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Sleeping out under the stars is an experience that everyone should experience at least once. It is different from sleeping at home in bed, which is part of the value but can also make it difficult to get a good night's rest. Adequate sleep is just as important while camping, and here are some tips to make sure sleeping under the stars is as restful as it is thrilling.
Watch What You Eat and Drink Before Bedtime
Avoid eating or drinking anything that may keep you up at night. Research on alcohol and sleep shows that sometimes consuming the former can interfere with the latter. If you find that sugar keeps you up at night, you should avoid sweet snacks before bed. While it is important to stay hydrated, you should limit the water that you drink right before bed to avoid having to get up in the night to urinate.
Keep the Tent Ventilated
If the weather is humid during the day, the water vapor may condense at night when the temperature drops. This can cause condensation to form inside the tent. Ventilating the tent near the top helps to prevent condensation by keeping the air circulating. Your tent probably has vents built in that you can open up at night without compromising the protection it provides from the rain.
Relax Before Bed
Camping out is exciting, especially if it is your first time. However, if you are so excited that it keeps you from sleeping, you will not be well rested the next day, which could spoil the fun. Do something to relax your mind and body before going to bed, such as yoga or meditation.
Be Careful Choosing Your Campsite
You may think that you want a campsite near the restrooms for easy access, but you might have to deal with people walking back and forth past your tent all night. You may think that a campsite under a tree would be good for the shade, but your tent may end up splattered with bird droppings. Try to anticipate issues such as these when you are choosing your campsite and weigh the advantages and disadvantages.
Consider White Noise
Sometimes your campsite provides white noise in the form of a babbling brook, a breeze rustling the trees, or rolling ocean waves. However, sometimes these sounds are not available or not as calming as you expect. If you are not used to sleeping outdoors, small noises may startle you. You may want to consider bringing a small, battery-operated fan or white noise machine to help you to relax by covering up unfamiliar noises.
Avoid Scary Stories
Ghost or horror stories are fun around the campfire, but once the fire is extinguished and you are lying in the dark of your tent, they take on a sinister edge. There are plenty of other fun things you can do around the campfire, such as singing songs or playing word games.
Keep Your Usual Schedule
Since sleeping under unfamiliar circumstances can be challenging, it is a good idea to keep to your regular routine as much as possible. While it may be tempting to stay around the campfire all night, you are more likely to get a good night's rest if you go to sleep at your usual bedtime.
Bring a Real Pillow
This could be a camping pillow or one that you bring from home. In either case, you want to keep your neck in proper alignment while you sleep. Otherwise, you could wake up with a sore neck, and that could spoil the whole day.
Camping is a fun and novel experience, but it shouldn't be so exciting that it keeps you from sleeping at night. A lack of sleep could put a damper on an otherwise fun vacation.