[pct-l] can't sleep

[Dan Africk]

This may be obvious, but are you warm enough at night, or do you feel cold
most of the time? If so, that could explain both the sleep and the frequent
peeing issue(but I think everyone gets up to pee more often when camping).
Are you reasonably comfortable? Do whatever it takes to keep yourself warm
and comfortable at night- whether that means a thicker pad, improvised
pillow, hot water bottle in your sleeping bag, warmer bag/clothing, etc.
Even if that means a little more weight, it's worth it.

If you're not sleeping in a tent, then getting one might ease your mind
about keeping insects out. If your food is properly stored, away from your
camp, then you have no reason to worry about bears or any other animals.
While I can't speak from experience, it seems that there is very little
reason to worry about immigrants- they have no reason to bother us unless
they want to steal our food or water, and it is unlikely that they could
find and take your food without waking you. If you can't adjust to the
sounds of nature and think of them as pleasant background noise, then a
comfortable pair of earplugs certainly might help(but then you limit your
ability to wake up in the unlikely event that a large animal[human or
otherwise] is in your camp messing with your stuff. Music from an MP3 player
might also help, but I have found that it keeps me awake longer than I
otherwise would be- but at least you are awake enjoying music

How much do you eat before you go to sleep? I find that a big, hot, meal
sometimes makes me sleepy, and helps keep me warm. Perhaps reading a book or
studying maps will distract your mind from your worries, and help make you
sleepy. I would consider medication a last resort, but if all else fails,
its worth a good night's sleep in my opinion.

As a final suggestion, if you're lying awake worrying about what's outside,
then how about going on a night hike to find out? Bring a headlamp, but try
letting your eyes adjust to the dark and hike with your light off if you can
do so safely. It's a cool experience, it might ease your concern about
what's outside, and you may return to your shelter more tired and relaxed.
Also, psychiatrists tell us that when we spend lots of time in our beds not
sleeping, we form a Pavlovian association of that place with not sleeping,
and that can perpetuate the problem. I'd imagine the same would apply to
your shelter/ sleeping bag. Therefore its better to do something else, and
make sure that your shelter and sleeping bag are mentally associated with
sleep and nothing else.




"I've found that I can't get much sleep while I'm on the trail. At most I've
probably had 2 hours a night total, although usually a lot less, and split
up in smaller chunks. I think I'm anxious about the passings critters and
immigrants, at least in Section A where I've been hiking where there's
plenty of evidence of both. I know I tend to listen hard to everything I
hear at night. Should I wear earplugs, take sleeping pills, give it more
time, something else?? Of course that may not be enough either since I tend
to get up half a dozen times to piss, which is something I never do at home.
The sleep thing really sucks because I love being out on the trail during
the day, but the nights may ruin it for me. What's weird is that I don't
feel sleep deprived, but this can't be good, and it could end up being very
very bad. Please throw any and all advice at me, especially if you've had
the same problem and got over it.

Eugene"


-- 
www.hikefor.com/haiti-2010-Dan