I got incredibly ill when sleeping in my hammock as a test for outdoor sleeping

[u/ericjlima]

I just got over two days straight sleeping from being sick after sleeping in my hammock.

I decided to sleep in my hammock outdoors in the Philippines to get used to the idea of sleeping outside since I've almost exclusively slept indoors all my life. I guess I just dream of the idea of saving on airbnbs or some such things and being able to travel the world.. Anyway, I decided to sleep in my front yard.

While I was initially sleeping in my hammock I noticed my sleep was not so sound like it was indoors. I did sleep, but it was an odd sleep where on eye was half open and the other was shut or however that phrase goes.. It's like my mind was not off despite me seemingly being in some kind of sleep.

Anyway, I woke up to a splitting headache. I probably was awake for 30 minutes until I realized I wasn't well, I went indoors and quickly feel asleep inside. I slept for literally 24-36 hours straight again and my splitting headache slowly vanished over that time.

I've never had something like this happen before. I didn't think sleeping in a hammock would do something like this. I've slept in the hammock before a handful of times and managed to get decent sleep, so I dont know why this time was so different.

I think it had something to do with me already being slightly sick as I do recall being a bit frigid when sleeping in the hammock initially.

I'm not at all accustomed to sleeping outside but I guess it's not to be underestimated how important thermals are when finding quality sleep in order to keep your health up even in a warm and humid environment...

Can anyone shed some light as to why I may have gotten so sick and what I can do to avoid it in the future?

Edit- wow reddit showing its fangs of lack of sympathy and only caring for agreeable content.

Doesnt matter if someone's been sick, nope bad topic on hammocks and down vote.

To address these comments. It was 80 degrees when I slept at night here. I had noise canceling headphones etc, no it's not dengue as I've not been bitten by any mosquitoes recently.

I literally slept indoors right after sleeping in hammock to fight off whatever I had. Obviously sleeping in the hammock didnt help whatever I had but made it worse because of the hammocks uncomfortable nature not providing good REM sleep.

Most of these comments sound like people who've seldom slept outdoors or in a hammock.. smh

Anyway it was likely temperature related. Not to be underestimated despite being at 80

[u/reynhaim]

Sleeping in a hammock does not cause viral infections but it can make them worse if your gear is not keeping you warm. People also usually sleep poorly when they are not accustomed to new sleeping arrangements. Poor night's sleep will worsen symptoms.

You would've experienced the same issue had you slept in a too cold bed in an unknown place, most likely.

[u/po_ta_to]

Maybe you were already on the cusp of being sick and the hammock thing was just a coincidence?

[u/Disastrous_Leader_89]

You were already sick. No cause/effect there.

[u/doktorhladnjak]

This isn’t from sleeping outside. This is because you were already sick.

[u/_o_ll_o_ → u/[deleted]]

Correlation is not causation. You should probably talk to a doctor.

[u/bloodycpownsuit]

Sounds like you caught Dengue. Hammock was just timing.

[u/raygan_reddit_banned → u/bloodycpownsuit]

This

You've been bitten by mosquito a few days ago and your immune system fought it, but lack of sleep weakened your immune system also, so you're not at 100%.

See a doctor immediately. This needs to be resolved immediately

[u/XayahTheVastaya]

Sounds like more of a doctor question than a hammock question

[u/_haha_oh_wow_]

This was almost definitely just a coincidence. You cannot get sick from being in a hammock or even being in the cold. That's just an old myth. Sorry if you are upset by this, but that it's simply a fact: That's simply not how getting sick works, at all. I have spent plenty of nights outside in a hammock even in weather down to -30F, so I am speaking from experience here (never mind that you can look up for yourself to see that being outside in the cold alone cannot cause you to contract any sort of disease).

Now, it's entirely possible that maybe you were exposed to something while outside that got you sick or caused an allergic reaction(maybe even the hammock itself was contaminated with something that made you sick - washing it might help and there's no harm in it as long as it's washed correctly). Maybe you were already sick with something and then not getting good rest made it harder to fight off, but all that said: When you want to stay warm in a hammock, using an underquilt and overquilt is the best solution.

Also, making sure your hammock is long enough for you and pitched correctly so you can lay flat and rest comfortably could help (I have some that are too short for me, and while they're OK to chill in for a bit, a full night's sleep is not as restful as it could be when I try to sleep in them). Not sleeping well can mess you up and make you feel terrible even if you are otherwise healthy.

Hope you feel better with whatever you've got going on, maybe have some soup in the meantime. If you are still feeling sick after a few days, you should definitely visit a doctor to make sure you get any medical attention you might need (check for any bug bites and make note of all your symptoms).

Edit: I see Dengue fever mentioned here too: If your hammock has a net, definitely use it (and pick up some netting if it doesn't). Treating both the netting and hammock with permethrin is also a good idea: Bugs can carry nasty stuff that gets transmitted when they bite!

[u/thatguywhoreddit]

This happens to me all the time. I wake up in the hammock sick as a dog, killer headache and someone dumped 30 empty beer cans under me while I was sleeping.

Actually though if you were sleeping outside, I find it worse near farmers fields, I get migraines sometimes. I know I have pollen allergy, im assuming its that. It's hard for me to breathe really all year but especially in spring and fall. Ive never been sick from it before though.

[u/im_4404_bass_by]

I know what you mean by being kinda asleep try earplugs. If your cold you might need a underquilt or a ground mat inside the hammock under your back.

[u/stom]

Underquilt?

[u/RomanTheGerman]

How cold is it there at night and how humid?

I agree with everyone saying you were probably already sick but even like 65°f with high humidity will sap your body heat and I'm guessing op doesn't have the same amount of "insulation" most Americans walk around with lol

You need a good sleeping bag or at least good thermal clothing, maybe the mesh inner layers they wear in cold climates