Newb Comfortable, But Cant Sleep

[ettescott]

I've hung a handful of nights at home as well as a couple outdoors and although it's seemed comfortable, I've slept little to none. Started on a Grand Trunk Ultralight and tried out the TrekLight Double, hoping the extra girth and flatter lay would make a difference, to no avail. I've always been a stomach sleeper with a small pillow, and I don't think my legs like anything other than together and straight. I'd still like to make hanging work, though. Any suggestions?

Btw, I've wondered if the foot box of the WBBB, for example, would put my feet more flat, but I think even the flattest lay still elevates my head more than I prefer.

[f k]

I had the same problem. Just give it time. Also if you put the head end a little lower than the feet it may help a little.

[SilvrSurfr]

For some, it's easy to get the "hang" of sleeping in a hammock. For others, not so easy. Depending on how old you are, you probably have a lot of years of experience sleeping in a bed. And as you've figured out, a hammock is not a bed. In my case, there was no "I'd like to make hanging work." I was determined to make it work 'cause I wasn't going to sleep on the ground anymore.

Once you commit, you start out in the back yard and try to get used to sleeping in this way to which you're unaccustomed, in positions you don't like. In a bed, I'm strictly a side sleeper, but found that the only way I could sleep in a hammock is on my back, with my head cocked to one side or the other. This took a couple of years of rolling from side to side like I was in a bed before I figured out what worked for me. Last year I hung a hammock in my house, and have slept in it every night for three months. When I wake up for my morning pee about 5 am, I always crawl back into the bed rather than the hammock. Old habits die hard.

Two hammocks is not a lot of experimentation if you wanna get off the ground. I don't even want to count my hammocks, but have gone from a sturdy hammock like the HH Exped Asym Zip, to stretchy 1.1 nylon hammocks, to polyester hammocks, which I now prefer. Polyester has little to no stretch. Some like a hard bed; some like a soft bed - same with hammocks. Stretch bothers me. As for the head being elevated, that's easily solved. Hang the foot end higher.

When the alternative is sleeping on the hard ground, I'd do everything in my power to make hammocking work. Good luck.

[Canoefor2]

I have a HH Explorer and a WBB XLC and sleep a lot of the time on my side and it works out well. I am normally a stomach sleeper but when it comes to the hammock mostly side. I also will admit that it took me several times to get use to the sleep but I will tell you that I wake up with less sourness then sleeping on the ground. By the way my wife tells me I sleep pretty good as she can hear me from her hammock sometimes.

[TessdaTerrible]

I'm a stomach sleeper(and a noob) also - I still wake up on my stomach/side/curled up sometimes, If describing would do it justice... it's awkward to say the least.

I'm curious about a few things;
Do you have a ridgeline set?
Are you trying to stay in a specific position or are you letting yourself wiggle to comfort?

[SilvrSurfr]

I'm curious about a few things;
Do you have a ridgeline set?

Good question. An adjustable ridgeline on your hammock can really help the learning curve as you try different amounts of sag.

[TimberbeastWaco]

I have found the support ridgeline makes all the differance in the world from location above/below the hammock ends to the amount of curve you have in the hammock.
I also found out with 5 differant hang locations here at the house, Straps over ropes make a huge differance.
I hook my hammock just above the ground, set up my ridge line then pull the support straps with cinch rings placing the hammock stretched to belt high, once in it i'm 5/6 in off the ground, with the straps pulled tight hammock chest high, 8/10 in off the ground.
Also note the length and with of the hammock changes all the listed settings aswell.
I have 5 Grand Trunks from the whisper light to the double, I like the double with the ridge line having just under slack with the hammock hanging like the left side of this letter G, not quite like a banana, in doing this i can move my leg to support other areas or move to my side and still support my legs.
By doing all this I found sleeping pain free and I can still exit the hammock with little work, still working on the exit with no work.
Hope this helps you....When my wife said oh! go sleep with the dog! she did not know the half of it. we both sleep good out back, she is now asking when i will come and sleep inside.

My grand who is 3 wakes up and says "Pa Pa is in the hammock and Kobi is under it, I go wake him up", He comes out and says "where is my papaaaa I reply im not hereerrr, and i get a morning hug and kiss.

Now my question,
Tarp Ridge Line, I lay it in tight, thump tight, my 9x12 tarp diamond shape set up or square, tops secured with prussett knots laied in with 4 turns no slipping, staking my tarp ends to the ground with rock stakes with no effort, not pulling, the tarp sides are tought, now the ridge line has a 2 in dip in the center and the sides are no longer tought and billow in the wind.
Where did i go astray?
TimberbeastWaco

[Floridahanger]

The same hammock can feel different in many ways just by the angle and position you hang it. A SRL will help "fix" the angle aspect of it once you dial it in, adjusting the length until you like it.

Next, the height of head/foot end and your position in the hammock will be another point of difference. A few inches to a foot higher on the foot end works for a lot of folks, but laying closer to head or foot end will also change the feel of the hammock.

Then, your angle of lay difference from the RL from straight inline with the hammock (banana feel) to 90* angle (impossible without a really wide hammock) will again change how you feel in it.

So, get your geometry homework done, or just enjoy the learning curve while keeping in mind what worked and what didn't. Notes do help.

Or, learn the x,y,z plane or yaw, pitch, roll or even the 3D effect of the hammock. Better than a 2 dimensional bed, right?

And you didn't think you would ever need that stupid math in your life after high school.

Next class is fabric style and weave content.......

[VictoriaGuy]

ettescott-
You may find that a different style of hammock (bridge or Ergo) may suit you better.
I only lasted a few minutes in a gathered end hammock - people discuss differences between brands, lengths, etc. but they seem basically the same (too restrictive) to me.
YMMV, etc.

[brokentree]

I've only just started hammock camping so I've been out only about 5 times.

For me it is mostly psychological: my mind has no idea that I want it to sleep since I'm not in my bed. It thinks I'm just relaxing for a bit and just doesn't shut down like it does when I sleep in a proper bed.

Like others have said, just give it time.