How to Sleep Better Camping: Warmth, Light and Timing (Sponsored)

To sleep better camping, stop the cold coming up from the ground with a well-insulated pad, go to bed dry, fed and with an empty bladder, and shift your bedtime earlier to match the sunrise that will wake you. Expect the first night to be lighter than the rest. Most bad camping sleep is about being cold, being woken early by light, and going to bed at your usual home time when the sun is running a different schedule.

If you know roughly when the tent gets bright, put that time into the sleep calculator as your wake-up and work backward to a bedtime.

Why do you get sleepy earlier when camping?

Natural light pulls your body clock earlier, so you tend to feel tired sooner after dark and wake closer to sunrise.

A 2013 study in Current Biology compared people's normal lives with summer camping under natural light only. At home, electric light meant less sunlight by day, more light after sunset and a later body clock. After camping with only natural light, their internal night started around sunset and ended just after sunrise, before they woke. People who were night owls at home shifted the most, ending up closer to the early birds.

So feeling sleepy at 9 PM by the fire isn't laziness. Go with it. Fighting it with a bright headlamp or phone screen pushes your clock back the other way.

What time should you go to bed when camping?

Count back from the time the sun wakes you: wake time minus 15 minutes to fall asleep minus 5 or 6 sleep cycles of 90 minutes.

In summer the tent often gets bright early, and once you're awake at dawn it's hard to get back to sleep. Plan around it:

If those bedtimes feel too early, an eye mask buys you more morning. Note what time you actually woke on night one, then use the sleep calculator for the rest of the trip.

How do you stay warm when sleeping in a tent?

Insulate from the ground, change into dry layers, and go to bed fed, warm and with an empty bladder.

Research on sleep and temperature finds that in the cold, bedding and clothing are what protect your sleep, so your gear matters more than anything else on a chilly night. A checklist:

• Pad first. A cold ground draws heat from you all night, and the part of the bag you lie on gets squashed flat, so the pad does most of the work underneath you. Use a pad rated for the night's low, or stack a foam pad under an inflatable one.
• Dry layers. Change out of the clothes you hiked or sat by the fire in, even if they feel only slightly damp. Keep a dedicated set of dry socks and a base layer for sleeping.
• Hat and socks. A warm hat and dry socks are cheap insurance.
• Eat before bed. A filling snack means you aren't lying there cold and hungry at 2 AM.
• Pee before bed. It saves you from leaving a warm bag in the middle of the night, which is an easy way to get chilled.
• Warm up first. A few minutes of walking or easy movement before you get in the bag means you start warm instead of trying to heat a cold bag.

How do you sleep more comfortably camping?

Level ground, a pillow and a bit of padding under your knees make a big difference. Pitch the tent on flat ground with your head slightly uphill, clear rocks and roots, and bring a real camp pillow or a stuff sack filled with soft clothes. Side sleepers may want a thicker pad for the hips and shoulders.

Why can't I sleep the first night camping?

It's the first-night effect: in a new place, part of your brain stays on watch and reacts to unfamiliar sounds.

A 2016 study in Current Biology found that on the first night in a new setting, one brain hemisphere slept more lightly and stayed more alert to unusual sounds, which caused more wake-ups and slower sleep onset. The effect was gone in later sessions. Wind, animals and neighbors' zippers are exactly the kind of unfamiliar noise it picks up. Earplugs and a steady sound like a small fan or a stream help, and night two is usually better.

When should you stop caffeine at camp?

Finish coffee by about midday if you're going to bed early, because caffeine has a half-life of about 5 hours.

If camp bedtime is 9:45 PM, the latest time to finish an 8 oz cup of coffee (95 mg) so it falls below 25 mg by bedtime is 12:07 PM. An espresso shot (63 mg) can go until 3:05 PM, and an 8 oz black tea (47 mg) until 5:12 PM. A big 16 oz pour-over (190 mg) would need to be done by 7:07 AM. Morning coffee is fine; skip the afternoon refill. Check your own drinks with the caffeine calculator.

Can nasal strips or mouth tape help you sleep camping?

They may help if a stuffy nose or mouth breathing in cold, dry air is what wakes you, and only when you can breathe easily through your nose. This post is sponsored by Titan Recovery.

If cold night air leaves your nose feeling stuffy, TitanAir Nasal Strips are drug-free external nasal dilators: flexible spring-loaded bands that sit across the bridge of the nose and lift the nasal passages open, with a skin-safe adhesive that leaves no residue. They start at $34.95 for 30 nights with a 30-night Better Sleep Guarantee.

If your nose is clear but you wake with a dry mouth, Titan Mouth Tape is a bamboo silk strip that holds the lips gently together so you breathe through your nose, and it works with facial hair, which helps on a trip without a razor.

Mouth tape is not a treatment for sleep apnea and doesn't replace CPAP. Only use it if you can breathe easily through your nose. Never use it with a blocked or congested nose, after alcohol at the campfire or after sedatives, with nausea, or for children. If you snore loudly with gasping or pauses in breathing, talk to a doctor.

How do you get back to normal sleep after camping?

Keep your camping wake time for a day or two at home, then shift later gradually if you need to. Your clock moved earlier outdoors, so the easiest move is to hold onto some of it. Our guide to resetting your sleep after a vacation has a step-by-step plan.