First family hangout: not a success

[ibgary]

In my 20's I used a fishnet hammock, CCF pad and SB when camping and had no issues falling asleep.
Getting back into hammocking in my 50's I did experience the wonderful comfort of laying in one during the day but had issues falling asleep.

My own theory on this is the Inner Ear detects the slightest movement and when laying in a hammock any body movement cause a slight hammock swing.
This movement will wake you or prevent you from falling asleep. Getting the body conditioned to this movement took me many nights hanging
on the porch until I got comfortable with the movement.


Then there is the different sleeping position. We are creatures of habit and if you can't mimic your bedroom position you will have issues falling asleep.
For me, I solved this issue by buying, trying and selling several hammocks until I could fine one that allowed me to sleep on my side which is what I do in my bed.

I hope these tips help you they worked for me.

1976

Perhaps that feeling of movement is why I sleep so well in it. 20 yrs in the Navy.

[mrvanhan]

Well it sounds like step one went "ok". At least they tried. Now you just need to get them to take about 10 or 500 hours reading this forum and try to get their setups dialed in... I am sort of lucky, for me it was just my wife and she loves her WBBB...

Sounds like the holiday was good in any case. Thanks for sharing.

[nryche]

Don't give up. As already said, it takes time for some people to get to sleeping in a hammock. I leave a hammock up in the garage most of the time so my kids and wife can go down anytime to lay in it.. I barley slept the first few time in mine and every time I switch to a new hammock It takes a time or 2 to sleep really well.

[xcrazydx]

In my 20's I used a fishnet hammock, CCF pad and SB when camping and had no issues falling asleep.
Getting back into hammocking in my 50's I did experience the wonderful comfort of laying in one during the day but had issues falling asleep.

My own theory on this is the Inner Ear detects the slightest movement and when laying in a hammock any body movement cause a slight hammock swing.
This movement will wake you or prevent you from falling asleep. Getting the body conditioned to this movement took me many nights hanging
on the porch until I got comfortable with the movement.


Then there is the different sleeping position. We are creatures of habit and if you can't mimic your bedroom position you will have issues falling asleep.
For me, I solved this issue by buying, trying and selling several hammocks until I could fine one that allowed me to sleep on my side which is what I do in my bed.

I hope these tips help you they worked for me.

1976

So what hammock allows you to sleep on your side?

[ToeShoeHiker]

Just keep at it, they'll come around. I'm llucky, my wife took to hers like a fish to water. Lol.

[used2fly]

I envy those that can sleep soundly on their backs.I too am a side/stomach sleeper and am trying to change but 56 years of sleeping a certain way is tough to break. I slept out in the yard last night to see what it was like in 25mph winds as the cold front went through.I have HG 20 degree top and bottom quilts with a warbonnet BB with the edge tarp.I had the tarp as close as I could get to block the wind and except for a few gusts that moved the underquilt and caused a draft I was pretty cozy.I move around alot and do manage to sleep on my side in the warbonnet .The problem is when you move that much in the cold it is easy to displace the quilt and get cold spots,but a WBBB is doable.I have not figured out why I just lay there awake on my back and fall right to sleep on my side but eventually I will get a headache if I dont roll over. For me I am not sure how well I would do with really cold temps in a hammock since I move so much.I would like to know how many hardcores out there don't sleep on their backs because I have zero issues with cold until I start rolling around.

[bdaabat]

@used2fly....I am with ya! I'm a stomach sleeper, as is my wife. She had difficulty adjusting to the hammock on the one night. My son is a really active sleeper....I have no idea what that boys does in his sleep, but whatever it is, there's a lot of it!

I've gotten more used to sleeping on my back in the hammock, but occasionally will have issues trying to get comfy....especially after a middle of the night excursion.

I'm wondering if a different hammock might help. I'm currently using a long tablecloth...and I just can't help thinking that MAYBE the real answer to my comfort issues is a WBBB.

We'll see. The experimentation continues!

Bruce

[OutandBack]

So what hammock allows you to sleep on your side?

I found the longer hammocks(11') with no definite left or right, head or foot type hammocks worked best for me.
The Tree to Tree Switchback if a bugnet is needed and the Wilderness Logic snipe are two I have tried and kept.
It is very easy to switch from left side to right and if that is not working I can eveen switch my head to the other end by just spinning around.

A full length UQ also helped me with the tossing and turning.
For side sleeping a standard UQ design worked better for me than one with a leg shelf.
hth

[xcrazydx]

I found the longer hammocks(11') with no definite left or right, head or foot type hammocks worked best for me.
The Tree to Tree Switchback if a bugnet is needed and the Wilderness Logic snipe are two I have tried and kept.
It is very easy to switch from left side to right and if that is not working I can eveen switch my head to the other end by just spinning around.

A full length UQ also helped me with the tossing and turning.
For side sleeping a standard UQ design worked better for me than one with a leg shelf.
hth

Thanks buddy!

[HURTHEART]

[QUOTE=OutandBack;865135]My own theory on this is the Inner Ear detects the slightest movement and when laying in a hammock any body movement cause a slight hammock swing.
This movement will wake you or prevent you from falling asleep. Getting the body conditioned to this movement took me many nights hanging
on the porch until I got comfortable with the movement.

Interesting, I have a major inner ear issue, virdigo (misspelled). Dizzy, ear chrystals out of place, frequently and other things happening.
I do fine in my hammock even when it swings in the wind. Get me in a boat, I am sick. Hammock fine, I enjoy swinging.

I wonder if some people are bothered about nothing firm under them, supporting them. My Grand daughter has some preception problems, like walking up steps, with open backs. She can not stand to sleep in the hammock. She is a ground dweller, for now. We are sneaking up on the problem. Little steps, just little steps. She sits in the hammock in day light, now she can lay in it, with it very close to the ground. We are going to get where she can hang.

What I did with my family was just act like I really did not care, do what you want. Then I kept making comments about how someone on this site tested something with great care, giving lots of detail, about water repelency, heat retention, just little bits and pieces. Maybe how someone flipped their hammock. Now four out of five are hanging. One person is a big fellow over 6 ft. 4 ins. over 300 pounds, he is going to take longer to convert. I just quietly go on with my arrangements, that works better than trying to convert.
Like training my Chow Chow, it was all the dogs idea, human had nothing to do with the dogs idea. Sneaky.