Can't fall sleep

[bloomgorge]

i can't believe you slept in ashcan's pile of poop. his is a 10ft hammock and your xlc is an 11ft, maybe you sleep better in a 10ft than 11ft.

i never saw anything on comments about how far your trees are and also feet elevation. you're taller than i am and i like trees about 18ft apart, i also like my feet a good bit higher. i notice if i am between trees less than 15ft apart i sleep horribly. play around with your distance between trees and also your angles. an awesome night in the hammock feels so good in the morning. i'll slumber party at your place if you want.

[Chemguy]

I slept restlessly at first, but now have no problems. I went through a short period of time where I wondered if I could sleep in a hammock at all, and the more I kept thinking that I needed to get to sleep, the less I slept. The solution was to let it go. Once I did that, all was well.

[Chesapeake]

I know its not the best remedy, and should only be used sparingly, but I keep a few melatonin or a benadryl or two on standby for those nights where I just cand fall asleep due to stress or not being active enough during the day. One or two low dose melatonin is just enough to help me doze off and its naturally occurring in our bodies. Maybe try that with the above advise and try not to think about it. Also I either watch a movie on my kindle or read and that usually knocks me out in minutes most nights. But for those nights when its late and I just can't do it, the melatonin always seems to help.

[durunner]

I feel your pain. I got my WBB in July. I've had more so so to poor nights of sleep in it than good ones. I've used it a lot of nights, far more in the backyard though. I'm not a back sleeper in a bed, so I know that is an issue. I also struggle with being comfortable in the foot box area. I think it is a problem if I hang too high on that end.

I feel the same way some times. I'm so freaking comfortable and get so frustrated because I just lay there for hours. One night, I basically slept a full 8 hours, so I know I can do it. When I first tent camped, it took me a long time to sleep that way. Finally, I lived in my tent for basically 3 weeks and could sleep well in it after that. I'm hoping eventually the same with happen in my hammock.

[IRONFISH45]

My own theory on this issue is movement while hanging. Our inter ear detects the slightest movement. It is how we keep our balance. It's what tells our brain we are falling.
In a bed or tent we are completely still and the inter ear is quiet and reporting no movement to the brain. In a hammock I can feel my hammock moving from my heart beat.

Try using your hammock tie out to try and stop the swinging.
You can train you mind to ignore this movement simple by sleeping in your hammock a lot. Use what ever you have, back porch basement garage...

Really a interesting theory. I certainly see how you arrived at your explanation.

In my case I think the movement is what knocks me out along with being pain free. I have vertigo, if I do not have some sort of light, I absolutely can not function in total dark anymore, kind of like being in a white out. My brain can not tell up from down. Yet I am just great in my hammock, I love the rocking of the hammock all six motions are great, I love feeling suspended, lighter weight hammocks feel the best to me.

I am wondering if you might have undiagnosed Sleep Apnea. For some people Sleep Apnea shows up only in hammocks, sometimes the breathing problem only shows up after alcohol consumption. Not everyone with apnea is a loud snorer. You might consider having a Sleep Study. un-diagnosed sleep apnea is dangerous. The fix relatively easy. I stop breathing in my sleep often, my brain does not send the message to breathe. I have to wake up to remember to breathe. I think it might be worth your while to find out if there is a physical reason why you are having problems getting back to sleep.

[HalMc]

I have had chronic sleeping issues my entire life, runs in the family. None of us sleep. Restless legs, can't turn off our brains, etc. And now I have sleep apnea to boot. My fitbit says I average less than 4 hours asleep per night. But in the hammock, I at least am not in pain when I wake up. On the ground or in a bed, always pain. I got rid of my bed and sleep full time in a hammock now (with my cpap) and for me, a few things can mess me up. The hammock frame is touchy, sometimes it squeaks like the devil, and that will keep me up.

Sometimes the heat level in my room is just a little too hot or a little too cold. Sometimes I can't get enough of a footbox made. And on and on and on. And always I think "maybe I need to go back to ground/bed" and then I have to spend a few nights in a hotel for work and wooobuddy(tm) I forget that idea quickly. My last hotel trip I woke up with a pinched nerve in my back so bad I thought I was going to just have to pee the bed, I could not get up.

Barely was able to get up, pack, and drive home. Got into my hammock for bed as soon as I could, woke up the next morning with so much relief. I battle the sleep thing daily, I see specialists, etc. And as much as sometimes the hammock frustrates me or I think how nice a bed might feel, it does not take much to remind me why I stopped.

I love the motion of the hammock so for me that is not it, but noise will keep me up, so I sleep with earbuds in with special sleeping music on to help. Oh, and I was always a side sleeper. Even in the hospital when I broke my back, I could not sleep lying on my back. Something about a hammock, 1 in 7 night I will start out on my side, but the rest of the time I just assume the position and boom, I am out.

I think at this point you are overly anxious about it. What about getting in early with the intention of reading or watching some movies or ShugTV on your phone or tablet without thinking about sleeping either way? I know that for me, if I wake up at 3am to pee and realize I need to be up at 6 for work, I'm doomed, I fret and then I never get back to sleep, it is all mental at that point.

If you remove the pressure of actually getting in there and TRYING to sleep, you might do better, and if you wake up, go right back to the book or the Shug and don't try and sleep, try and enjoy the book or videos?

If I could change one thing about me, it would to be able to sleep like a normal human and know what it feels like to be rested. Probably I never will, but I do battle with this demon every day. Those are some of the things that work for me.

[markhait]

WOW! Thanks everyone for all the suggestions! I never thought I'd get this much input for my problem. First thing that I'm going to try to do is hang more....much more. I have a barn and after posting, I took my hammock
out there and tried to find a way to hang in there. Just for convenience and to not have to set up my tarp each time and then dry it out in the garage or basement before putting it away. I have like 4" x 6" vertical beams on the
side walls that I can tie into and then for the other end, I found that I can bring my fiberglass extension ladder close by and have it propped up against one of the trusses. I'll take a picture of it this weekend and post...I thought it was a pretty good idea and its temporary. While I was out there playing around, I wanted to experiment with the angle thing of hanging. I never really understood it and didn't understand what people were saying about grabbing your ridge-line and being able to twist it to make sure there was enough slack. I finally understand that! Mine was always tight as a drum when I was sleeping in it. Possibly that had something to do with my restlessness?....
Come to think of it, I did have one night in my yard that I was able to sleep well and got like 8 hours sleep, but that was only one time...who knows, but I'll keep trying! Maybe even try to get to one of those frozen butt hangs this winter! Thanks everyone! Hey Bloomgorge sounds like a date! I appreciate the offer and maybe we could even convince Ashley to show up...do a weekend camp thing somewhere?...

[tmgnewport]

Whiskey helps..

I was going to suggest benadryl, but whiskey works too. Both work even better.

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[Slack Packhiker]

Bingo! Gotta hang the hammock correctly to get the oh-so-sweet-spot. Nothing compares. I'm comfortable enough even when I just can't get the specs right, but it's pure joy to get a good hang with minimal effort.

[sidneyhornblower]

If you want one more suggestion : when I can't fall asleep in my hammock I quit trying. Instead I tell myself I'll use the time to watch the stars, listen to the night noises and just rest my body. Almost inevitably I find that while concentrating on these other activities I have fallen asleep and it's suddenly morning. Even if it doesn't work and I stay wakeful, it's OK because I'm outside and that's always good.