Sleepless night

[Chesapeake]

Last night my 4yo daughter came into our bedroom after we put her to bed and said she didn't feel good and wanted to sleep with us. Since I've slept in a hammock full time for quite a while now, there was plenty of room for her in our queen size bed, just her and her mom. So we thought. At 2am I felt a *tap tap tap* on the top of my head. It was my little one, wanting me to sleep in the bed with her since her mom had to move to the couch because she couldn't sleep with our daughter constantly kicking and rolling under her lol. I naturally obliged, and for the first time in nearly 7 months I attempted to get comfortable in this awful contraption called a bed. I don't think I actually fell asleep all the way and when I got up with the alarm at 630, I felt as if I had been hit by a truck! My hips, lower back, both shoulders and neck all felt cramped, stiff and broken, My left arm had fallen asleep and was now doing the pins and needles thing from finger tips to arm pit and my eyes felt as if they were full of sand. How did I ever sleep in one of those evil torture devices? I literally feel like I was in a head on collision with a train. I love my daughter to death, and I would do anything for her, but next time I think we will share my hammock lol. How does everyone else sleep in a bed after being soooo comfortable in a hammock? Maybe I'm spoiled since I sleep in one full time, but still , I don't know how I will ever switch back to a bed at this point. What's the trick? Or do you just deal with it and long for the next night in your hammocks?

[pgibson]

Or do you just deal with it and long for the next night in your hammocks?

Yes.

[Perpatater]

I spend a lot of winter nights fantasizing about camping in my hammock. My bed is pretty comfy, but my hammock is just dandy!

[Chesapeake]

Our bed is comfy too and I can lay in it with no problems, but as soon as I try to sleep in it, it turns into some weird midevil torture device lol.

[Trail Runner]

What's the trick? Or do you just deal with it and long for the next night in your hammocks?

I've been sleeping in a hammock full-time for 2+ years but I do sleep one or 2 nights a week at the GF's and I've resorted to using Zyquil when I do. I have the metabolism of a racehorse so that only gets me thru half the night. The rest of the night is switching positions every hour.

[TrailSlug]

I just don't get it. For you married guys that do not sleep with your wife - is your sleep more important than the other parts of a marriage? Although my hammock is comfortable I can't wait to get back from trip to crawl into bed with my wife and snuggle no matter how comfortable my hammock is.

[StandingBear]

I have a sleep number bed and drop it way down to have a slight arch. Reminds of my hammock.

[Latherdome]

This is the only downside I can think of to full-time hammock sleeping: beds don't work anymore, which is sometimes inconvenient. I slept poorly in beds for decades, not knowing how much better sleep could be until I switched to hammocks. But now attempts to go back to bed (such as when I travel) are just awful. I'm making an ultraportable free-standing stand in carbon fiber (costing small fortune) to remedy. Still, beds more expensive.

As for conjugal relations, hammocks are awesome for snuggling and more. And I can manage in bed for the duration, too. But when it's time to actually sleep, well, it's off to the hammock. Everybody sleeps better.

I wonder whether we're on the verge of a sleeping culture shift. Hammocks have been around for a long time, of course, but never taken seriously in industrialized societies as bed alternatives, at least outside of hot tropical regions. The re-discovery of the comfort of gathered-end hammocks (no spreaders) and BOTTOM INSULATION "technology" seemingly pioneered by campers in only the last decade... Will we see a mainstreaming? Consider what people pay for high-end mattresses and beds, there's certainly room to streamline, package and sell full-time sleeping hammock setups to demographics beyond the enthusiast early adopters here.

[Chesapeake]

I agree with Latherdome, I don't mind being in the bed at all and often do start my night in it. But when adult time is over and its time to get some serious sleep BC the alarm is gonna go off in a few hours, into the gathered end I go. Its right next to the bed so I'm still close by and all, I just can't sleep in it. AT ALL. Some nights I'll try if I don't have to get up early the next day but it always ends with the same result : me in serious pain lol. My wife is understanding and respects me at least trying every once and a while. She is a very light sleeper so I would always wake her up with my tossing and turning before I switched. Now she sleeps better too so its a win-win. And you know what they say : happy wife = happy life lol. And its soooo true!

[Scarecrow]

If I happen to sleep in the bed, it's because I was too lazy or tired to fuss with setting up the TD stand for the night. And that decision made out of laziness never pans out very well. I'll toss and turn so much laying on the bed, I feel kinda like a rotisserie, minus the fire/heat. It really only takes one night with that contraption they call a "bed" to remind me to not be lazy, and just set things up. My body will thank me in the morning for it.

Can't chime in on the relationship or kids part of the topic here. I have yet to multiply (fortunately), and I've been single for over 3 years now. Nobody here to interfere with my sleeping situation but myself.