Hammock Camping = More Bathroom Breaks?

[oldgringo]

"No" and "About the same" are the same answer, if anyone is keeping track.

[MAD777]

It doesn't matter if I'm home in bed, in a tent or in a hammock; I'm going a few times every night. In college, forty years ago I could sleep 12 hours straight without waking up. Hey, I think I just figured out the correlation!

[BillyBob58]

I usually attribute it to three things:
1) hydration
2) Increased daily activity that kicks up nightly body activity.
3) probably the biggest for me, cooler weather on the face, breathing, drafts, etc.

i started sleeping full time in a hammock at home about two weeks ago.
have not had to get up to go at all,as is normal sleeping at home.
allmost every time i sleep outside in my hammock i have to get up and go sometime during the night.
maybe the drinking more does it.i was recently talking to someone who suggested it was caused by increased metabolism brought on by more exercise or being colder.sounds plausible to me.

from what i found it has to do with the cold and your body(yes even in nice weather)
i found that while hanging your body works harder to stay warn
this being said when your Bladder is full it takes more work to keep you warn (liquid IE pee can chill the body very fast so your body works harder to warm your pee to keep your core Temp up)
so your body lets you know to empty the bladder in order to keep your core temp up without overworking your system (body) so your body doesn't need to spend more fuel then it should to maintain core body temps

I said "about the same", but it has varied. There have been times with lots of getting up. I now suspect that the times when I am up a lot were mainly due to being even slightly chilled especially in the kidney area. I might not have even felt like I was not warm, not aware of any cold. But I often felt like I was about at the limit of under or over all insulation, and I'm pretty sure those were the nights I was up a lot. I think this would be often when I was a noob and pushing my HHSS to what has turned out to be it's limits for me ( below 30 ) without any augmentation. Also I was not having a lot of success back then trying to use my mummy sleeping bag as a quilt, had a lot of drafts around the shoulders.

OTOH, the nights when I first started sleeping through the night or most of it were when I was not much pushing it, with my PeaPod (maybe with space blanket) or for sure with my JRB MW4. Or even with my HHSS boosted with jackets and/or HH kidney/torso pad. ( Get it- add the kidney/torso pads, no extra peeing, that should be a clue for me, maybe? )

Plus, 1st time ( and last time until a hammock) I was ever up every hour or two was 27 years ago, ground sleeping, wet, cold and shivering most of the night.

So, I'm going with cold- even very slight - especially in the lower back area - as the main culprit. Of course, hydration and other factors could also contribute. For the most part, I am not up while camping any more than at home. Because usually I am warm.

[Hambone]

I have spent all but three nights for the last 4 months in a hammock and have only gotten up to pee maybe 10 times. When I slept in the bed it still wasn't every night but 3-4 times a week. Partly because I wasnt in that deep of a sleep to begin with

[4 dog knight]

I'm thinkin a Pee bottle may be on my future gear list, especially for winter camping. I had to get up in the BWCA in Feb and it was -20f and I laid there shivering for quite a while after getting back in my bag. On that trip I was on the ground, as I have yet to invest in a sufficient UQ, but getting up in the middle of a cold winter's night has the same "chilling effect" on me regardless of where I'm sleeping.
4 dog

[tncamper]

No difference here. Several times a night regardless of where I sleep.(it that matters)

[dejoha]

I'm thinkin a Pee bottle may be on my future gear list, especially for winter camping. I had to get up in the BWCA in Feb and it was -20f and I laid there shivering for quite a while after getting back in my bag. On that trip I was on the ground, as I have yet to invest in a sufficient UQ, but getting up in the middle of a cold winter's night has the same "chilling effect" on me regardless of where I'm sleeping.
4 dog

You should check out this wearable bag by Exped: Dreamwalker 650.

I've had a ball this past season wearing it. When I had the urge to go in the night, I just stepped out of my hammock with my sleeping bag still around me. I loved that I could keep my warmth around me.

[Debi Jaytee]

When I slept in a regular bed, I never got up to pee, never. I could go to sleep with a full bladder and not get up til morning. Since I started sleeping in a hammock though, there are few nights that I don't get up to go. I think there's only been one or two that I've slept right through...I've been full time in a hammock for going on two years now. I'll take the nocturnal pee breaks over the agonizing sore back any day!

[hangout]

I haven't noticed that I pee any more when spending a night in the hammock. Just that it is less convenient when I'm in the hammock, than when I'm in a tent. By less convenient I mean...I'm warm, I'm comfortable, and I'm sleeping well in my hammock. When I'm in a tent, I'll gladly take just about any excuse to get up and stretch my achy back and muscles.
I can see it now...Coming to a cottage vendor near you..."The Ultra-Lite EZ Pee" Never leave the warmth of the hammock in the middle of the night again! Just roll over and......well you get the idea!
Just hide and watch, your next WBBB will have the UL EZ PEE as an option!

[jbrianb]

I go far more often when hammock camping. No idea why. I do think bladder pressure is a part of it. That said, I go twice every night, tent, hammock or bed. But hammock camping, it would not be unusual for me to go four times.