Getting A Good Night's Rest In Camp

Getting a good night's rest is essential to enjoying your outings whether you're camping in a luxury RV or a simple tent. For many people it is an after thought, or not thought of at all until they find themselves lying awake tossing and turning for hours and hours, and not knowing why. They kind of assume it will just happen because they sleep at home every night -- more or less. After all, it is a natural thing to sleep when you get tired and the variety of camping activities that are outside our normal day to day routine will probably make you even more tired than usual.  Sometimes when you are over tired it is difficult to sleep.  Moreover, nights in camp may take some getting used to.  You will be in a different environment that you are used to.  Different sights, sounds, and smells; different bed.  You may have other campers much closer to you than even your family is at home.  You may be keyed up by the day's activities or by anticipating what you're going to do tomorrow.

Sleep is not a luxury and is not optional. You will not enjoy your trip much if you're worn out -- and fatigue can introduce extra potential for accidents and injuries. Make sure you are prepared to get a good night's rest. Just because you are tired doesn't mean you're going to sleep well.  In fact, being over tired sometimes make sleep even more elusive. I can't count the number of times I've been dog tired and laid there staring at the ceiling for hours, mostly due to my mind racing -- reliving the day's activities or planning tomorrow's -- or fretting about things I should just forget, at least for the time being!  And that is at home!  It can be even worse in camp.  That is one of the biggest deterrents to getting to sleep:  thinking too much!  It is also one of the hardest things to fix, because the more we think about trying to go to sleep, the more our brains keep us awake.  It is an easy thing to say "clear your mind" but not such an easy thing to do.  That is why time-honored techniques such as counting sheep are effective -- focusing on counting helps you let go of the other more complex and frustrating thoughts and gives you a better chance of falling asleep.  Try to avoid rigorous intellectual activities just before retiring, especially things like arguments or heated discussions that stir up powerful emotions and set your mind (and often your heart) racing.  Sometimes a mild herbal tea or other sleep aid such as valerian or melatonin can also help you to relax, but a camping trip is not the best place to experiment with things you haven't already tried out at home.

Clear your mind of distractions that might keep you awake.  Make sure your campfire is dead out and everything is secure before you hit the sack.  Check to make sure your OHVs or bikes are locked up.  If its windy make sure everything is tied down.  Camping usually provides enough unusual things to disturb your slumber without adding unnecessary worries to the list.  You don't want to realize after you've snuggled into bed that you forgot to turn off the gas on your OHV, left the campfire burning, or left your tool box sitting out to be dampened by rain or dew or to be stolen.  One way to relax is to make sure you have taken care of everything that needs to be taken care of before bedtime.  Make it a habit to turn off the fuel after every ride and to put your tools away every time you use them.

Camping, in a tent or an RV, is a unique experience for most people -- at least to start with. You are in a strange place and a strange bed, with strange sounds and strange smells and you've probably been involved in activities all day long that you don't normally participate in. Unusual activities may result in unusual aches and pains and levels of excitement that can keep you awake.  Take advantage of your favorite pain reliever to help get you past those new ouchies. You may just be "wound up" by the day's activities or thinking about your plans for tomorrow and find it hard to relax. Clearing your mind is essential. If you keep replaying recent events or planning tomorrows activities, you'll have a really hard time getting to sleep. In addition, being in strange surroundings heightens our natural and instinctive fear. Chances are you are perfectly safe, but being in unfamiliar surroundings instinctively puts your body on high alert. Bad weather further exacerbates your discomfort. Fortunately, sleeping in an RV provides most of the comforts of home, but just like sleeping in a hotel, it is different than being at home. Bring along your favorite blankets and pillows if you like and if you have room for them. The more familiar your surroundings, the better you will sleep. Avoid caffeinated drinks and excessive consumption of alcohol after about 2:00 pm. Set the temperature of your RV furnace about the same as the night setting at home. You may find that you need to adjust it a little the first few nights until you find what is comfortable for you and your family in your RV. On hot summer nights you may need to leave some windows and a roof vent open and sleep on top of the covers -- at least until it cools down. You are probably not used to having the kids or grandkids as close as they will be in the RV and they will probably be restless -- and noisy. Do what you can to make their sleeping environment as familiar and comfortable as possible for their comfort and to ensure your own uninterrupted sleep. If the blinds or curtains do not block light from coming in from outside, hang a towel or blanket over the windows to ensure consistent darkness for good sleep. Inserts made from windshield sunshades or cut from reflective bubble-foam insulation such as Reflectix brand are very effective ways to block light and insulate your RV. They help keep it warmer in cold times and cooler in hot times. Light from campfires, other campers, passing vehicles, parking lot lights, and even moonlight will seem brighter and more annoying than at home. Interestingly enough, on moonless nights, it may be much darker than you are accustomed to at home and that is sometimes disturbing. Having a low amperage LED night light may be a comfort in this situation as well as making it easier to find your way to the bathroom, get a drink of water, or to adjust the thermostat.  Try to adhere to your normal routine as much as possible.  The more familiar things feel, the easier it is going to be to get to relax and get to sleep.

Sleeping in an RV. Sleeping in an RV is much like sleeping at home -- or more like in a hotel or motel. You usually have a furnace or heater to maintain a comfortable temperature and sufficient structure to keep out the elements, insects, animals and other potential intruders. You will be sleeping on a mattress or cushions. You may sleep in sleeping bags or ordinary bedding. Choose what will be most comfortable and convenient for you. Initially set the thermostat on the furnace near where yours is normally set at night at home, then adjust it up or down according to your needs. You may find it needs to be higher or lower than at home depending on weather, bedding, and how well insulated your RV is. The number of people may also affect the heat requirements. A number of bodies in an enclosed space can generate a lot of heat.  Follow your normal bedtime routine as closely as possible to give yourself the best chance of getting a good night's sleep. Chances are your schedule isn't going to match what you do at home, especially if you hang out around the campfire at night. Don't stress over it, just do the best you can. If you find staying up past your normal bedtime makes it hard for you to get to sleep, try hitting the sack at your normal bedtime. It may be worth it to sacrifice some social time at night to be more energetic and sociable for the next day's activities. The more you sleep in your RV, the more normal it will become until one day (or night) you will be just as comfortable there, if not more so, as you are at home. If possible, wear the same thing to bed in your RV that you do at home.  If you find your RV mattress isn't comfortable, it can be replaced or augmented with a mattress pad or topper to make it more to your liking.  A good memory foam mattress topper will do wonders for an old, uncomfortable or otherwise inadequate mattress.  They aren't too expensive and are easy to install.

Sleeping in a tent requires significantly more adjustments. Your physical environment will be very different from home, unless you are normally a desert nomad. There isn't much you can do to change your basic physical environment, except be prepared for what you will experience and make yourself and other family members as comfortable as possible. With only the thin fabric or your tent between you and the world you will be far more susceptible to outside sounds and smells -- and weather. The tent itself will rustle in the breeze. You will probably be sleeping on a thin sleeping pad or unfamiliar air mattress. Using foam tiles to cover the floor of your tent will add a little extra padding and insulation to increase your comfort. Camp cots make some people more comfortable, but they still lack the reliable, comfortable, and familiar soft support of a good mattress. Some people find they feel claustrophobic in sleeping bags. If you are one of them, unzip your sleeping bag or use ordinary blankets and quilts. Remember, the more familiar you can make it, the better. Any little breeze may cause the tent to flap enough or nearby branches to make enough noise to disturb your slumber. Insects that may have found their way inside your tent may annoy you throughout the night. Insects and animals outside the tent may make unfamiliar noises that are distressing. Other members of your family that share your tent may be restless and have trouble sleeping and that may disturb your own slumber. Even when sleeping in a tent you and your kids may find having favorite blankets and pillows (and teddy bears!) greatly increases your comfort level and reduces your stress. Much of the discomfort comes from simply not knowing what is going on. When we recognize and understand the unfamiliar sounds and smells, we are less apt to develop unfounded concerns. Our imaginations can quickly turn the rustling of nearby branches by a light breeze into sounds of some monstrous beast about to devour us or our kids or our pets if we aren't prepared for it. While younger children are more likely to overtly show their fear and anxiety, even mature adults can find that "things that go bump in the night" quite disconcerting in unfamiliar circumstances. If you find sleeping in a tent disturbingly uncomfortable, you might want to try some variations, such as a truck-tent in the back of a pickup or sleeping in the car or try camping in your own backyard until you get used to it. If that still doesn't work, take the next step: try an RV. Even a simple tent trailer gets you up off the ground and provides more familiarity, creature comforts, and perceived security than a simple tent, but you still have only canvas between you and much of the world. And don't forget the option to set up your tent in your own backyard and get a few nights "practice sleep" before venturing out into the "unknown". Doing so minimizes the variables and lets you adjust a little at a time to the new sensations. 

Regardless of your camping style, having an adequate bed is essential to getting enough sleep.  For RVs and boats that means a good mattress.  For tent camping it might mean a good sleeping pad.  See my post on Sleeping Pads and Mattresses for additional information.

Pajamas. If you are used to wearing pajamas at home, bring them along. If you are camping in cold weather, you may want to substitute fleece jammies with bunny feet for your regular light weight home wear. The basic rule is still, maintain as much familiarity as possible. In warm weather, stick to the light weight stuff or even wear lighter versions. Sleeping nude may give some relief from excessive heat, but not everyone feels comfortable with this option even at home, let alone when camping. Sometimes summer nights can get quite cool, but I've also seen it stay too hot to sleep all night long. You won't likely be able to run the A/C in your RV unless you are in a campground with electricity and even then there might be restrictions because A/Cs are noisy. Even if you are boondocking and not restricted by formal "quiet hours", you shouldn't run you generator after about 10:00 pm or before 7:00 am. Furthermore, running the generator while you're sleeping could subject you to potential carbon monoxide poisoning from the exhaust and you'll never wake up! Better to find other ways to keep cool at night than risk being permanently cold!  A 12-volt fan can often move enough air to keep you comfortable.  Or just open the roof vent(s) and a window or two.  Opening the roof vent allows hot air (which rises) to escape out the top of the RV, drawing fresh, cooler air in through open (and screened) windows.  Often that is all it takes to create enough of a breeze to keep you comfortable.  Sometimes RV A/Cs are too noisy to run at night -- if not for you inside, it may be too noisy outside for your neighbors.  So even if you have A/C and are in a full hookup campground, you may need to plan for alternate ways to keep cool at night.  One handy trick is to spritz yourself with water from a spray bottle now and then.

Sleeping in your clothing. Some people like sleeping in their clothing while camping, in case they have to make a middle of the night trip to the bathroom or in case of some other emergency or fear of being seen by strangers. Some think they'll stay warmer in their clothing, but that isn't always true. If you do choose to sleep in your clothes, remove bulky items from your pockets before retiring. Lying on your keys or wallet can cause a lot of pain by morning. I once fell asleep sitting in a lounge chair and my wallet cut off circulation to the point that my leg literally would not support me and buckled when I tried to stand up. It was days before I regained full normal use of that leg! For the most part, you will be most comfortable if you are able to dress (or undress) the same as you do at home. Remember, familiarity is your friend. You'll have enough strangeness that you can't change without adding to it by further altering normal behavior. Sometimes sleeping in your clothing actually makes you feel colder. Clothing may cause you to sweat inside a sleeping bag, or you may have already been sweating before you go to bed and your clothes are already damp -- then you get chilled. Damp clothing will leave you cold all night long. Better to take it off, hopefully before it gets more damp wearing it inside your sleeping bag. When sleeping in our RV, I always hang my clothes on convenient hooks in the bedroom so they can air and dry out during the night and where they'll be handy if I have to get up in the middle of the night. When sleeping in a tent, especially in cold weather, I like to roll my clothes up and put them in the bottom of my sleeping bag so they'll be somewhat warm to put on in the morning. Of course, don't try that if your clothes are wet or damp from rain or sweat--hang them out to dry before tucking them inside your sleeping bag.  If your clothes are damp when you go to bed, hang them up inside your tent so they have some chance of drying out before morning.  I promise you won't like putting on cold, damp clothes in the morning.

Sleep aids. There are lots of over the counter and prescription sleeping pills available but I would recommend using them only if you find you simply cannot get to sleep without them and only after checking with your doctor. Of course, if you routinely use sleep medications at home, you should probably continue to use them when you are camping, but I wouldn't recommend experimenting with something new "on the road". If you MUST take something, I would suggest trying a gentle, natural option, such as valerian or melatonin before moving onto to stronger commercial preparations with more potential side affects. If you have serious problems sleeping you might want to contact your doctor for safe prescription medications for future trips. In the unlikely event that something DOES go wrong in the middle of the night, you don't want to be groggy or unable to wake up! Also, you don't want to be experiencing potential side effects for the first time when you're in unfamiliar surroundings and with limited resources to combat them. Plus, you don't want to learn what side effects the medication may have through trial and error in unfamiliar circumstances. Your favorite over-the-counter pain reliever should take care of those pesky aches and pains that come from over-doing unfamiliar activities and make it easier to sleep if pain is keeping you awake. Don't wait for sore muscles to cramp and become very painful. Take something when you first begin to experience discomfort. It is easier to stave off serious pain than try to eliminate it. This is especially true of muscle pain where pain causes tension which causes more pain.  Dehydration can lead to severe muscle cramps so be sure to drink plenty or water or electrolytes.  If you wake up with heat cramps, drink some pickle juice or salt water to replenish your liquid and electrolytes.  We've found pickle juice to be particularly effective, especially if you hold some under your tongue for immediate absorption into the blood stream. It may be just a placebo effect, but it seems that the relief begins instantly with the first taste of pickle brine.

Lighting. If your are sleeping in an RV, close the curtains or blinds. If they do not shut out the light from street lights, traffic, moonlight, or other campers sufficiently, try putting towels or blankets over the windows or putting folding windshield covers between the curtains or shades and the window to block the light. For many years I have made covers to fit all the windows in my RV, made of silvery, reflective bubble-foam insulation. At first I just modified cheap auto windshield sunshades, then I bought a big roll of reflective foam insulation at a big box home center and cut pieces to fit all the windows. This foam is thicker than typical windshield covers and offers better insulation and can be cut to fit each window exactly. Being thicker, it is also a little stiffer and stays in place better. I cut mine so they're just slightly larger than the openings so they fit tightly and stay in place. These covers help keep the heat out during hot summer days, keep heat in on cold nights, and block unwanted light at night or nap time. The light from a full moon, or even just star light may be enough to keep you awake. To me, the moon and stars always seems brighter when I'm out camping. Perhaps because the skies are clearer than they are back home and there is less ambient light from street lights, traffic, and buildings. Keep in mind that any change in lighting, brighter or even darker than you're used to, can make it harder to get to sleep. Moonless nights or camping under a deep forest canopy may be a lot darker than it is at home with street lights and other lights in the neighborhood spilling into your windows. Controlling light inside a tent is a bit more difficult. Many tents have a rain fly that goes over the tent. Although the primary function is to divert direct rain from the main part of the tent, they also provide additional shade from moonlight or other unwanted light. If your tent does not have a rain fly or if you still need more light-blocking than the rain fly provides, try tossing a tarp over the outside of the tent and tying it down or hanging blanket over your sleeping area inside the tent. If it is TOO dark, turn on a small LED flashlight. LED "tea lights" are inexpensive and about the right amount of illumination for a night light. Lightning and thunder can be startling and many people are genuinely frightened by it. You should be pretty safe in your RV, unless you've parked under a tall tree or pole that might attract lightning. If you're in a tent, make sure you have it tied down securely before you retire and are not under or near a tall object that might attract lightning or in a depression or gully that may fill up during a storm. A tarp over the top might help temper the brightness of lightning flashes but you'll pretty much just have to deal with the rumbling of the thunder -- or wear ear plugs. In a pinch, try pulling the blankets over your head like you might have done as a kid. Make sure you stay warm. Nothing will spoil a good night's sleep faster than being cold. Until you know how well your sleeping bag will do in cold weather, keep an extra blanket or two or a second sleeping bag handy in case you get cold during the night. It is not unusual for nighttime temperatures in some mountain and desert areas to drop into the 40s after being near 100 during the day.

Storms. Eventually, if you do more than just a little camping, you're going to get caught in a storm. Sleeping through a storm is largely a matter of preparation. I found myself seriously worried during one very windy night. We were sleeping in the overhead bunk in our little Class C motorhome, which was not stabilized by leveling jacks so the body rolled with every gust. We happened to be parked so the wind hit the left side of the vehicle. The winds were fierce enough and the rocking violent enough that I spent most of the night lying awake and actually planning how we would escape through a roof vent when the RV was blown over onto the side with the entry door! It really was rocking that badly! If our unit had been stabilized by leveling jacks -- or even parked so it was headed into the wind instead of broadside, it would have not been rocked so violently by the winds and I probably would have gotten a better night's sleep. If you own a motorhome, camper, or travel trailer without leveling jacks, consider at least adding stabilizers that will brace the body of the unit against the ground instead of leaving it to bounce on the springs that connect it to the axles. Stabilizing jacks come in a set of 4 for about $40.00 for standard height. Larger ones may be required for big motorhomes and trailers or you may have to set them on sturdy blocks. Scissor jacks are mostly used on travel trailers but can sometimes be adapted to moderate sized motorhomes. They are easier to use since they are permanently attached to the vehicle frame. You will greatly improve the solid feel of the unit and be more likely to sleep through storms. Simply leveling the unit by using leveling blocks under the wheels won't stabilize the body, which will still bounce on the suspension. If a storm is imminent, roll up your awnings and secure them in the travel position before retiring. Head your RV into the wind if possible. Also put away any loose camping gear, like camp chairs and dining flys and tie down any items that are left out. At a minimum, we ALWAYS fold up our camp chairs at night. I've seen more than one chair burned beyond recognition when an evening breeze blew it over onto the smoldering remains of a campfire after everyone had retired. Of course good fire safety calls for making sure your campfire is dead out before your leave it, but I've often seen fires left smoldering at desert camp sites with errant chairs being the only victims. Still, a breeze could easily blow embers against your tent or under your RV or OHV or other vehicle and start a fire, so the best course is to make sure all fires are dead out before you go to bed. If, for example, you go to bed while others hang out around the campfire, put your camp chairs away or at least fold them flat before retiring -- in case the others go to bed without putting out the fire or taking care of your chairs. If you are the last one out, as a courtesy to your fellow campers, make sure all the chairs left around the campfire are folded flat and moved some distance from the fire. A strong breeze might still pick them up, but they are safer than standing up when even a light breeze can launch them tumbling to a smoldering death.

Dealing with storms if you are tent camping is a little more difficult. Tents provide a surprising amount of protection against the elements, but they are still quite susceptible to wind and rain. I've often been surprised how much warmer it is inside a thin nylon tent when it's cold outside. It blocks the breeze and retains a surprising amount of body heat. Gentle rain isn't usually a problem, in fact it can often be quite soothing, but high winds or a downpour can be very disturbing and can have serious consequences. Our kids insisted on sleeping in a tent outside our RV one night -- until it rained, a lot. About 2:00 am they came pounding on the RV door. The tent blown was flat and filled with water and their sleeping bags and clothing were totally soaked. If you are caught in severe weather make sure your tent is securely anchored and your rain fly is in place. If you don't have a rain fly, rig a tarp over the tent so it takes the brunt of the storm. Make sure you haven't set your tent up in a depression where water will accumulate or in the path of runoff from nearby hills or off the roof of your RV or nearby structures. If you can, add a waterproof tarp over your tent and anchor is securely, even if you already have a rain fly. Most tent fabrics are water resistant but rain will wick through or may be driven through by high winds or heavy, steady rain. Heavy canvas tents are more waterproof than their light weight nylon counterparts, but the fabric can still eventually become waterlogged if it rains long and hard enough. Keep your sleeping bags, packs, clothing, and body parts etc away from the walls of the tent as anything that touches the inside will draw moisture through the fabric or collect the moisture that condenses on the inside. Try to pitch your tent where it is as sheltered as possible from wind and rain. If you find your tent isn't providing enough protection, seek shelter in your vehicle. If you are in a developed campground, you may find some respite under canopies over picnic areas or in the clubhouse or a maintenance shed. Be sure to check with the campground hosts before entering any buildings or occupying any unauthorized spaces. If your tent is securely anchored and you have adequate bedding, you should be able to weather all but the most severe storms in relative comfort and surviving a storm will make a great campfire story for years to come.  If you are too uncomfortable in your tent, try sleeping inside your vehicle, if there is room.  Full size sedans, SUVs and pickups usually have room for one or two people to sleep.  You might have to pull you knees up in a pseudo-fetal position in small compact vehicles, but just getting in out of the weather and the flapping of the tent in a storm may be enough to help you make it through the night in relative comfort.  In a real pinch you can run the vehicle for a short time and use the heater to help you dry off and warm up.  Don't let it continue to idle while you're sleeping or you may get exhaust fumes inside that can kill you.

Sleep when the wind blows. I recall the story of a farmer who hired a lad to help out one summer. He asked the boy what he thought was his strongest attribute. The boy said "I can sleep when the wind blows." The old farmer didn't think much of that whimsical response and thought the boy was just being flippant or arrogant until several weeks later when a storm hit the farm. He went to wake the boy to help him batten everything down and couldn't rouse him. Angry with the boy, the old man stomped out into the storm to take care of the farm alone. He discovered the cows and horses were already safe in the barn, all the doors closed, all the gates were securely latched, and even the trash cans had been moved inside so they wouldn't blow over. He couldn't find anything that hadn't already been done ahead of time -- by the boy. It was only then that he began to understand the significance of the boy's pronouncement. The boy had seen the signs of the approaching storm and had taken all the steps necessary to prepare for it. Having done so he could comfortably sleep when the wind blows. Whenever we are camping, whether in a tent or an RV, we should take our cue from the farm lad and take care of everything we need to take care of BEFORE the storm actually hits.  Doing it in the wind or rain or snow when storm arrives will be very difficult and uncomfortable, maybe even dangerous.  Then we, too, can sleep when the wind blows. Believe me, you won't be able to sleep if you're listening to your camp chairs or awnings blowing around outside or worrying about your dirt bike being blown over.

Practice. They say practice makes perfect. The more you sleep in your RV or your tent, the more familiar and comfortable you will become doing so. Eventually, you will be as comfortable there as you are at home. You can practice without going anywhere. Try sleeping in your RV or tent at home for a few nights to get used to it. Then, when you ARE out and about and in a really new and strange place, you will have already adjusted to some of the variables and be more likely to be able to welcome the sandman. You will also have had a chance to work on temperature, lighting, bedding, and night clothing in a less-intimidating environment so you can relax and rest in camp. When tent camping, I like to stuff my clothes down inside my sleeping bag so they'll be safe from overnight moisture and be warm to put on in the morning. Leaving them lying or hanging in the tent is OK, but they may absorb moisture from the air (including that contributed by your own breathing) and may be cold and damp to put on in the morning. The moisture from your breathing is likely to condense on the inside of the tent, creating light rain inside when the fabric moves, either from you moving around or touching it or from outside breezes.

No matter how you prepare, you may still encounter unexpected environmental attacks on your serenity. We've been where freight trains lumbered past in the middle of the night, just a few yards away, and, unfortunately, we were close enough to the crossing where the road to the campground crossed the tracks that we could hear the train horn and the bells on the crossing signals clanging for what seemed like hours. Hear heck! The volume of that train horn nearly blew us out of bed by the shear force of the sound waves! Of course we were aware of the existence of the tracks even before we selected the campground, but since we had been told they were "inactive" and seldom used, we hadn't given them much thought -- until we were rudely awakened in the middle of the night. Unless you live near railroad tracks at home and are used to trains passing in the night, such an occurrence is bound to shake you from even the deepest sleep. Traffic near a freeway, highway, truck stop, fire house, police/sheriff station or a hospital may have a similar affect. If you think any of these will be a problem, try to check out potential camp sites in advance and avoid noisy locations. In some cases you may get lucky and be able to get assigned a more remote site within a campground, but for the most part you'll need to simply avoid campgrounds near offensive locations altogether.  In the case of our railroad encounter there were no "remote" sites.  All the sites were strung out between the railroad tracks and the beach.  Some folks find the sound of the surf soothing. If you're not one of them, you might want to avoid camping near the beach or close to a stream. If you are camping in primitive locations you may experience animal sounds you're not used to. We've done enough desert camping to actually welcome the nightly coyote serenades, but if you're not used to it, you may find their concert disconcerting. Especially if you're sleeping in a tent and feel vulnerable.  If so you might want to try to disguise or hide the sounds with soft music. I recommend using a battery powered portable audio device so you won't run the risk of running down your RV batteries or vehicle batteries. Headphones might help keep outside sounds outside -- if you find them comfortable to wear. Or just buy some cheap earplugs. The little foam cones used by construction workers are sold by the dozens in boxes, bottles, and bags at hardware stores and home centers. They are inexpensive and surprisingly effective. And they're small enough and light enough to even take back packing.   By the way, coyotes are not especially aggressive but other large mammals, such as wolves, bears and mountain lions are sometimes.  If you are tent camping in bear or mountain lion country, be sure to get and follow advice from the local rangers on how you and your pets can avoid becoming their next meal or midnight snack.

Home remedies. Tradition has it that a glass of warm milk will help you sleep. My wife recently had that recently confirmed by on-line research which suggested adding a spoonful of honey to a glass of warm milk. It works for her. The same article cautioned against drinking hot chocolate before going to bed. The warm drink is soothing and tasty, but chocolate does contain enough caffeine to interrupt sleep patterns. Some herbal teas can be soothing and help induce sleep.  Not sure how effective "counting sheep" may be (seems pretty boring to me), but relaxation exercises are a pretty good bet. Start with your toes and work your way up one section at a time. Tighten the muscles and let them relax while taking slow, deep breaths and telling yourself to relax. Imagine yourself in the most relaxing and comforting environment possible. I like lying on a a gentle, grassy slope, watching puffy white clouds drift across a clear blue sky on a lazy summer afternoon. Try to avoid thinking too hard and stressing over they day's activities or tomorrow's plans. Racing thoughts are one of the biggest deterrents to getting to sleep, so try to clear your mind and relax. It is easy to say but very hard to do.  Pain can also be a sleep deterrent. If your body aches from the day's exertions, you may benefit from an OTC pain reliever. If you frequently suffer from chronic pain and have a prescription for it, make appropriate use of it.  Gentle stretching exercises before bed can sometimes relieve tight muscles and improve circulation, making it easier to relax. And don't forget your teddy bear! Hugging a familiar object, even a pillow, (a live partner is even better!) can be comforting and aid relaxation. Heat cramps, a result of dehydration, are very painful. Make sure you drink enough water and electrolytes during the day. If you experience cramps at night, drink a half cup of pickle juice or salt water to replenish your electrolytes. We've found pickle juice particularly effective. Whether purely psychological or as a result of instant absorption of electrolytes under the tongue, it often brings immediate relief.

A good night's sleep is NOT a luxury and is not optional. Even if you are in survival mode, you should strive to get sufficient sleep every night. During normal camping activities you are going to need to be well rested for the next day's scheduled activities. In survival mode, you need to be as alert as possible if you are going to survive. No matter what your situation, do everything you can to ensure a comfortable bed, acceptable temperatures, and freedom from pain and stress. If you still can't get enough sleep, try taking an afternoon nap to help your body recover. But keep in mind that napping can also make it harder to get to sleep at night if you overdo it.

Sweet dreams!