Full-time hammock sleeping problems

**Heather-Li** · 09-07-2017, 20:27

I need a full time hammock sleepers help, but first let me give you the details-

For hang details: I am very short and very small. 5'0 tall and 105lbs. The hammock dimensions are 12 ft by 4.9 ft. It is hung 6ft high and the walls are 11ft apart hung at an angle.

I have slept on my stomach and side for my 27 years of life, and I am absolutely addicted to it, but it hurts my entire body. I have tried many methods to train myself to sleep on my back in a bed, and I always wake up on my belly any way. So I bought a hammock, because I heard they would force me to sleep on my back, while at the same time being amazingly comfortable and relieving pressure points. I also just wanted a new lifestyle and to get rid of my unhealthy western style of sleeping. I don't want to be a hunch back.

So I studied all about hammocks, and researched how to hang, and it's hung loose. I lay diagonally. I had 50$ on an amazon card and bought the best brazillion hammock I could afford at that moment (or so I thought). It's a very large double hammock. Here it is:https://hammocksky.com/collections/h...ant=6561447491

but the strange thing is that the person who sells them only has one type of hammock on their website, and offer nothing else. There were tons of bad reviews but I assumed these people weren't laying diagonally or hanging it right, so I tried to have hope, and when it came it looked pretty normal.

Here it is in my room: 20170907_202321.jpg

The hammock stunk like old dust and mildew. I aired it out and got over that problem. At first it hugged me too tight so I kept loosening it. Solved that problem as well..

So here are the problems I can't solve =[

1. It is very hard cloth, and kind of itchy like wool. Even hung loosely it still feels stiff. (Is this normal? Is it optimal for full time sleep?)

2. When I lie down to sleep I feel like my body from my shoulders down feels amazing, and my back feels like it's lying on a cloud, but my shoulders and up to my head feel extremely uncomfortable and I can't find a comfortable place for my arms or head. I have scooted up and down and nothing fixes this problem. I have tried a small pillow, no pillow at all, and a neck pillow. Still the same. Also my head points down and squishes my chin down to touch my neck. I don't want my chin and my neck to touch all night, it makes my neck hurt.

3. This is the biggest problem and what I want to solve most. I wake up every few hours tossing and turning like I would on a hard floor. It just feels like I can't get comfortable. It gives me the strongest temptation in the world to drag my bed back into my room and sleep on it at 3am but I ignore this urge and keep fighting it with no prevail. I want to stay on my back all night and not move an inch.

4. If I do happen to sleep on my side and stomach it hurts my spine and internal organs extremely bad. Is this normal?

5. My last and final problem is that I feel extremely cold even if I wrap myself in thick blankets and wear socks and long pajamas. It feels like I'm outside in wintertime naked.

I can't go back to a western bed. I will sleep on a tatami mat before I do that. I want to solve these problems so I don't have to. I feel like I have changed my entire life by doing this and it makes me feel so good. I just can't go back =[

Am I doing something wrong, is it a bad hammock? or is this all because I am deeply programmed to sleep on my stomach? Any advice at all?

Thank you very much and sorry for the amount of words.

TLDR version: My hammock is hung correctly, and loosely. I am deeply programmed to stomach sleep and want to stay on my back and I toss and turn all night and can't get comfortable, waking up with spine and organ pain. What do I do?

**rweb82** · 09-07-2017, 20:41

Judging by your picture, it looks like your hang angle is a bit off. You should shoot for more of a 30° angle from your walls to your hammock. This will reduce some of the sag, and you may find it more comfortable overall. Also, many folks (myself included) prefer to hang the foot end of the hammock 8-12" higher than the head end. This can allow you to achieve a flatter lay- with your head lying closer to the end of the hammock.

That said, you may just find that you don't like that fabric. The good news is there are a ton of quality Brazilian hammocks available- made with excellent cotton. La Siesta is one brand that comes to mind. I'm sure there are others who will chime in with more good recommendations.

Also, you probably need some sort of underquilt for bottom insulation. This will keep you warm all night.

But don't give up on it just yet!

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**TrailSlug** · 09-07-2017, 21:32

I would highly recommend getting either a better hammock like the many available from our cottage vendors made of one of the newer materials that are soft and pleasant to lay in. Secondly that area isn't large enough for that hammock nor any other longer more comfortable hammocks. You can also make your own hammock and they aren't that expensive at all. Like this kit:
http://www.makeyourgear.com/kits-and...s-hammock-kit/

**Phantom Grappler** · 09-07-2017, 22:05

Is that actually 12 feet of hammock length--or 12 feet from carabiner to carabiner?
Plus what rweb and TrailSlug said.
What is the distance from wall attachment to the other wall attachment?
Good luck and if it doesn't work try again with another hammock--and if that doesn't work, there are bridge hammocks that have a flatter lay.

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**Baka Dasai** · 09-07-2017, 22:12

Just want to reinforce what rweb82 said. His advice is solid.

Try a different hammock. I only have experience with standard gathered end hammocks made of nylon. I sleep in mine one or two nights a week at home. If I was single I'd probably sleep in it more often, maybe every night.

Here's an example: https://dutchwaregear.com/11ft-netless.html Longer is more comfortable, but 11' should be plenty long enough for a 5' person.
Cotton would be a nicer material than nylon for indoors, and I'll probably make a cotton hammock for this purpose if I can find a big enough piece of cotton. (Making hammocks is easy - it's just a rectangle of fabric). But the nylon is ok, and it can be thrown in the washing machine and will dry very quickly.

Warmth - sounds like you need an underquilt. Here's an example: http://www.hammockgear.com/incubator-40/

I can't sleep on my stomach in a hammock, but I can sorta sleep on my side - it's really a 45 degree, half back, half side position.

**Heather-Li** · 09-07-2017, 23:06

Rweb82- I will try to change the angle soon, but I hung it saggy on purpose because it was way too stiff
I can make the foot end higher just by removing some of the chain links, so I will try that

Trailslug- if that area isn't large enough, then are you saying if I make my own the area will be fine as long as I make it smaller?

Phantom grappler- yeah the actual hammock is 12 feet long from loop to loop, and the carabiners and chain links are about exactly 15 inches each. The distance from wall attachment to wall attachment is 11 feet. I figured since I was hanging it at 6ft tall that wouldn't matter?

Should I get a smaller hammock?

Baka dasai- Are the nylon ones softer and easier to stretch out your arms in?

**Tikker** · 09-07-2017, 23:14

if you want a nice brazilian hammock without breaking the bank, Vivere makes really pretty decent ones, in a variety of fabrics

hammocking is hard to explain, easier to show. most of what you'll find here is more camping hammock oriented, although quite a few have converted to full time hammock sleeping

Another option would be to try a mayan style hammock

it's woven style, and in a lot of ways more form fitting style of hammock
https://www.amazon.com/Hammocks-Rada.../dp/B015X6OYYS

some folks love them, and they've been used as every night sleepers by millions for hundreds of years, so there's obviously something to them

and in general longer hammocks are much more comfortable than shorter ones

**DigitalDoc** · 09-07-2017, 23:30

I dealt with the warmth issue by clipping a blanket loosely underneath my hammock with some tarp clamp clips. I got 20 of them for $9.99, You only need 8, so you could spend less. With that, and a blanket hung over my ridgeline (2' above me) I'm toasty all night.

**Singingcrowsings** · 09-07-2017, 23:44

I sleep in a Mayan hammock full time. I've laid in a Brazilian hammock, and didn't find it itchy, but I do find them a bit too stiff for my liking (I prefer a softer bed, and so prefer more stretch to my hammocks). The feet higher thing, hasn't really applied to my Mayan, not like my nylon one, and my friend with Columbian hammocks, who is Columbian never hangs her hammocks with one side higher. Columbians are almost exactly the same as Brazilian ones (don't tell her I said that).

For warmth, you will probably need something underneath. Even if it's a fleece, or Costco duvet that could be good enough for where you live.

How much of a diagonal are you sleeping at? Try changing that.

You're going to have to take some time and find the sweet spot on your hammock - you'll feel it when your butt sinks into it when you sit down, and will learn to find it automatically. You are not going to have a good night's sleep if you are uncomfortable from the get go, so find he spot and then find the diagonal that best fits you.

You might even want to try hanging outside to find the right amount of sag that you, a person of your height with your sleeping style, finds it comfortable, including your head. Or try changing the carabiner to the chain links above the one you have it at. I have found an inch can make a huge difference in experience. BUT once you get it right, you will always know.

I know with Brazilians you want more of a 45˚ hang angle, not the typical 30˚ that the nylon gathered ends suggest. You might need more sag to help with that head situation, which might require you installing your eyehooks higher. And no, it's not normal to have your organs and back hurt, just the opposite.

Sometimes it is just about getting the right hang, and sometimes it's about getting the right hammock. I hope its the former for you.

This might help:
https://www.hammockforums.net/forum/...-first-attempt

And so might this:
https://theultimatehang.com/hammock-hang-calculator/