Bottles and Snacks
If your trip takes you into the heart of winter or cold and extreme temperatures, such as in high altitude climbing, prepare for sleep by placing snacks and water next to you. Cold temperatures and high altitudes cause the body to burn calories at a faster rate, which makes you hungry and contributes to your getting cold faster. Just before climbing into your sleeping bag, melt some snow or heat some water and place the heated water into an old-style Nalgene bottle. Slip the heated water bottle deep into the sleeping bag to warm it. Your body heat will also prevent the water from freezing if you need to drink it.
Keep an extra bottle empty next to your sleeping bag so when nature calls in the wee hours, you simply urinate into the bottle.
Because of the extremely strenuous nature of backpacking, skiing or mountaineering in cold temperatures, you feel hunger frequently. Keep a bag of high calorie trail mix or snacks next to your head in the tent. When you awaken, hungry and with stomach growling, lean over and grab a quick handful or two of the snack mix. This will ease your hunger, allow you to fall back asleep and provide calories to keep your core producing heat.
Even Ground
One factor that causes interrupted and unproductive sleep in the backcountry is trying to camp on uneven or rocky and snarled ground. When you pitch your tent, look for the flattest and most level site available. Clear the area of any debris, rocks and sediment. Use your sleeping pads to level out the sleeping surface as much as possible. Try stuffing articles of clothing on sloping areas to achieve as close to level ground as possible. If you still have uneven terrain, sleep with your head on the upslope rather than the downslope. Lying with your head below your feet causes blood to move to the head, which may cause headaches and interrupted sleep.
Flexibility and Group Sleeping
If you have more than one person in your tent, try distributing the people head/toe. Have one person sleep with his head next to the other's feet (in sleeping bags of course). If one person is a snorer, the other's face and head will not be directly next to the snoring.
Flexibility is important when we sleep, because most of us move and change positions throughout the night. When you select a sleeping bag, buy one that allows you to move easily without giving up the bag's thermal qualities. The bag should move with you as you turn and twist but not be so big that you move inside it. Extra space on the inside of the bag is extra space your body has to heat to maintain the thermal qualities of the bag.
Article Written By Eric Cedric
A former Alaskan of 20 years, Eric Cedric now resides in California. He's published in "Outside" and "Backpacker" and has written a book on life in small-town Alaska, "North by Southeast." Cedric was a professional mountain guide and backcountry expedition leader for 18 years. He worked in Russia, Iceland, Greece, Turkey and Belize. Cedric attended Syracuse University and is a private pilot.
