How to Sleep on the Side of a Mountain

Mountaineering is grueling. The sport requires exceptional physical and mental conditioning. Higher altitudes cause sleep disruptions and will wear the body down. Sleeping above 14,000 feet becomes an exercise in itself. Take certain steps to ensure you are as rested as possible during any high altitude summit attempt. It is crucial to go into the sport knowing how the brain and thinking processes are affected by altitude and sleep deprivation.

Instructions

    • 1

      Add warm or hot water to your drinking bottles and slide them deep into the sleeping bag five to 10 minutes before crawling in for sleep. This helps preheat the bag and keeps a bottle of liquid near you that will not freeze during the frigid night. Take off your boots and push them deep to the bottom of the sleeping bag to prevent them from freezing during the night. It will be tight, but this is a crucial step because it will keep the boots fresh for the morning.

    • 2

      Avoid eating protein right before bed. This includes nuts or legumes. The human body has a hard time breaking down and processing protein at high altitudes, although it needs it for survival. Do not eat proteins within an hour of going to sleep, as this disrupts the body and keeps you awake.

    • 3

      Keep a bag of sweets such as high calorie chocolate or syrup next to your head during the night. You will wake up hungry. Move your face over the bag and take a mouthful to sate the hunger. This also keeps you warm and ensconced in the sleeping bag; also keep a pee-bottle in the tent to relieve yourself during the night instead of leaving the tent and risk cold exposure.

    • 4

      Monitor any headaches that develop during the night or do not go away. Headaches are signs of dehydration and possible altitude sickness, or worse. If you have a headache that comes on during the night, drink water and lots of it. If the headache gets worse or does not go away, you must go to a lower altitude and let the body recover. This may be a precursor to HACE, High Altitude Cerebral Edema, a life threatening condition.

    • 5

      Expect to have nightmares and disrupted sleep at high altitudes. The brain functions differently in thin air and one result is increased nightmares or odd dreams. You will not sleep soundly at altitude. The best to hope for is rest and some recovery.