Sleeping position in a sailboat

[ramblinrod]

Our Douglas 32 has a 36” wide cabin sole.

In rough conditions, I put the settee cushions on the floor.

Comfy, minimal motion fore/aft, secure on either tack.

Small boats can have benefits.

[Gazzza]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Can you not sleep fore and aft in the aft cabin.

I assume that is "across" the bed? Do you do that all the time or only on a passage?


Garry

[Cpt Pat]

Originally Posted by ramblinrod

Our Douglas 32 has a 36” wide cabin sole.

In rough conditions, I put the settee cushions on the floor.

Comfy, minimal motion fore/aft, secure on either tack.

Small boats can have benefits.

Good point. If it's rough and you don't have a leecloth, that's where you'll end up anyway. Just make sure everything loose doesn't end up on top of you.

[Saleen411]

I personally don't like sleeping with my head lower than my feet....I don't know many people that do. Headaches and congestion are common complaints. So sleeping "sideways" on the wrong tack wouldn't be ideal for some.

FWIW, our A/C bunks are fore and aft HOWEVER, they are set up for one's head being aft. Problem with this is that an airliner cruises nose UP.

[slug]

Originally Posted by Cpt Pat

I would only put people I hate in the V berth forward. And I don't associate with any lawyers, so it's just used for storage at sea. My second favorite torture chamber would be an athwart bunk.

The best place to sleep is in the main cabin, in a berth aligned with the boat's direction (not athwart), on the "downhill" (downwind/leeward) side, with your head as close to the center of lateral resistance as possible (that's the point with the least dynamic movement). Fortunately, my bunks are set up just like that. But since much of seasickness is psychological, whatever works for you is best. Claustrophobia seems to be a factor for some people, so an area with more room might be better.

During periods of acute seasickness, try breathing in and out of a plastic or paper bag. Increased CO2 seems to help some people (it's an old trick for airsickness.) It definitely helps reduce diaphoresis -- that sweaty feeling you get before you vomit. If it doesn't work, well, you've got the bag right there ready to go...

If your cabin can accommodate it, try stringing a hammock strung fore to aft - the boat rolls but you don't. It's an ancient solution (saves space too).

For greenhorn crew, I earnestly tell them check the bilge every 5 minutes for signs "the boat is sinking" and the engine room for fire - around bedtime, until they get sleepy and stop talking about being sick. Fear and a sense of purpose is a great distraction from seasickness. Ever notice how, in a serious storm, no one with anything to do ever gets sick?

Otherwise, sleep in the cockpit so the cockpit drains can clean up the mess - and there's plenty of fresh air.

Yah...if you think you are going to die you won’t get seasick

I find a sip of cold coke is a good seasickness treatment ..refreshes your mouth and the sugar gives you a ..gonna die any moment..Adrenalin rush

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by gamayun

You might check with an eye doctor to see if your vision has changed slightly over the past year. This is what happened to me. Personally, I wouldn't think sleeping location on a boat would affect vertigo unless you're hitting your head regularly trying to get in or out of the space. That's my problem with my aft berth. I much prefer the settees with lee cloth while at sea. They're much safer and easier to access.

...there is something I find particularly comfy and secure about sleeping w lee cloths...

[Benz]

I'm surprised at the chorus of negativity about sleeping 'twartships. I designed my boat specifically with the double bunk crosswise, and it's been the best thing ever. You put your head on the high side, and never worry about a leecloth or being flung around. On the fore-n-aft bunks aft, a leecloth is desirable in a seaway, but not on the main bunk. Anyway, I like it. Different strokes, I guess.

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

...there is something I find particularly comfy and secure about sleeping w lee cloths...

On your catamaran????

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Saleen411

On your catamaran????[emoji3]

Ha! Being in need of a lee cloth on a cat would not make me warm and fuzzy at all! [emoji33]

[GrowleyMonster]

Originally Posted by SuW

Perhaps you need to ask a doctor if your vertigo is a sign of something serious, or perhaps if it is BPPV. There is a specific test for this.
I have this condition, and it is sometimes spontaneous, or can be triggered by boat movements, or lying down on one side, or use of alcohol or drugs.
There is a therapy called the Epley maneuver which you can do yourself. There is a self-training aid called a Dizzy-Fix that I find helpful.

THIS. I had this a couple of times. Very common in middle aged or elderly folks. As I was the Bosun on a ship, I was of course quite concerned that I basically had zero sense of balance. Luckily we had very good bandwidth and quite liberal use policy, and between WebMD and Youtube I got it figured out and self-treated. 2nd Mate, the ship's medical officer, had not a clue. Partial relief was immediate. Repeating the Eppley gave me complete recovery just a few minutes later. Be sure you perform the test to determine what side you are impaired... do the eppley on the wrong side and you just make it worse. With nobody to see your eye twitching, just relax and let your eye go out of focus and you will see your eye's focus sort of swimming. Sleeping athwartships on a small boat can easily cause this malady. Sleeping fore and aft is much safer in this regard. Also make a point of getting up out of your rack slowly and deliberately.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Benz

I'm surprised at the chorus of negativity about sleeping 'twartships. I designed my boat specifically with the double bunk crosswise, and it's been the best thing ever. You put your head on the high side, and never worry about a leecloth or being flung around. On the fore-n-aft bunks aft, a leecloth is desirable in a seaway, but not on the main bunk. Anyway, I like it. Different strokes, I guess.

Everyone has to try different stuff and find whatever works in his individual case.


I sleep athwartships sometimes, but don't really like it in hard weather. If there is a lot of heel, then you feel like you might fall over.



Best sleeping for most people will be fore and aft and on the low side, with a bolster to lean against. Out of seven berths plus settees on this boat we literally have no single place like that on a stb tack, which is when I will often resort to sleeping athwartship here or there.

[pbmaise]

Check your caffeine intake

I found drinking prepackaged three in one coffee to be a no no. If I have two cups of this brew in the morning right around noon I starting experiencing vertigo even in calm seas aboard a trimaran.

I now drink a full glass of water while my coffee heats up and make my own blend of three in one using adult low fat powdered milk, instant coffee and Muscovado


Muscovado, also khandsari and khand, is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour.

The Muscovado flavor helps make up for the fact the instant coffee is diluted in my custom blend