What's your favorite sleep aid/tips/tricks to improve sleep while on a climbing trip?

I don't always get the best sleep even at home. But what's frustrating is when I go on a climbing trip, either car camping or backpacking, my sleep quality tanks even more -- I tend to wake up often and stay awake. I'm sure it's affected by multiple factors -- change of environment, excitement, anxiety, and even fatigue, etc. I don't know how many others share the similar experience. If you don't, congratulations! If you do, have you found some tips/tricks/sleep aids that help you sleep through the night in that tent?

Melatonin, available at most grocery stores or health food stores.

Get a cot - a major improvement over inflatables. Listings on amazon - as fancy as this or as not fancy as this. Not endorsing either, but something similar to the second fits in a 2-person tent, weight not a problem when car camping. The first one is quite something, I have friends who use it when camping out of a kayak.
Hammocks are really nice once you crack the hammocking code.
Ear plugs help me avoid nature and other campers.

Terry Ewrote:

Melatonin, available at most grocery stores or health food stores.

Thanks! I do take it at home often. However, it does not appear to prevent me from waking up frequently throughout the night, esp. when on a trip. I get the impression that there are many types of insomnia: onset (hard to fall asleep) and sleep maintenance (hard to stay asleep). Melatonin appears to help the most with the former? 

I used to sleep poorly, or not at all, when backpacking. Or anywhere away from home. Especially at altitude. And not sleeping the night before makes summit day or big hikes impossible or difficult.

The one thing that changed that was Ambien. There will be many people that say "it's dangerous" or "it makes people do weird stuff, like sleepwalking." And for some, that may be true. Some people just don't like the idea of any drugs and that's their perogative.

I've been using it for about twenty years on backpacking trips (rarely take it at home). It takes the "edge" off enough that I can get a good night's rest. And that's all that it has done for me. No side effects for me. No grogginess in the morning like Benadryl.

It's a prescription drug, so see your doctor.

Electrolyte tabs and staying hydrated, makes a big difference, for me! I usually have an elevation gain, and it's easy to forget that affects hydration. 

I wake up often, and wake up early, but, dehydrated? I've laid there with heart pounding alllll night. Grabbing a sip of water when I wake helps, and pee absolutely as last thing as possible. Re that, a pee funnel is a game changer for me too! I'm fine just squatting, but geez, that can get awkward in more ways than just dropping trou. 

Best, Helen.

FrankPSwrote:

The one thing that changed that was Ambien. There will be many people that say "it's dangerous" or "it makes people do weird stuff, like sleepwalking." 

Part of Ambien's reputation comes from a history of not including women of child bearing age in clinical trials. There were famously car crashes involving women who took Ambien the night before. The dosing for women was changed in 2013.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sex-matters-drugs-can-affect-sexes-differently/

B Gwrote:

Part of Ambien's reputation comes from a history of not including women of child bearing age in clinical trials. There were famously car crashes involving women who took Ambien the night before. The dosing for women was changed in 2013.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/sex-matters-drugs-can-affect-sexes-differently/

Talking to your doctor to get a prescription is required, so I'd ask the doctor if it's appropriate. I prefer the doctor's advice over the various articles on the web.

Edit: That article was written by Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes fame. Go with what your doctor tells you. 

Try harder. It's hard not to fall asleep when you're truly floored from giv'n er

The devils lettuce always does the trick for me 

Unisom plus a slightly boring podcast.

Pillow, put my wet socks on my chest under my R1 instead of wearing them, ear plugs, melatonin, warmer sleeping bag.

I dunno if you drink, but not drinking has helped my sleep a lot.

Even a beer before bedtime and I wake up pretty early.  I have to drink 3-4 drinks before I will sleep all the way though the night, and then the quality of sleep really sucks.

So I've given up on drinking when I have to climb the next day.

Other than that, magnesium has helped a bit, and when I am sleeping in my truck or camping having a pee bottle instead of having to get out and pee helps my overall sleep pattern.

Climb hard, Drink heavily

Exercise + lots of sun + staying hydrated + no screens before bed = no need for pills to sleep/stay asleep.

Melatonin is also credited. I would also recommend some powerful, sublingual Indica strains about a half hour before bed.

For the longest time I packed for climbing trips (car camping) the same way that I would for rafting/backpacking trips (i.e. thin pad, no pillow). This is probably obvious to everyone else, but it doesn't have to be that way. Bring the boogiest pad you can find and a full size pillow, you're out there to send hard not to "rough it".

FrankPSwrote:

Talking to your doctor to get a prescription is required, so I'd ask the doctor if it's appropriate. I prefer the doctor's advice over the various articles on the web.

Edit: That article was written by Leslie Stahl of 60 Minutes fame. Go with what your doctor tells you. 

https://www.fda.gov/files/drugs/published/Drug-Safety-Communication--Risk-of-next-morning-impairment-after-use-of-insomnia-drugs--FDA-requires-lower-recommended-doses-for-certain-drugs-containing-zolpidem-%28Ambien--Ambien-CR--Edluar--and-Zolpimist%29.pdf

FDA notice from 2010 requiring decreases in the recommended doses for women.

Peer reviewed article looking at motor vehicle accidents in people (men and women) over 70 taking Ambien https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4913027/

Yes people should talk to their doctor instead of taking advice from random internet posts. I'm not suggesting a specific action for anyone. I was just pointing out that some of the concern around sleep aids stems from a time when women were excluded or under-represented in clinical trials. As a result, women were sometimes given wrong doses leading to big problems.

I'm a very light sleeper and there are often more sights/sounds to wake me up while sleeping at the crag than at home.  What's helped me stay asleep has been earplugs (I wear just one since I'm a side sleeper) and shades for my car's windows to keep light out.  I also bring my pillow from home, while more bulky, it helps keep things feeling consistent.  Also, having the right sleeping pad is essential.  I use the REI camp bed and bring the appropriate sleeping bag for the season.  If sleeping in the car, crack the windows for ventilation.  

In short, try and make sleeping at the crag as similar to sleeping at home, within reason.  

Also weed.

I have taken Ambien and it definitely helps, but wonder about the rebound effect. I slept well on Shasta at base camp when I took it the night before. After a 16 hour summit day, I did not take one but could not sleep despite being completely exhausted.

Earplugs and a T-shirt over my face to block any light helps with my sleeping outdoors.

Ambien (zolpidem). Take half a pill. Very reliable.

I’m the same way— don’t sleep particularly well even at home.

I’ve tried all the usual advice. Melatonin, Vitamin B complex, taken in the morning, not at night. Not eating late at night. Staying hydrated, but not drinking large volumes of liquid very late in the evening. Staying off electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime… Nothing makes much of a difference. I don’t have a problem falling asleep at the beginning of the night. I have a problem falling back asleep when I wake up in the middle of the night. 

The thing that makes the biggest difference for me: eye mask and ear plugs. 

And non-prescription sleeping pills, or, sometimes, an ibuprofen, if I’m really sore after a hard day. But I obviously don’t  want to take them often. So I don’t think I it as a solution. More of an emergency thing.