Trouble Sleeping

[evilleotter]

I've camped in my ENO DN for a total of 10 nights now and found that I have a lot of trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. Not sure why. I am sleeping diagonal and able to get a fairly flat lie. When I get into position I feel very comfortable, but I just can't seem to fall right to sleep. When I do sleep, it's not a full nights rest. I usually don't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, I wake often, and don't feel rested in the morning.
I have a BWCA trip planned with the family in mid July and I need to be able to sleep while out there for a week. Maybe 3 or 4 straight nights will get me over that hump, as I have only had 2 consecutive nights.
Not sure if I need to try a different hammock before I go or if I should wait and see how I fair on an extended trip. Pro's and Con's to both options, but lack of funds may end up swaying my decision to try to stick with the DN and make it work.
Any thoughts or suggestions for finding that sweet sleep spot are greatly appreciated.

[Postal]

Have you tried a pillow(s)? A small one for neck/head support is what I use now but am thinking of adding another one for under my knees. I do wake a bit more camping no matter how I have done it so I expect some but this fixed most of my issues. I also recently upgraded to a longer hammock. From a black bird to a xlc blackbird and found that I sleep better in the longer hammock.

[Wise Old Owl]

1. change socks before bed
2. warm milk with single melatonin.
3. play the same stupid calming song over and over again
4. over 21? shot of Jack Daniels or Vodka
5. wear a fleece beanie...
6. practice in the backyard.

[SilvrSurfr]

Hammock sleep and bed sleep are different for me - entirely different and not remotely comparable. Practice is essential because you just can't expect a hammock to provide the same sleep you've gotten from many years in a bed.

It's a different sleep. In a hammock I don't get that comatose, dead-to-the-world sleep I expect from a bed. Since I sleep 90% of the time in a bed, I just don't expect to doze off right away in a hammock either, especially if I'm out in the woods.

After a couple of nights in the hammock, I'm used to it and I sleep fine. It's not bed sleep, but it is pretty good (and my back doesn't hurt).

[DENMONKEY]

Read a book or the like when you first jump in. That puts me away pretty quick. Have you tried adjusting the sag in your hammock? I prefer a taught hammock over a typical set up. Notice I avoided saying a tight lay over a loose one:-).
Although each of my hammocks is different.
I'm still trying the typical set ups but tighter still seems to work better for me.

Get over it and buy a bridge ;-)

[lazy river road]

I know for me when I first started using a hammock it was very hard for me to get to sleep at night and get a decent nights rest. I was very uncomfortable and constantly tossing and turning. Now three years later I pretty much have it dialed in to where I sleep soundly in my hammock. However on a multi day trip I always sleep a bit uneasy the first few nights until I get used to trail life. So its a combination of settling into the hammock and getting it dialed in as well as getting used to sleeping in a new environment.

[Hones100]

While I only have three nights in a hammock so far, I find that I am sleeping the same amount as I did in a tent...which is to say, I tend to fall asleep easily enough but also wake up more often than when at home. I chalk it up to being in unfamiliar surroundings. I mean, when you have to hang up your food because of bears before going to bed, that has top have SOME impact on how deeply you sleep. That said, I am sooooo much more comfortable in my hammock than in a tent and I haven't even come close to getting the hang just right.

[SnrMoment]

I found that sleeping in an 11' hammock is much better than a 10 footer. I'm not tall, but I'm a lot more comfortable. There was a world of difference when I made the change.

[Cali]

The right hammock makes a world of difference. I have a WB RidgeRunner and it is so comfortable, but I can't sleep well in it. I am a tosser and turner, and just can't seem to get a good nights sleep in it. However, I sleep very well in my ThunderBird and my other gathered end hammocks. Everyone is different. HYOH Good luck to you.

[hutzelbein]

Several thoughts.

1) The problem could indeed be that you have not slept more than 2 consecutive nights in your hammock. There seem to be people who get into a hammock the first time and have no trouble sleeping a night in it. I wasn't one of them. I *wanted* the hammock to work. I found it hugely comfortable and loved the feeling of being cradled and always moving a bit. But the first couple of nights it wasn't easy to fall asleep and stay asleep. I assume it's simply a matter of getting used to sleeping differently, as several people already said. Try to stick with it for more than just 2 nights. The longer, the better. Since I'm not able to hang where I live, I kind of forget how to sleep in a hammock and need to go through the process every time I get the chance to go back to sleeping in a hammock. It helps if you don't put pressure on yourself. Just assume that you won't sleep through the first couple of nights and accept it. Try to focus on enjoying lying in the hammock. In all likelihood, sleep will come eventually. And it will be better, too. Expect to have similar problems when you go back to bed after having slept in a hammock for a longer time

2) As others suggested, it could also be your hammock. I see that the ENO is a pretty short hammock. The website says 9'4". Some people here love short hammocks, but a lot find longer hammocks to be more comfortable. I love my 10' WB Blackbird, but it needs attention to hang it correctly to get a perfect lay. I also found that a longer distance between the trees helps (it sort of gets more elastic). My 11' WL Night Owl is comfortable at most angles. Both hammocks have their own feel. There are also other factors. I had a WB Traveler for a short time, and although the dimensions were pretty much similar to the Blackbird, I couldn't get it to work for me, for whatever reasons. Neither did I like the Ticket to the Moon, which seems to be fairly similar to ENO. The comfort is a combination of factors; length, width, fabric, end style (whipped or channel), maybe even suspension. And then there's also the way of hanging it; suspension style, angle, sag, etc. If you get the chance, try a different hammock. Lots of people here swear by their DIY Table Cloth hammocks. Those are fairly cheap. A simple, no frills hammock from BIAS is cheap as well. If you go with a WL hammock, you'd have no problems to sell it here without a big loss. Same goes for Warbonnet.

3) I hardly dare mentioning it, but some people just don't seem to be made to sleep in a hammock. There were a couple of threads on that topic, but it doesn't get discussed often. Probably because most of those people simply go back to ground.

If weight and bulk is not an issue, maybe just bring a tent and a pad on your trip in addition to your hammock. That way, if you cannot make it work, you can at least get some sleep.