For me, yes it is. At home, I sleep in my bed (a SleepNumber bed) on my side, with a pillow under my head and holding another.

In my hammock, I can sleep on my side but most of the time I find myself sleeping on my back, stretched diagonally across the hammock (a much flatter position). Sometimes I lie parallel to the ridgeline and cross my legs (Indian style) or cross my legs at my feet. When sleeping this way, my back and shoulders do not hurt. If I try this on the ground (using a thick pad), either my lower back hurts (very bad) or my shoulders begin to hurt and I only get 2-3 hours of sleep in 20 minute increments.

If you can borrow a hammock, I would recommend trying it out before passing judgment. Or you can make one for a small investment. I purchased my first hammock from Ebay for about $15 US plus $7 shipping. I still have it and it gets used every month.