Is there a knack to sleeping in a hammock?

**OutandBack** · 08-30-2016, 12:50

Hello and welcome to the forums. Your comment about your feet being bent up got me wondering if you were laying diaginal enough. I'm a side sleeper and have no issues getting flat on my side.
This picture of my top quilt kind of shows you the approx position you should be laying to get flat. hth

**GadgetUK437** · 08-30-2016, 13:53

Well there's side sleeping and there's side sleeping!
I class myself as a side sleeper in a bed, but I guess it's closer to the recovery position, that ain't never gonna happen in a GE hammock.
Anything close to, and beyond, a foetal position won't work.
It's worth persevering, getting used to sleeping on your back.
Things you can experiment with;

Going slightly on one side, just don't go too far
Small pillow under the neck, not too big
Pillow under you knees
Bending one knee, or the other, into a figure-4 position (both and you'll be doing a frog impression)

**Mchaz** · 08-30-2016, 14:18

Originally Posted by OutandBack

Hello and welcome to the forums. You comment about your feet being bent up got me wondering if you were laying diaginal enough. I'm a side sleeper and have no issues getting flat on my side.
This picture of my top quilt kind of shows you the approx position you should be laying to get flat. hth

Ditto. I am a side sleeper in bed, and I will usually fall asleep on my side in my hammock. Half the time I'll wake up in the morning on my back, but I've also found myself on my side curled up into a ball on colder mornings. My point is that a gathered end is more than a 1 trick pony as far as sleeping position is concerned.

It did take some time to figure out how to manage the fabric, so to speak. I've found butt placement is crucial to getting a flat lay without ridges.

**sidneyhornblower** · 08-30-2016, 18:28

It sounds sort of silly to say it, but I believe you have to practice to learn how to sleep in a hammock. Start with naps or just lounge in it during a Sunday afternoon. Sleeping in a hammock is a learned skill, mostly based on experience giving you the confidence to know what feels good and how to set up the hammock to achieve that comfort repeatedly.

**skater** · 08-30-2016, 18:45

Originally Posted by sidneyhornblower

It sounds sort of silly to say it, but I believe you have to practice to learn how to sleep in a hammock. Start with naps or just lounge in it during a Sunday afternoon. Sleeping in a hammock is a learned skill, mostly based on experience giving you the confidence to know what feels good and how to set up the hammock to achieve that comfort repeatedly.

+1. Don't give up on it. Some people do take to it immediately, but many of us spent more than one sleepless night getting the "hang" of it. Once you adjust, it is very refreshing sleep. You are not necessarily doing anything wrong, but do experiment with the various tweaks described above. You will get there, and it will be worth it.

**zukiguy** · 08-30-2016, 18:56

It's kind of a paradox...I sleep like the dead in a tent or in the bed at home. However, in the hammock I move around quite a bit and wake up several times throughout the night. In the morning however I'm stiff, sore, and groggy on the ground (even the bed at home) but wake up refreshed and pain-free in the hammock. I don't know how it works...it just does.

**Black** · 08-30-2016, 23:21

I pushed myself from an AMOK 3.0, (very comfortable rig) into a gathered end (WBBB XLC) because eventually I want to shed as much gear weight as I can in the future. Took a few nights but I am able to side sleep curled up or flat facing either side.

Start with the mindset that the hammock is not your bed. You work with it and it will work with you. Get the set up right hanging the foot end approximately 12" higher than the head end (not perfect just close enough). Get your hip in the right spot. Make small adjustments to find the sweet spot. Sometimes just moving a leg a few inches balances everything and before you know it you find the position where you are relaxed. It took a while but I’m glad I didn’t give up. I use the gathered end all of the time now. I use a NEMO filo pillow. I could not side sleep without a good pillow.

Hope this helped. Good luck.

**Scarecrow** · 08-30-2016, 23:50

Originally Posted by zukiguy

It's kind of a paradox...I sleep like the dead in a tent or in the bed at home. However, in the hammock I move around quite a bit and wake up several times throughout the night. In the morning however I'm stiff, sore, and groggy on the ground (even the bed at home) but wake up refreshed and pain-free in the hammock. I don't know how it works...it just does.

+1 to all of that. I'm the exact same way.

**SilvrSurfr** · 08-31-2016, 00:16

Originally Posted by sidneyhornblower

It sounds sort of silly to say it, but I believe you have to practice to learn how to sleep in a hammock. Start with naps or just lounge in it during a Sunday afternoon. Sleeping in a hammock is a learned skill, mostly based on experience giving you the confidence to know what feels good and how to set up the hammock to achieve that comfort repeatedly.

+1 to this. I don't think I ever really committed to hammocking until my back went out a couple of years ago. I had to spend over a month in the hammock - I couldn't sleep a full night in my bed without my back hurting. It was sleep in the hammock, or not sleep at all.

Even then, I couldn't get my head right and I often snored in the hammock. How do I know? I would wake up with a sore throat. I never snore when I sleep on my side in a bed. Eventually, sleeping in the hammock became second nature and I stopped snoring.

**Campdavid** · 08-31-2016, 05:48

Takes a few nights to get it right. Be patient, don't focus on sleep. Just relax, read a book, go to your happy place. I side sleep in my hammock at home now almost every night. Comfortably.

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