Keeping energy and beating fatigue?

[EZYSEY]

Similar boat. I was 29 last year turning 30 in August and hadn't done a weekend festival for a good few years so was worried about how i'd cope as usually i'm a right off after one night let alone 5. I coped surprisingly well and the excitement of the day ahead always gave me that extra bit of energy I needed. Granted I didn't eat enough but its all about pacing yourself. 

• Wednesday - few drinks and was in bed by 1am. Had a good 7 hours kip

• Thursday -  Hit it hard but still in bed by 3am.

• Friday/Saturday -  Smashed the granny out of it until sunrise.

• Sunday - A little more conservative but stopped to late (4am) struggled sleeping and couldn't piss. (Those who know, know). That drive home was horrendous so this year i'm in bed straight after Stantons v Plumps and dropping some codeine to send me off properly.

[lucyginger]

6 minutes ago, Skoo said:

When you can't sleep due to certain substances, and you're just laying in your tent resting for a couple of hours, do you feel all horrible and depressed? I always do, and it can be hard not to feel bleak in my freezing cold tent wondering why the hell I put my body through such hell! Always forget about it by the morning though  Just after some tips if you've found ways to avoid "the fear".

I don't really feel horrible and depressed, not at Glastonbury anyway! I know what you mean though and I do get that at home sometimes. Valium and a spliff is the key I reckon. If you are at that point of feeling rubbish and have a few hours to lay down, you may as well induce sleep. You'll feel so much better afterwards. Change into your jammies, get a hot drink (not caffeinated!), get into bed with said drink, smoke spliff, have sleeping tablet, lay down, and then wake up a few hours later feeling good! 

If you're getting cold, may I suggest taking a hot water bottle with you. I did that for the first time last year and it has totally changed my in tent night time feeling niceness! I have my own tent and am usually freezing, if you've been on it and are cold, you wont get warm by yourself! Or maybe thats just me, not sure! 

Another way to avoid the fear is to do all the above, but angle yourself so you can see out the tent if you leave your door open a bit. A bit of looking outside while your head switches from twatted to sleepy is quite lovely, especially if one of your camp mates is doing similar

[elias]

Age has its way of slowing you down naturally! At 58 you have to realise that you have to do things a lot differently. I need to sleep for at least 6 hours a night, so watching the sunrise is not going to happen. I mooch around the naughty corner on the Wednesday or Thursday and leave it to the young 'uns after that. Note: anything less than 40 is young to me!
It does have the added benefit of allowing you to be up and about in the morning and able to watch bands all day long before retiring with a nice cup of cocoa after the headliners. I made the bit about the cocoa up. I am usually wandering back to the tent in a happily inebriated state.

[Morgs74]

13 minutes ago, Skoo said:

When you can't sleep due to certain substances, and you're just laying in your tent resting for a couple of hours, do you feel all horrible and depressed? I always do, and it can be hard not to feel bleak in my freezing cold tent wondering why the hell I put my body through such hell! Always forget about it by the morning though  Just after some tips if you've found ways to avoid "the fear".

Used to get this in my teens but haven't for years.  Generally can come about when more sleep deprived and weak so it helps to force some food down you, ideally something salty (salted peanuts can work).  The number 1 medicine which never ever fails though.... spliff.

[Skoo]

3 minutes ago, lucyginger said:

I don't really feel horrible and depressed, not at Glastonbury anyway! I know what you mean though and I do get that at home sometimes. Valium and a spliff is the key I reckon. If you are at that point of feeling rubbish and have a few hours to lay down, you may as well induce sleep. You'll feel so much better afterwards. Change into your jammies, get a hot drink (not caffeinated!), get into bed with said drink, smoke spliff, have sleeping tablet, lay down, and then wake up a few hours later feeling good! 

If you're getting cold, may I suggest taking a hot water bottle with you. I did that for the first time last year and it has totally changed my in tent night time feeling niceness! I have my own tent and am usually freezing, if you've been on it and are cold, you wont get warm by yourself! Or maybe thats just me, not sure! 

Another way to avoid the fear is to do all the above, but angle yourself so you can see out the tent if you leave your door open a bit. A bit of looking outside while your head switches from twatted to sleepy is quite lovely, especially if one of your camp mates is doing similar

This is all great advice, thank you!

I have already bought a hot water bottle for this year, along with a stove so I can make a drink when I get back to camp. Good to hear that this makes a big difference, I am always freezing as soon as I leave the crowded areas. I share a tent with my other half, but he has the most irritating ability to instantly pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow, regardless of that night's indulgences, makes me very jealous  

The other thing I've invested in is some ambient lighting for the tent. I don't want to sit there in the pitch black, but I also find the light from normal camping torches really harsh when I'm in that frame of mind - so I've got a nice lamp that gives out a soft glow, which should hopefully be soothing!

[Mezhyp1]

7 minutes ago, EZYSEY said:

Similar boat. I was 29 last year turning 30 in August and hadn't done a weekend festival for a good few years so was worried about how i'd cope as usually i'm a right off after one night let alone 5. I coped surprisingly well and the excitement of the day ahead always gave me that extra bit of energy I needed. Granted I didn't eat enough but its all about pacing yourself. 

• Wednesday - few drinks and was in bed by 1am. Had a good 7 hours kip

• Thursday -  Hit it hard but still in bed by 3am.

• Friday/Saturday -  Smashed the granny out of it until sunrise.

• Sunday - A little more conservative but stopped to late (4am) struggled sleeping and couldn't piss. (Those who know, know). That drive home was horrendous so this year i'm in bed straight after Stantons v Plumps and dropping some codeine to send me off properly.

Hear, Hear

 

Though as far your Sunday tactics, I shall be going for it no end for The Temple on Sunday night, it'll be at least 6 before I return to the camp, 10:30am bus to Glasgow, that means no sleep hopefully 8/9 hrs of snooze on the bus home 

[Skoo]

13 minutes ago, elias said:

Age has its way of slowing you down naturally! At 58 you have to realise that you have to do things a lot differently. I need to sleep for at least 6 hours a night, so watching the sunrise is not going to happen. I mooch around the naughty corner on the Wednesday or Thursday and leave it to the young 'uns after that. Note: anything less than 40 is young to me!
It does have the added benefit of allowing you to be up and about in the morning and able to watch bands all day long before retiring with a nice cup of cocoa after the headliners. I made the bit about the cocoa up. I am usually wandering back to the tent in a happily inebriated state.

This just sounds like a lovely way to do the festival. I'm not quite ready to give up my partying ways, but I'm very much looking forward to a more civilised approach in future 

[lucyginger]

7 minutes ago, Skoo said:

This is all great advice, thank you!

I have already bought a hot water bottle for this year, along with a stove so I can make a drink when I get back to camp. Good to hear that this makes a big difference, I am always freezing as soon as I leave the crowded areas. I share a tent with my other half, but he has the most irritating ability to instantly pass out as soon as his head hits the pillow, regardless of that night's indulgences, makes me very jealous  

The other thing I've invested in is some ambient lighting for the tent. I don't want to sit there in the pitch black, but I also find the light from normal camping torches really harsh when I'm in that frame of mind - so I've got a nice lamp that gives out a soft glow, which should hopefully be soothing!

You're welcome! 

If you're camped near a tea/hot drink stall, ask them to fill your hot water bottle up so you don't have to faff with the stove when you're not feeling your best. They might charge you a pound or so but it will be worth it! 

Great idea with the light too, I had a little string of "warm white" led lights last year which I will take this year too, that did the job nicely. You don't want to feel like you're under interrogation while you're settling in for a kip! 

Oh and take winter jammies, not summer. I made the swap last year from thin cotton ones to thick winter ones, that and the hot water bottle and you wont shiver. If you wake up sweaty, just throw off your sleeping bag and go back to sleep. You'll be ok. If you need to sleep, you'll sleep through the heat! 

[shuttlep]

21 minutes ago, EZYSEY said:

Similar boat. I was 29 last year turning 30 in August and hadn't done a weekend festival for a good few years so was worried about how i'd cope as usually i'm a right off after one night let alone 5. I coped surprisingly well and the excitement of the day ahead always gave me that extra bit of energy I needed. Granted I didn't eat enough but its all about pacing yourself. 

• Wednesday - few drinks and was in bed by 1am. Had a good 7 hours kip

• Thursday -  Hit it hard but still in bed by 3am.

• Friday/Saturday -  Smashed the granny out of it until sunrise.

• Sunday - A little more conservative but stopped to late (4am) struggled sleeping and couldn't piss. (Those who know, know). That drive home was horrendous so this year i'm in bed straight after Stantons v Plumps and dropping some codeine to send me off properly.

feeling your pain last year

[EZYSEY]

10 minutes ago, Mezhyp1 said:

Hear, Hear

 

Though as far your Sunday tactics, I shall be going for it no end for The Temple on Sunday night, it'll be at least 6 before I return to the camp, 10:30am bus to Glasgow, that means no sleep hopefully 8/9 hrs of snooze on the bus home 

Yeh I have to do part of the driving on the way back so need to be in a drive-able state and to be honest last year I wasn't but still did. In a weird way, having a child has helped because I rarely get a full 8 hours anyway.

[majormajormajor]

59 minutes ago, blackred said:

Final tip - benzos will help knock you out and ensure a deep sleep, a couple before bed each night alongside a smoke and i get a solid 5 hours rest.

I tend to take Benzos too, but it isn't a quality sleep by any stretch of the imagination. A deep sleep, but not a quality sleep. You take a couple of pills? Why on earth would you need a couple? And what are you taking? I have .5mg (half a 1mb tablet) of Xanax to knock myself out. I'd rather not though. I might also try taking a few mg of melatonin at 7am as I have trouble sleeping hungover these days, that doesn't inhibit quality sleep - just helps you get back into la la land. I'd much rather sleep through to midday and feel better rather than waking up at 9:30am completely knackered.

[Skoo]

I love how this thread has morphed from tips to save energy, into helping inebriated people fall asleep! 

[sloseph]

28 minutes ago, Skoo said:

When you can't sleep due to certain substances, and you're just laying in your tent resting for a couple of hours, do you feel all horrible and depressed? I always do, and it can be hard not to feel bleak in my freezing cold tent wondering why the hell I put my body through such hell! Always forget about it by the morning though  Just after some tips if you've found ways to avoid "the fear".

I know this feeling a bit too well, at the time it doesn't feel like its ever going to pass

in my experience the best medicine is to cuddle up to Mary Jane, if i'm struggling to sleep i'll grab my camping chair and sit just outside my tent while still in my sleeping bag and have a smoke looking out over the site

I found there is a strange calm that descends over the site at that time of night and sitting staring at it all while you slowly wind down for the night can be a great way to convince your brain that it wants to sleep

[Skoo]

2 minutes ago, majormajormajor said:

I tend to take Benzos too, but it isn't a quality sleep by any stretch of the imagination. A deep sleep, but not a quality sleep. You take a couple of pills? Why on earth would you need a couple? And what are you taking? I have .5mg (half a 1mb tablet) of Xanax to knock myself out. I'd rather not though. I might also try taking a few mg of melatonin at 7am as I have trouble sleeping hungover these days, that doesn't inhibit quality sleep - just helps you get back into la la land. I'd much rather sleep through to midday and feel better rather than waking up at 9:30am completely knackered.

My doctor is so straight he won't ever prescribe me any fun stuff. I pretty much have to beg for my measly Valium allowance for my fear of flying. Might need to change doctors.

[Skoo]

5 minutes ago, lucyginger said:

You're welcome! 

If you're camped near a tea/hot drink stall, ask them to fill your hot water bottle up so you don't have to faff with the stove when you're not feeling your best. They might charge you a pound or so but it will be worth it! 

Great idea with the light too, I had a little string of "warm white" led lights last year which I will take this year too, that did the job nicely. You don't want to feel like you're under interrogation while you're settling in for a kip! 

Oh and take winter jammies, not summer. I made the swap last year from thin cotton ones to thick winter ones, that and the hot water bottle and you wont shiver. If you wake up sweaty, just throw off your sleeping bag and go back to sleep. You'll be ok. If you need to sleep, you'll sleep through the heat! 

You coming to the efest meet? I'll have to buy you a drink and we can exchange further tips  

[shuttlep]

I am old now

 

 

so I find sleeping every night works, getting at least 5 hours sleep every night , even on the nights when you get back at 7 am , get your head down

[lucyginger]

1 minute ago, sloseph said:

I know this feeling a bit too well, at the time it doesn't feel like its ever going to pass

in my experience the best medicine is to cuddle up to Mary Jane, if i'm struggling to sleep i'll grab my camping chair and sit just outside my tent while still in my sleeping bag and have a smoke looking out over the site

I found there is a strange calm that descends over the site at that time of night and sitting staring at it all while you slowly wind down for the night can be a great way to convince your brain that it wants to sleep

Excellent advise! I do this too! Get ready for bed then sit outside, then when you start to feel sleepy move inside the tent, say hi to Mary again, and maybe Vince the Vally, then zip up your door and drift off. Lovely. 

[Jakkkkobz]

Eat regularly, stay hydrated, drink fizzy pops to keep sugar up and lots of drugs. 

[Yokel Again]

Hit the booze later, more water in the day. 

[blackred]

5 minutes ago, majormajormajor said:

I tend to take Benzos too, but it isn't a quality sleep by any stretch of the imagination. A deep sleep, but not a quality sleep. You take a couple of pills? Why on earth would you need a couple? And what are you taking? I have .5mg (half a 1mb tablet) of Xanax to knock myself out. I'd rather not though. I might also try taking a few mg of melatonin at 7am as I have trouble sleeping hungover these days, that doesn't inhibit quality sleep - just helps you get back into la la land. I'd much rather sleep through to midday and feel better rather than waking up at 9:30am completely knackered.

Etizolam the last few years, fairly weak stuff so need a couple of mg to have the desired effect, have found this to provide a better sleep than some of the other options - for me it prevents any twitchy-ness and sweating that prevent me sleeping properly, I'm normally knackered enough to get a deep sleep once that's dealt with.

[Junglist1981]

I'm 35 and slightly overweight, by the Sunday I'm usually completely knackered and quite grumpy. 

Every year i tell myself I'll get fit for Glastonbury, every year I get to a week before the festival and realise it's far far too late. 

My top tip is sitting down. You're lazy and out of shape, so act like it.

Sit down all Wednesday evening and all day Thursday (lying down when the opportunity presents itself).

Throughout the weekend spend a couple of lazy stretches sitting down at the same stage for 3 or 4 hours a day. West Holts and The Park ftw  

The week after Glastonbury is probably the fittest I am all year. I need to sort my life out really. 

Edited June 14, 2016 by Junglist1981

[stardustjunkie]

I am only 5'3 and not at all overweight but I have 4 meals (kind of) every day. I tend to have something for breakfast like yoghurt, smoothie or a bacon roll, a big lunch and a big dinner and then another late night snack. That late night snack can be anything from strawberries to wedges. I find it keeps me warm and keeps me going. I'm anaemic so fatigue really hits me so I have a lot of empathy! Make sure you're eating the right stuff as well.. Enjoy the veggie stalls etc. 

[JanieM28]

5 minutes ago, Junglist1981 said:

I'm 35 and slightly overweight, by the Sunday I'm usually completely knackered and quite grumpy. 

Every year i tell myself I'll get fit for Glastonbury, every year I get to a week before the festival and realise it's far far too late. 

My top tip is sitting down. You're lazy and out of shape, so act like it.

Sit down all Wednesday evening and all day Thursday (lying down when the opportunity presents itself).

Throughout the weekend spend a couple of lazy stretches sitting down at the same stage for 3 or 4 hours a day. West Holts and The Park ftw  

The week after Glastonbury is probably the fittest I am all year. I need to sort my life out really. 

You're a man after my own heart! I am also unfit, although slightly underweight so I should really be trying to build up some muscles somehow.

Indeed, my husband says the only exercise I get is jumping to conclusions.

I don't mind doing a bit of sauntering around the site but the best bit is very definitely sitting down. Staying put with a pint and a ciggie or two for a couple of hours while listening to music and watching everyone else being energetic makes me feel rather happy and content for some reason.  

 

[Keithy]

I think I'm one of those lucky ones who can fall asleep at the drop of a hat, anywhere, anytime. Fell asleep at the weekend on the beach during an airshow and missed a Tornado roaring overhead. Didn't even stir! 

As others have said, eat a lot and water. Most people completely underestimate how many calories they will burn through at Glastonbury and still stick to 'standard eating' as if they were at home, not realising they are probably burning twice as many calories. Think I eat every 3 hours or so at Glastonbury even if it's just a quick burger on the walk. 

[Cammers]

I've been getting in to work really early recently to avoid the congestion in and around the site and I have found that closing my eyes whilst stood at the urinal helps ease the 'stinging eyes' syndrome through the day.