The 284th thread on sleep

[GA_Windbreaker]

Looking for something to help me sleep a little better. My problem isn't that I am worried about a bear of the boogeyman coming for me in the night, but my problem is that I have grown accustomed to sleeping with the constant and repeating sound of an oscillating fan at night. I can't fall asleep in my own bed well without it. In the woods, or even in the backyard I tend to focus on listening to the sounds; be they the wind, something walking in the leaves, road noise, sirens, etc. My brain will focus on those sounds instead of falling asleep. The only thing I have found that has helped somewhat is a white noise app on my iphone, but earbuds aren't the most comfortable things to sleep in. Those of you who use melatonin as a sleep aid, what dosage do you take? 5mg or 10mg?

[Venchka]

A wee dram of multi-purpose Maker's Mark might work.

Wayne

[GA_Windbreaker]

A wee dram of multi-purpose Maker's Mark might work.

Wayne

Partial to Woodford, but with alcohol, I will sleep good for a couple of hours, then wiiiiiide awake.

[Slo-go'en]

I need near total silence to sleep. Fans, air conditioners, traffic noise, babbling streams, snoring, rain on a tin roof or tent and wind keeps me up. But then, I'm so tired I eventually fall asleep anyway.

[Puddlefish]

Bigelow Sweet Dreams tea. Best stuff on earth. Calms those racing/distracting thoughts. Might work for your focusing on sounds. might not. It might be a placebo mental effect, but I've convinced myself it works and it's ingredients are harmless.

Booze irritates the bladder, you might get to sleep quicker, but you're guaranteed to be awake that much quicker too.

[hubcap]

A good day of hiking, tons of fresh air... sleep like the dead.

[ralph23]

A good day of hiking, tons of fresh air... sleep like the dead.

Not especially helpful given people on this forum are generally hiking...outdoors.

I also have trouble sleeping even though I push very hard for many miles and am completely exhausted by the end of the day. I have found a pillow, an inflatable mattress, and some Benadryl usually helps but it's still an issue. Another thing that helped was using my bag like a quilt. The increased freedom of movement helped with comfort.

[jimmyjam]

I rarely sleep well the first few nights out. But after that I'm usually out like a light every night.

[illabelle]

I find it difficult to sleep with the noise of TV or voices or similar sounds. But I LOVE the night sounds of nature. In the summer especially when the frogs and crickets and other night creatures are singing chirping bellowing and croaking, it is music to the soul. I keep the window at least cracked even in the winter just for the night air and sound of wind or rain.
It's strange how different we all are.

[NJdreamer]

I use very soft CVS brand ear plugs. You might want to try them. Other ear plugs are uncomfortable for me, but not these. If you shop for them, they are green. I find they help to muffle the sounds of loud crickets and one time, what sounded like birds attacking each other, and an owl flying around during the night over my tent.

[MuddyWaters]

Earplugs

I can sleep with constant white noise like you

But random noise, voices, etc stimulates my brain. It looks for sound patterns to put together, and keeps me awake, whether I want it to or not.

[Busky2]

I went to sleep to music for over 45 years and with no music on the trail I used ear plugs at home and also allowed no light in my bedroom, slept on the floor to get in the right frame of mind. I adjusted quickly before hitting the trail. I had no trouble sleeping and spend most of my time on the trail alone away from the bubbles when tenting or sheltering.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Looking for something to help me sleep a little better. My problem isn't that I am worried about a bear of the boogeyman coming for me in the night, but my problem is that I have grown accustomed to sleeping with the constant and repeating sound of an oscillating fan at night. I can't fall asleep in my own bed well without it. In the woods, or even in the backyard I tend to focus on listening to the sounds; be they the wind, something walking in the leaves, road noise, sirens, etc. My brain will focus on those sounds instead of falling asleep. The only thing I have found that has helped somewhat is a white noise app on my iphone, but earbuds aren't the most comfortable things to sleep in. Those of you who use melatonin as a sleep aid, what dosage do you take? 5mg or 10mg?

How many nights in a row do you hike? I ask because never sleep well the first few nights and can't find anything that fixes this, but after four or five nights by body gets used to the changes in environment and I sleep like a rock.

When I occasionally use melatonin i use 3-5mg, but don't take that as an educated recommendation, it's just what was available when I bought it.

[greensleep]

Melatonin nor valerian has ever worked for me and Benadryl will work, but leaves me feeling "hung over" and groggy in the am. A good book on my kindle, ear plugs, and a warm sleeping system does it for me if exhausted physically, but just the sound of rain can do it too.

[johnnybgood]

Start by hiking as for as you can into the evening before stopping for the night . A tired body and mind makes sleeping easier.

Also, try eating a meal rich in carbohydrates to help your muscles recover from the days workout. This will replenish and reset the body's glycogen levels. The secondary reaction to eating a carb based meal before bedtime is the body's own natural release of melatonin , a sleep induced hormone that will begin sending fatigue signals to neurotransmitters in the brain a few hours after consumption. By this time you should be getting ready to hit the hay.

The other thing I suggest is a sleep system that helps give your body the proper rest it needs . I have a NeoAir sleep pad which is inflatable. I can adjust the amount of inflation depending on my preference. I find that spending money on a good nights sleep to be worth the price in preparing for the next days hike.

[rocketsocks]

Get a pillow speaker

[LittleRock]

How many nights in a row do you hike? I ask because never sleep well the first few nights and can't find anything that fixes this, but after four or five nights by body gets used to the changes in environment and I sleep like a rock.


Start by hiking as for as you can into the evening before stopping for the night . A tired body and mind makes sleeping easier.

Basically sums it up for me. I try to hike until I'm completely exhausted the first few days, then my body adjusts.

[Traveler]

Earplugs

I can sleep with constant white noise like you

But random noise, voices, etc stimulates my brain. It looks for sound patterns to put together, and keeps me awake, whether I want it to or not.

I have the similar trait. White noise allows me to sleep pretty well in hotel rooms (keeping the AC fan on for example), but random noises, snoring, talking even in whispers, dogs scratching, casual light movement, things that step and stop (deer, etc), wake me almost instantly. Finding a place to be apart from others really helps, but as others have mentioned, the first night especially can be difficult to sleep due to tired muscles and mind that is still working at a furious rate in a complex environment. Soft earplugs and Tylenol PM seem to help, but after the first night I tend to sleep much better, though still away from people.

[DuneElliot]

I sleep with a fan also but have no problem sleeping with woodsy sounds. You need to train yourself to sleep without the white noise, even if that means using Benadryl or Nyquil to start with, although your body adapts to them very quickly and when you stop taking them you'll find yourself struggling to sleep again.

Substitute melatonin is NOT a sleep aid and is not recommended for such things. Melatonin is what your body naturally produces when it starts to get dark in order to make you sleepy:
"Melatoninhttp://empoweredsustenance.com/melatonin-is-bad-for-you/
Melatonin is not a sleeping pill per se, but a hormone that occurs naturally in the body, and is secreted as light fades at the end of the day. Rather than acting like a sedative, putting us under and keeping us there, it acts more like a sleep trigger, controlling when we go to sleep and when we wake up. Melatonin effectively acts as your body's time clock. (For example, as we age, melatonin levels in our systems decrease; that's why our grandparents always seem to be up all night!)"

http://www.doctoroz.com/article/melatonin-not-magic-bullet-sleep

http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/melatonin-side-effects/faq-20057874

http://empoweredsustenance.com/melatonin-is-bad-for-you/

I would also suggest soft ear-plugs. I personally can't sleep with them in...I hate anything in my ears...but many people swear by them

[swisscross]

I don't sleep well in the woods or at home.
I sleep with a ceiling fan and a cpap.
Both make noise but I don't notice it much anymore, that is until it is not there.

If you like your white noise try earplugs. While wearing earplugs my breathing alone creates white noise.

Lately I have been taking a small radio out with me and it tends to help settle me down so I can fall asleep easier.
I like the Sony SF-84. Weighs practically nothing.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-SRF-S84-Compact-Walkman-Fontopia/dp/B000MSYFW4

[evyck da fleet]

Pretty much all of the above. Hike all day to tire myself out. Eat a couple hours before bed. Have a snack after dinner to replenish and give me food coma. Retire to my tent and put earplugs in to fall asleep.

If I haven't tired my self out, I have a mp3 player that I will listen to for a few hours before crashing. I carry a dual port charger so I can charge my iphone and the mp3 player at the same time when I hit town.

[New England Guy]

I have struggled with this in the past. I like audio books downloaded to my phone. If the ear buds bother you, use the internal speaker on the phone, and turn the volume to a level that you can hear it, but your neighbors can not. The more boring the book, the quicker I fall asleep! Also, I find I can't sleep with out a down pillow, so I stuff my down jacket into a fleece lined stuff sack. Being comfortable with your sleep system is key, try to replicate your home situation as close as you can. If you sleep on a pillow top mattress with high thread count eygiptian cotton sheets and over stuffed down pillows at home, don't opt for a hammock or thin ground pad. I will sacrifices ounces for my 3.5" thick Q-Core SL.