pockets, not crushing the fabric”.
David, currently going through a divorce, said his wife used to enjoy the occasional camping trip but preferred sleeping indoors in her bed.
After moving out of the family home, the 68-year-old tried sleeping the conventional way but he lasted just four nights.
The grandad claimed he would wake up with his nostrils “full of gunk” because of dust in the bedroom.
Dr Lindsay Browning, who holds a doctorate in insomnia from the University of Oxford, said sleeping outdoors was not “scientifically recommended”.
She added: “Most people would find the unhelpful aspects outweigh the helpful aspects.”
