From the responses here it doesn't sound like it's the problem I'd imagined -- i.e. the lack of sleep building up and wearing away at a hiker's energy over the long haul.
i'm a restless sleeper. like real bad. I try to hike late so i dont go to sleep too early. if i do go to sleep early I will wake up before dawn and sit there with nothing but my thoughts and inner ear ringing and i hate that. If I know i'm goin on a short hike and will have alot of free time before sleep ill try to bring a small book
On my last hike, I woke up in the middle of the night. It was so dark, I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I mean it was completely black. I laid awake for a while wondering if maybe I had gone blind. I eventually decided that I should just turn on the flashlight to check and see if I could still see. But I had had stiffened up so much from hiking the day before (was really out of shape), I couldn't bear the pain of doing a sit-up to reach the flashlight which I had clipped to the ridge of the tent. So I laid there for a very long time trying to decide if I would rather worry about being blind or endure the pain of reaching for the flashlight. Eventually I went back to sleep. In the morning I woke up and I could see (yeah) but I was still sore and it was raining. Not a great night.Originally Posted by Creepwood
Before I found hammock camping I would inevitably be waking up every couple of hours to restore circulation to some part of my body, but time on the trail was still always worth it to me and I wouldn't feel the fatigue until I got back to civilization. (I like side-sleping and that doesn't go over so well on hard surfaces once you've developed wide hips :P
Even tho the first time I slept in my Hennesy Hammock I had some crazy Paralyzed-and-Can't-Scream-Blair-Witch-Project type dreams, it's still been the best sleep I've had outdoors and I love it!!!
I sleep very great from the first night out. Only problem comes with a hard shelter floor (conceded to using a Thermarest, used to do fine with a closed cell pad of some sort). I toss and turn from side to side at home in bed, so that isn't an issue on the trail.
I sleep badly the first night out, but pretty well from that point. I remember the first night of my 2010 thru, camping in the snow in about 20 degree weather, wondering if I had made a mistake, decided to give it a week. I am glad I did. Stomped through snow all the way to the end of the Smokies, but it was worth it in the end. That weather did make a lot of people quit though.
I sleep 10 hours a night when on the trail. I love to sleep.
Panzer
I usually sleep pretty well in the woods after normal hiking days. Hiking should raise your core temperature and your heart rate - when it goes back down it signals your body to sleep If, however, I've done a really big day - or several in succession, my body has a hard time adjusting back down to a sleeping mode and I don't sleep as well - I'm talking about real big pushy days for me now (30 AT miles plus) - I'll be really tired but also sort of restless - like I've had too much coffee or something - it is a strange sensation
Getting to sleep gets easier the longer I'm out. Staying asleep (uninterrupted sleep) is more challenging.
The best I've ever slept are the 2 times I've taken my dog. Somehow, knowing he's there to alert me to anything "real" helps me relax. It really helps to do away with the "What was that!!?" stuff.
Sleeping varies on my section hikes, sometimes sleep like a baby and other times restless. Maybe it is what I coming to the trail with???
Foam earplugs are nice to have, one night in Virginia the bugs were so loud I could scream........so I did and they did not quiet down!
a little nightcap - maybe a little nip of rum helps ease you into dreamland
I have chronic insomnia, that's why my sleep system is so important to me. Sometimes I take a zero just to let my body rest; not because of normal hiking exertion but because of a lack of sleep.
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