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  1. #1
    Registered User drifters quest's Avatar
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    Default hip/butt pain while sleeping on side?

    Not quite sure where to put this, but I have a problem when I sleep on my side. After about an hour of sleeping on my side the gluteus muscles hurt. I don't know how to explain it but I guess it's a dull ache. If I switch to my other side after a while it feels the same. I'm not very comfortable sleeping on my back or stomach so this is a major concern spending all the time on a sleeping pad during a thru. After a couple nights the pain doesn't go away during the daytime and immediately appears again when laying on my side. There have been a few times I haven't had the problem, but I don't know what it is or how to prevent it. Is it something I can prevent by stretching? Sleeping a certain way? Any advice is appreciated!

  2. #2
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    Are you maybe sore from hiking all day?
    How thick is the pad you are using?
    Is it inflatable?
    Ever consider Hammocks? This one is like opening Pandoras box but comfortable for many.
    Maybe practice at home on the floor starting on the carpet and move to harder floors.
    Take Mp3 player to listen to between sleeping until you acclamate.

    Side sleepers do have a harder time adjusting. Mummy bags seem to keep you warmer flat on your back as well(less drafts).

    Most side sleepers find 2"+ thick pads help.

    Good night.
    "Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees." Karle Wilson Baker

  3. #3

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    I am a side sleeper and switched to a BA inflatable, this really help my hip pain. Good luck!

  4. #4
    Registered User drifters quest's Avatar
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    I have an REI lite-core 1.5 inflatable sleeping pad which FEELS comfortable, but I still get the pain, will be sore even if I don't hike out. I haven't thought about using a hammock, I do a lot of Winter camping and am a cold sleeper, plus I have a dog, so I don't think a hammock would work well for me. That is a good idea to try adjust.

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    When I sleep on my side on the gouund I can tell it is not as warm. I think the extra hight of shoulders and hips tends to increase the drafts due to chimney effect of wider shoulders.

    Another thought is that if your pressure points getting cold due to sqeezing the loft out of the pad. Try adding an additional thin closed cell pad under the problem areas.
    "Today I have grown taller from walking with the trees." Karle Wilson Baker

  6. #6
    Registered User drifters quest's Avatar
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    I actually had the opposite experience! I was warm on my side, but my core got cold when I switched to my back.

    Is this the pad you are talking about mongoose? http://www.rei.com/product/763914?cm...:referralID=NA

  7. #7
    The trail is childhood reborn. Simple, carefree, and full of Wonders Captn's Avatar
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    I suggest one of two things ...

    More padding ... such as a 2.5 inch inflatable .... or a hammock.

    I struggled with this for years and finally just bit the bullet and bought a hammock.

  8. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by Captn View Post
    I suggest one of two things ...

    More padding ... such as a 2.5 inch inflatable .... or a hammock.

    I struggled with this for years and finally just bit the bullet and bought a hammock.
    I have the same problem as drifters quest. I bought a Big Agnes Air Core Mummy pad and I used (and sometimes use) a closed cell foam pad on top of it in cold weather for insulation. I thought about getting the BA insulated pad but realized that if it went flat I would be neither comfortable nor warm. If I get a flat with the BA non insulated pad the ccf will still keep me warm at least.
    Then I discovered hammocking, and when hiking alone or with someone else who prefers to tent or hammock alone I always bring my hammock unless I'm near or above treeline. I have a couple of pics here taken by Sasquatch 2014 of my winter hammock/tarp setup.
    Here's one:
    http://whiteblaze.net/forum/vbg/show...searchid=28711
    Last edited by Tinker; 12-06-2009 at 23:39. Reason: added link
    As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

  9. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by drifters quest View Post
    I actually had the opposite experience! I was warm on my side, but my core got cold when I switched to my back.

    Is this the pad you are talking about mongoose? http://www.rei.com/product/763914?cm...:referralID=NA
    Yep! That's it, best sleep i've had on the trail! I previously used a Thermarest self inflate, 1.5
    Last edited by Mongoose2; 12-06-2009 at 22:51. Reason: clarification

  10. #10
    Registered User drifters quest's Avatar
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    I think my dad has something pretty similar, i'll ask him to try it out when I head over there for Christmas break. Fortunately the price is pretty reasonable! The thermarest 1.5 I believe is pretty much the same as the one I have so hopefully it will works out. Thanks!

  11. #11
    Hike smarter, not harder.
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    I did, until I got a POE Max Thermo (now the Ether Thermo 6) about 5 years ago.
    Con men understand that their job is not to use facts to convince skeptics but to use words to help the gullible to believe what they want to believe - Thomas Sowell

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    Registered User Elder's Avatar
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    I agree with the thicker padding.
    Also try, as I have found, that putting an inflatable neck pillow, or a pad 3-4" thick between my knees changes the angle of my hips and relieves the pain..

  13. #13
    GA --ME; and then some... Okie Dokie's Avatar
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    My take on the pain is twofold: ...first, you're sleeping on harder surfaces than you're used to at home...second, you're sleeping deeper after a day of exertion....in combination, you're wakened less often due to the need for deep sleep, and when you do you find that that the muscles that are begging for a new sleeping position have gone well past where they would have prompted you, probably without waking, to roll over before...thicker pad, probably...or just adjusting to the lifestyle and going with it...if it's not major pain I wouldn't worry about it...if it's keeping you up at night after you wake up try a few different things till you see what works...I'd bet that after a few weeks of being wakened by stiff or compressed muscles your body will adjust on its own and you'll roll over in your sleep to relieve them without waking up....
    We shout out "I exist!", and it stirs not the slightest sense of obligation from the universe...

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    Registered User Toolshed's Avatar
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    I get the same pain...
    4 things worked for me (in order of relief provided):
    1. Change to a Hammock - Instant relief
    2. Ibuprofen - 600 mg before sleeping
    3. Double up on your sleeping pads. At least 3 inches
    4. Pillow between your knees to stabilize your pelvic (Harder to do in a sleeping bag)
    .....Someday, like many others who joined WB in the early years, I may dry up and dissapear....

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    This is one of the reasons that the NeoAir is (as far as I can see) the clear winner as "cool new gear for 2009" --- a 2.5" thick inflatable that's substantially light and has at least some R-value (thermal insulation). Expensive, and perhaps not the most durable pad available, but there are always trade-offs!

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    I put a folded up shirt between my knees, seems to help, doesn't fall out too often, easy to reposition. In my experience, if you hike for longer times, like a week or more, your body gets used to the new sleeping arrangement and it feels better. Kinda weekend warrior situation. Just was on boy scout weekend, same kinda dull ache in my hips, even with TR camp rest pad used.

  17. #17
    LT '79; AT '73-'14 in sections; Donating Member Kerosene's Avatar
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    I also never sleep well the first 3 nights out on a section hike.

    As a side-sleeper, I'm amazingly comfortable sleeping in a hammock, but I haven't pimped up my gear to allow me to sleep comfortably below 50F. I used a shortie NeoAir this past trip and really loved it.
    GA←↕→ME: 1973 to 2014

  18. #18
    Registered User drifters quest's Avatar
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    The hammocks sound very comfortable, but I do a lot of cold weather camping (Winter in mountains in Wyoming= too cold!) and since my dog will be with me a lot, that might be difficult with a hammock.
    I'll try the BA pad since it seems like the cheapest option (asides bringing an extra pad, which if I can cut down on weight that would be ideal!). I'll also try it for a few nights, maybe it will go away. Thanks for your help!

  19. #19
    Registered User Ladytrekker's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by drifters quest View Post
    Not quite sure where to put this, but I have a problem when I sleep on my side. After about an hour of sleeping on my side the gluteus muscles hurt. I don't know how to explain it but I guess it's a dull ache. If I switch to my other side after a while it feels the same. I'm not very comfortable sleeping on my back or stomach so this is a major concern spending all the time on a sleeping pad during a thru. After a couple nights the pain doesn't go away during the daytime and immediately appears again when laying on my side. There have been a few times I haven't had the problem, but I don't know what it is or how to prevent it. Is it something I can prevent by stretching? Sleeping a certain way? Any advice is appreciated!
    I am a side sleeper and have the same hip issues while sleeping. So I invested in a Neoair mattress, costly but has sure changed the sleeping issues for me. The best way to use it is to blow it up and then lay down on it and adjust the air it will actually conform and mold to you body. I really like it so far. I am just hoping it holds up. I pair mine with a foam pad just make sure things don't poke thru the floor of the tent and the air in it does not get cold.
    If you can’t fix it with duct tape or a beer; it ain’t worth fixing

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    I had the same issue until I hit upon using a cheap blue foam pad with a Pacific Outdoors blow up mat (like the current Ether series, see http://www.pacoutdoor.com/splash_pdf...ing_pads09.pdf).. Got mine on sale. The PO pad rolls to the size of a 1-liter bottle and the blue mat weighs very little. I use the 3/4 length of both since I curl up to sleep.

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