Abdominal cramping

[Chop]

I have noticed that in the last couple months, I wake up in the morning with an upset gut.

Now I typically have to head for the morning constitutional first thing, but I think part of my arm positioning through the night contributes to some of the particular uncomfortable feeling I have.

At first I thought this was something about laying in a hammock because the cramping is worse than in a bed. But it was tricky to pin down.

Now I think that from mostly sleeping in the cool outdoor air in my hammock over the past 10 years, I have unconsciously developed the habit of tucking my arms along my sides which has my elbows pushing into my sides/gut. I am thinking out loud that this is causing extra pressure in my gut.

Anyone else bothered by something similar?

I feel like I need to reprogram my arms to go across my chest or something to fix this.


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[WV]

Sorry to hear that, Chop. I was recently bothered by shoulder squeeze for the first time since coming up with my People's Bridge Hammock. This hammock has had over a hundred nights use. I knew that the particular geometry of the PBH puts more stress on the fabric at the narrow knee ridge, and that causes not just stretch, but creep, i.e. "non-elastic stretch distortion". I wondered if the shoulder area was also stretching and not springing back, so I measured it and compared the numbers with my drawings for this hammock. Sure enough, it was wider than it used to be, by an inch or two. I compensated by lengthening my head spreader (I use trekking poles), and that fixed it. For the knee area, I sewed a strap from one edge to the other, pulling the narrow part in. That worked, too. Now, that's all relating to bridge hammock design, so it may not be a factor for you if you're using a gathered end hammock, where the fabric allows more adjustment of body position. I know Shug has said that he tends to sleep in the same position most of the time, and it's something bridge hammock users often learn to do, too. Hammocks do such a good job of distributing forces on the sleeper's body that there isn't as much need to shift position during the night for comfort. I've been trying to unlearn my habit of sleeping in the same position, even though modifying the hammock seems to have solved my knee and shoulder issues. I think your idea of reprogramming how you sleep is good. The bigger the hammock, the easier it is to try a new position. That may be more true of bridge hammocks than gathered end hammocks, though. Length is more important than width, I think. Good luck.

[TrailSlug]

I'm amazed at how many of you guys try to sleep in a hammock full time. Get a nice mattress and get comfortable. If your hammock sleeps better than your bed you need a new bed.

[WV]

If your bed sleeps better than your hammock, perhaps you need a new hammock.

[Chop]

Sorry to hear that, Chop. I was recently bothered by shoulder squeeze for the first time since coming up with my People's Bridge Hammock. This hammock has had over a hundred nights use. I knew that the particular geometry of the PBH puts more stress on the fabric at the narrow knee ridge, and that causes not just stretch, but creep, i.e. "non-elastic stretch distortion". I wondered if the shoulder area was also stretching and not springing back, so I measured it and compared the numbers with my drawings for this hammock. Sure enough, it was wider than it used to be, by an inch or two. I compensated by lengthening my head spreader (I use trekking poles), and that fixed it. For the knee area, I sewed a strap from one edge to the other, pulling the narrow part in. That worked, too. Now, that's all relating to bridge hammock design, so it may not be a factor for you if you're using a gathered end hammock, where the fabric allows more adjustment of body position. I know Shug has said that he tends to sleep in the same position most of the time, and it's something bridge hammock users often learn to do, too. Hammocks do such a good job of distributing forces on the sleeper's body that there isn't as much need to shift position during the night for comfort. I've been trying to unlearn my habit of sleeping in the same position, even though modifying the hammock seems to have solved my knee and shoulder issues. I think your idea of reprogramming how you sleep is good. The bigger the hammock, the easier it is to try a new position. That may be more true of bridge hammocks than gathered end hammocks, though. Length is more important than width, I think. Good luck.

Nice to see that small but not insignificant tweaks have helped your setups.

I find myself not moving too much during the night either, as opposed to bed or inflatable mattress on the ground sleeping, where I toss in turn a pile of times.

Occasionally I get leg cramps , more so at the beginning of long hikes, but also in off trail life as well and those are something that has plagued me since I was 9 years old.... regardless of what surface I slept on/in. In preparation for our CDT hike starting at the end of the week, I have packed in some magnesium pills into the first month of resupply boxes and will see if that aids me much.

I agree that hammock length plays a big role in comfort, and do love my 12’ hammock though I find it less than ideal for thru hiking.


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[WV]

Have a good trip. Will there be trail journal for this hike? I enjoyed following your AT and PCT through hikes.

[Chop]

Have a good trip. Will there be trail journal for this hike? I enjoyed following your AT and PCT through hikes.

Thanks, this page will have all posts as we update the journal:


https://www.longdistancehiker.com/al...il-2020-posts/


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