17 Tips for Better Sleep When Camping

If you have ever been camping, chances are you have found difficulty in getting good sleep, and if you are reading this then I assume you’re looking for some advice on how to catch more ZZZs when sleeping outdoors. More than likely, you have probably read other websites that all generally tell you the same thing.

“Make sure you have the right sleeping bag.”

“Wear base layers if it’s cold.”

“Bring a pillow.”

While these are good and critical actions to consider, and I will talk about them later, they don’t really concentrate on what I believe to be the number one problem plaguing backpackers and campers when it comes to inadequate sleep.

The main problem I believe most people experience when it comes to tossing and turning all night sleeping outdoors, is that their anxiety and/or stress level is too high!

Think about it. You’re in an unfamiliar area, surrounded by wilderness, and the only thing separating you from a wild animal or some lunatic is the thin layer of fabric your tent is made of. You hear all the sounds; snaps, crackles, rustling in the leaves. All of this can raise our anxiety, inducing stress that ultimately keeps us alert and awake.

This equates to cruddy sleep.

But most “Sleep Better while Camping” articles don’t cover how to deal with the heightened anxiety. So, while I will talk about the importance of pitching your tent in the right location, using an inflatable sleeping pad, and other suggestions for increasing your comfort, I also want to discuss methods for reducing your anxiety and stress levels.

If you’re ready to start sleeping better outdoors, then try some, all, or any combination of these topics listed below.

Ideas to reduce your anxiety and sleep better when camping

It’s no secret that higher levels of stress can lead to difficulty in sleeping, whether camping or sleeping in your own bed. The problem when camping, even if your stress levels are usually low, is that the anxiety of sleeping outdoors can stress you out. So, when this stress causes you to have trouble falling asleep, frustration builds, and stress levels rise even more until eventually, the overwhelming stress wears you down mentally and you finally fall asleep for an hour or two … Maybe.

So, what can we do to reduce this anxiety?

Well, what applies for getting better sleep indoors can work for getting better sleep outdoors. Here are a few tips for keeping your anxiety levels low, reducing stress and leading to better sleep when camping.

Learn to reduce your anxiety by camping more

In my opinion, the best advice anyone can give to help you sleep better outdoors is to simply camp more. Sleeping outside requires practice and the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Why?

Well, the more you camp, the more experience you get sleeping outdoors and with this you become more accustomed to the sounds of nature at night, reducing your anxiety whenever you hear things go bump in the night. Once you learn to accept that the sound of a stick cracking in the woods is unlikely to be anything looking to do harm, you will be able to relax more, and the anxiety will diminish.

Plus, your experience helps you figure out what sleeping techniques do and do not work for you. You won’t know if your sleeping pad is adequate if you don’t try it a few times; you won’t know that your mummy sleeping bag is too constricting if you don’t spend some nights bundled up in it.

So, get outside and practice sleeping outdoors! I promise that the more you do it, as long as you are physically comfortable as well, you will find yourself getting better sleep in no time. With that said, know that if you camp once a year and think that bumping it up to two nights a year will do the trick, you are mistaken. I recommend getting out and doing several weekend backpacking trips, something that requires consecutive nights sleeping in the wild, to really get good at sleeping outdoors.

Read to de-stress before sleep

To fall asleep faster and sleep better, it is recommended to de-stress before going to bed. Simply put, you need to have ways to relax your mind and lower your stress.

One excellent way I do this is by bringing a book to read once I get settled into my tent. Reading helps to clear our minds and allows us to forget about the world around us. Doing this to relax your mind while lying comfortably in your sleeping bag, you’ll find your eyes getting heavier and heavier the more you read.

Now when I say bring a book, I mean an actual physical book, not an e-book on your phone or tablet (more about this later). Also, make sure the book is one you’ll enjoy reading and preferably something you are already in the middle of so you don’t lack motivation and have to force yourself to read, which can have the opposite effect of what you are trying to achieve in the first place.

Write in a journal to empty your thoughts

Much like reading a book, writing in your journal can relieve stress and help you sleep better. This works because you can transfer all the thoughts that may heighten your stress level and keeps you awake to a piece of paper, getting them out of your head. You can do this while camping too, just have a flashlight or headlamp so you can see what you are doing.

However, if the words aren’t flowing, don’t force it. Doing so can get you worked up and suddenly your stress rises and falling asleep gets harder. The idea is for this to be positive, so keep it that way and don’t strain your brain thinking of the right words to write.

Please note that when I say “write” in your journal, I mean actually write with a pen or pencil. Put your phone down or your laptop away. If you have any other electronic method of writing, don’t use it! Keep it simple; pen and paper.

Fall asleep to a soothing podcast or music

Listening to calm music or a soothing podcast while trying to get some shut eye has proven useful for millions of people. You can download either to your phone and play it while nestled inside your sleeping bag at camp.

Not only does the sound give you something to clear your mind, it also drowns out the sounds of the great outdoors that can raise your anxiety making it harder to get good sleep. The lack of visuals also prevents your brain from being over stimulated.

Listen to whatever music is calming for you, or if you want to try a podcast, a couple of popular options are “Mysteries Abound” and “Sleep with Me”. A quick google search will give you other options if these aren’t your cup of tea.

Meditate to put your mind at ease

I must admit that I know nothing about meditation, but millions of people are proof to it’s benefits for relaxation and the clear ability to ease one’s mind.

I’m not saying to go full-on meditation mode, but to simply close your eyes and focus on your surroundings using your senses is easily something you can do while trying to get some sleep when camping.

But again, I’m not familiar with this art, so I suggest doing your own research and see how meditation may work for you on your next camping trip.

If nothing else, wear earplugs for better sleep

Earplugs are probably the simplest way to help keep your anxiety down. They can drown out all the sounds of the wilderness, plus the sounds of any excessive snorers in your vicinity. And they can be combined with any of the above-mentioned tips to further enhance their effectiveness.

Earplugs are generally a staple in the experienced backpacker’s pack, so take note and buy a pair if you don’t already own some.

Making yourself more comfortable to get better sleep when camping

Hopefully the tips above will help reduce your anxiety when trying to sleep outdoors, but they won’t have you catching ZZZs any easier if you aren’t physically comfortable. For this, you need to have the right gear.

While these tips are basic knowledge for anyone experienced in backpacking or camping, perhaps you are new to the hobby and want to be better prepared for what may be your first night sleeping outdoors. Heck, we were all there once.

So, let’s talk about these basic things you can do to make yourself more comfortable, and get better sleep when camping.

Use an inflatable sleeping pad

The primary purpose of a sleeping pad is to essentially get you off the ground so it doesn’t absorb your body heat, but you can get so much more from your pad in terms of comfort if it is inflatable.

R-Value is important for warmth, and generally, the thicker the pad the more insulation from the ground, though other things can affect this as well. But R-Value aside, the reason for using an inflatable sleeping pad over a thin blue foam one, is that they are just more comfortable.

Sure, there may be a few outliers who sleep better on a thin foam pad, and you may be one of them, which is another reason to refer to the first tip in this post about camping more to figure out what works for you. But most people prefer the inflatable sleeping pads because they give extra cushion that is closer to resembling an actual bed.

If you are a side sleeper, then an inflatable pad is almost a must because, assuming it is thick enough, it will keep your hips and shoulders from digging into the ground and can contour to the shape of your body.

If you’re in the market for an inflatable sleeping pad, know that there are two kinds: air pads and self-inflating air pads. I prefer not to use the self-inflating pads but that is because they tend to weigh more, and when backpacking, I try to keep the weight down as much as possible. Plus, most air pads don’t require that much breath to inflate.

Looking for a budget friendly sleeping pad? Check out my Review of the Ultralight Wellax Sleeping Pad!

Don’t just bring any camp pillow, but the RIGHT camp pillow

Bringing a camp pillow is another way to help you sleep better when camping. Many backpackers opt to use a stuff sack full of clothes, but they won’t do quite as good of a job as a dedicated pillow. But if you do decide to use a pillow, I don’t recommend brining just any pillow.

You need a pillow that will work for you and your sleeping style, so how you sleep should determine what type of pillow you need.

If you sleep on your back, science says you’re going to want a thinner pillow, just enough loft to bring your neck up to keep it straight with your spine. If you are a side sleeper, like me, then you want a thicker pillow because your neck needs to be lifted higher to keep it straight with your shoulders and spine.

But what if you sleep on your stomach? Well, there are a lot of suggestions to not use a pillow at all if that is the case, because now a pillow will be lifting your neck above your spine. I sometimes sleep on my stomach, and after having read that, I did try not using a pillow and I can see the benefits.

But you need to do you and find out what works best for you. And how do you do that?

Camp more!

You need an adequate sleeping bag (or quilt)

When backpacking or camping, you must be prepared, and having an adequate sleeping bag for the expected low temperatures is a critical preparation not to be overlooked. Don’t just grab whatever sleeping bag you may have stuffed in your closet not knowing if it’s going to keep you warm if it gets too cold.

Sleeping bags have recommended temperature ranges, often broken up into an upper limit, comfort, and lower limit. Do your research because some bags will advertise their lowest recommended temperature, but that doesn’t mean it is going to keep you comfortable.

In general, you don’t want to take a 40 degree sleeping bag if it’s going to get below freezing that night unless you plan on packing extra clothes to help keep you warm. You also don’t want to bring a 10 degree bag if it isn’t going to drop below 60 degrees, but you can at least alleviate the warmth by unzipping your bag if this is the case.

Look at the weather for the area you will be camping at and plan accordingly.

Also, when it comes to sleeping bags, there are two types: Mummy bags and rectangular bags. Mummy bags hold in more heat because of less space, but they are more constricting at the legs while rectangular bags give you more room but won’t hold the heat in as well. See what works best for you.

Find the right spot to pitch your tent

There are plenty of things that can ruin your sleep while camping. Don’t let setting up your tent in a horrible spot be one of them. Sometimes you might find yourself in a pickle and not have any good choices, but you want to find the flattest spot possible while avoiding roots and rocks.

Pitching your tent on unlevel ground will likely leave you sliding downhill during the night and it’s frustrating waking up having to reposition yourself on your sleeping pad because you’re nearly hanging off the side.

If you setup your tent on roots and rocks, well, not only are these uncomfortable leading to poor sleep and a sore body in the morning, but you also risk damaging your gear. A rock can punch a hole in your tent or worse, puncture your inflatable sleeping pad which will have you inflating it again and again throughout the night, or patching it up when you’re supposed to be sleeping. And good luck getting back to sleep if that happens.

Of course, having a footprint or ground sheet protects your tent from tears along the floor which will probably give extra protection to your sleeping pad as well, but the bottom line is to avoid the risk, and the discomfort, and do your best to pitch your tent in a clear, flat area.

If it’s cold, wear base layers

A sleeping bag and a sleeping pad with adequate ratings may still leave you struggling to find warmth, especially if you sleep cold. For this, I recommend bringing warm base layers to wear to help you stay warm and sleep better when camping.

However, it is up to you to know how you sleep, and the only way you’re going to know how you sleep on a 30 degree night with your gear is to practice. When in doubt, sacrifice the extra weight and bring the extra clothes to sleep in. You may find that your sleeping bag with your pad is enough for temperatures down to a certain degree, but you’re only going to know this by, once again, camping more!

Bottom line is to try to stay warm with any means possible because if you are cold you are going to have a miserable night of sleep, or lack thereof.

And if it is warm, open your tent for better air flow

Some people may be uncomfortable leaving themselves even more exposed in their tents by leaving the door(s) open, but on a warm, humid night, this is likely your best option for trying to stay cool.

Leaving the door(s) open promotes air flow, so hopefully this will allow a breeze to enter your tent. If able to do so, you can orient your tent so that the doors or windows are parallel with the wind direction for maximum air flow.

If you don’t have a bug screen on your tent, then you might have to choose what you think will make you more comfortable. Will being cooler while exposed to bugs help you sleep better, or being hotter but safe from the bug bites?

Avoid having to make this decision and have a tent with some sort of bug netting. If you don’t have a tent yet, you’ll find that most tents have these anyway.

Further tips for getting better sleep when camping

Now that I have discussed how to find more comfort and how to reduce your stress to get better sleep when camping, there are a few additional things to highlight that you can do, or not do, that can help you fall asleep faster or help you stay asleep longer.

Some of these topics are common sense, but when dealing with the great outdoors, you may find yourself a little more restrained from following a typical bedtime routine.

With that said, let’s see what else you can do to help you sleep better when camping.

Put your phone down at least two hours before bed

Earlier, I mentioned not reading on your phone, so let’s take the time to discuss this and find out why. The best way to answer this is with a little science.

Staring at a screen before trying to sleep can keep you awake longer and reduce the amount of REM sleep you have during the night. It suppresses your melatonin secretion and disturbs your internal clock, called the circadian rhythm, which is important for a good night’s sleep and for your overall health. Simply put, it makes you more alert and that’s not what you want when it’s time to go to bed, even more so if you are struggling to get good sleep when camping.

The culprit is blue light and electronic developers have caught on to this. Many devices now have an option for reducing blue light from your screens and while I recommend taking advantage of this setting if you have it, I still believe it is a good idea to put the phones down at least two hours before bed and read or write instead, which can help your mind wind down for the night.

If you are interested in knowing more about blue light and its effects on a person’s sleep cycle, Harvard has an interesting article worth a few minutes of your time. Check it out at https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/blue-light-has-a-dark-side.

Don’t eat too close to bedtime

Another thing to help you get better sleep while camping is to not eat too close to bedtime. Have your final meal of the day two to three hours before you call it a night. This gives your digestive system time to settle, otherwise laying down too early can cause heartburn making it harder to fall asleep.

Studies have also shown that consuming foods with high fat content before bed causes you to have less efficient sleep. That means you’ll spend more time tossing and turning and less time catching ZZZs, causing more frustration which leads to more stress, and ultimately leads to even less sleep!

With that said, there are foods you can eat before bed that can actually help you sleep better, such as almonds and walnuts. These are very easy to carry with you on a backpacking or family camping trip, so if you feel you need a snack before turning in, these should be fine. But remember not to eat too much as this can have adverse effects.

Don’t drink before crawling in your sleeping bag

You need to make sure you drink enough water throughout the day to stay hydrated and you’ll need more than normal if you’ve been hiking. However, drinking just before going to bed can have negative effects on your sleep schedule, so it’s best not to drink any fluids within two hours of calling it a night.

Your body naturally slows down it’s urine output during the night, but the more you drink before going to bed the more likely your sleep cycle is going to be interrupted by having the urge to go.

This creates a dilemma.

Do you get out of your warm, cozy sleeping bag and stumble around in the dark, trying not to disturb your sleeping camping comrades, or do you stay put hoping the urge will go away and you’ll fall back asleep?

If you’re bladder is telling you it’s time to go, you might as well get it over with. The more you feel it, the more you’re going to contemplate what you should do. So, make it easier on yourself and just get up and go so you can get back to sleep faster.

Keeping yourself hydrated throughout the day will help reduce your need for water intake in the evening, thus avoiding the late-night urges to go. You can tell if you need more water if your urine is dark yellow, rather than light in color or clear.

Use the bathroom before calling it a night

Building on the previous advice, always use the bathroom before going to bed. The same rule applies when camping. Emptying your bladder beforehand makes it less likely that you’ll have a sudden urge in the middle of the night, and we already know that crawling out of your sleeping bag and tent is not fun when it’s still dark outside.

You’ll have to put on your shoes, grab your flashlight, walk a comfortable distance away from everyone’s tent sites, then go through all the trouble of getting settled back in and comfortable, and hope you can fall back asleep fast. Save yourself the trouble and answer nature’s call before going night-night.

Take a melatonin supplement

Remember me mentioning something about melatonin a few tips back and how it can be suppressed by staring at your phone’s screen? Well, you can take a melatonin supplement for a boost in the hormone in which some studies have shown to help induce sleep faster, according to healthline.com.

A melatonin supplement should begin working in about 30 minutes, so take it with only a swallow of water. The thing with melatonin is that it doesn’t help you stay asleep, so if you drink too much water and have to urinate during the night, it won’t help you avoid that.

These pills usually come in dosages of 1-10mg and a lower dose between .5 and 3mg is recommended. Too much melatonin can increase daytime sleepiness and make you less alert, which is something you probably should avoid while being outdoors in the wilderness.

Conclusion

So, there you have it! Get outside and start camping more! It’s the best way to get better at sleeping outdoors. And now you have a lot of tips you can try to see what works for helping you sleep better.

Hopefully one of these tips will help you catch more ZZZs, but remember, just because something doesn’t work the first time it doesn’t mean it won’t work the next. It can take several camping trips before you finally find what works, but that doesn’t guarantee you will never have a restless night camping again. Just like sleeping in your own bed, from time to time we just can’t sleep.

Again, I believe the number one thing to work on is handling your anxiety. If you can do that, then I can almost guarantee that you will find sleeping when camping much easier.