I hear people talk about laying diagonally in a hammock. Why do you have to. Why can't you lay straight or curled up or go back/forth from side to side. When I sleep I am all over the place (probably due to sleep apnea).
I hear people talk about laying diagonally in a hammock. Why do you have to. Why can't you lay straight or curled up or go back/forth from side to side. When I sleep I am all over the place (probably due to sleep apnea).
We you lay diagonally in a hammock you lay flat. If you don't lay diagonally the you sleep in a "U" shape which can result in a stiff back in the morning.
I do sleep in the fetal position or lying on my side in my hammock with no problems. I sleep on my belly at home and that's the only way that's not comfortable in a hammock.
I think what is happening on the diagonal in most hammocks, is that your feet push one side of the hammock out at one end and your head pushes other opposite side and end out. The result of this is a flatening out of the hammock. I have yet to get completly flat. I have been playing around with an asym cut to a homemade to exaggerate this. I think this is why I can lay flatter in a HH then a speer type.
Regardless of how flat I get, that is not comfortable for me for very long. When I am on my back I put something under my knees and something for a pillow. Basically an artificial banna shape. However, I sleep on my side a lot in a bed. I have to be flat inorder not to torch my back at the hips. That is way I want a flat hammock. I have found a longer hammock helps me get flatter.
Is that too much to ask? Girls with frikkin' lasers on their heads?
The hanger formly known as "hammock engineer".
I actually don't like laying flat. I've always hated that about beds, and I use 2-3 pillows at night to try and change that. I do sleep a little diagonally in my hammock, but that's only to take advantage of the 'foot pocket' created by the W-whipping from Jeff's site. That keeps the pressure off my knees. Otherwise, I really enjoy the U-shape. It's just comfortable to me.
"Physics is the only true science. All else is stamp collecting." - J. J. Thompson
I will sleep on the diagonal (usually on my left side) until morning. When I'm waking up, I'll return to center for awhile, put my hands behind my head and listen to the world coming to life. When I feel like getting up (usually when my bladder tells me!!), I'll just drop my feet through the bottom into my boots and start the day. No aches, no pains! Best way to camp, ever.
Peace,
Joe
Amen to that brother!! I LOVE just lying there and listening to nature wake up with me...best part of the day in my opinion.
I sleep diagonally in my HH, and I sleep on my back mostly, but on my side as well. The warmer the weather (meaning less clothing and I use my sleeping bag as a quilt) I spread out more and move all over the place. It's the only way to sleep outside.
This is my signature.
Yes! I agree!! That first early morning stretch is the best and comfiest! They 45* thing is really comfy, kind of side, kind of back, legs and arms all over the place.
The ONLY thing I don't enjoy is having my feet above my head in the am, it tends to be chillier (less circulation; - as a ground pounder I fixed it by pitching on a slight incline, head at the top). With a ccf pad this doesn't happen since it is less slippery than my bag, but either way a quick readjustment fixes it. BTW - anyone know of a good way of keeping your head above your feet? I think this happens to me since i have chicken legs, hence a higher center of gravity which tends to push my torso down towards the foot end of the HH (a weight distribution problem) pushing my feet higher up the hammocks incline. I have tried tying the HH a bit higher at the head end, but physics takes over and I end up simply sliding further towards the foot again. NOTE - this is not a serious problem, just another kink to work out in the quest to perfect art of hanging - I have never lost sleep becuase if it.
I am glad to hear that I am not the only who sleeps practically sideways in their hammock while in the fetal position, very comfy indeed and makes reaching out into my NEWLY MADE JJ ALL-IN-ONE much easier!!
Whoo Hoo!!
Last edited by Dingus Khan; 02-08-2007 at 16:21. Reason: typo
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