Why Does Camping Make You Tired? 15 Can’t-Ignore Advice

Camping is more than just setting up tents and rolling out sleeping bags, it is a way of connecting to yourself and the nature around you. It has so many benefits both health-wise but it does, like everything, have its not-so-palatable parts or aspects. One of which is always the question “why does camping make you tired?”

As a kid, I used to spend so much time camping and I enjoyed it. The idea behind camping both with family, when I was little and with friends now that I’m grown remains the same – to get away from chores, the hustle and bustle of city life, the toxicity of society and even to take a break from social media and just admire and relate with nature purely.

Most people indeed love camping, some even see it as therapeutic. But those who go camping spend a lot of time afterward complaining of feeling exhausted after camping, especially if they go to camps that don’t have facilities set up already.

There are a whole bunch of reasons which will be discussed in this post. Though you had a wonderful camping experience, it might be not easy to get out of bed the next day.

Is It Normal to Feel Tired After a Camping Trip?

Camping is an activity that takes you outside your comfort zone. Even if you claim that it’s your comfort zone, unless you built your house in the woods and you’re used to the forest, you would definitely, like most people react to the change of environment.

Until you get used to camping, you’ll most probably find camping both exciting and exhausting. It’s not just humans who get exhausted after camping, even your dog is exhausted after camping. So, is it normal to feel tired after camping? I guess you can say a bold ‘yes’ by now.

Why Does Camping Make You Tired? 5 Simplified Reasons

You ask why you’re tired. Well, you’re going into a forest, and there’s no condo, hot water, soft bed with an amazing sheet with an impressive thread count, the internet’s probably going to be crappy, you have a limited choice of food which you brought, there’s going to be a chill caused by the oxygenation of the plants around you and a bunch of reasons of other reasons I’m going to talk about below.

Here are 5 simplified reasons why camping makes you tired?.”

1. Camping Requires More Physical Effort:

So, unless you’re going to camp somewhere that has a hut, a bathroom, and toilet setup and other modern facilities which defeat the idea behind camping especially to connect with nature, you’re going to have to add in a lot more physical effort.

Well, first, you’re going to have to get to the woods or wherever you want to camp. You’re going to have to set up your tent, which hopefully is not the complicated/difficult type. You’re going to set up a fire, amongst other important things like fishing, and you will very much have an exhausted day after hike.

2. Your Body System is a Little Disrupted by the Change in Environment:

Your body even if you do not want to admit loves comfort and easily finds a comfort zone for itself, unless you’re the kind of person that just likes to put your body through the discipline of rigor. So, you have an apartment or even your workplace that has a thermostat and does the temperature regulation for you.

But now you’re out in the open, under the cool shade of trees or wherever you decide to camp, your body has to put in twice the work to regulate your body temperature.

You’re also not used to the outdoors, pine needles, the smell of the soil, the forest, and dry leaves probably on the ground. Your senses have a lot to take in at once and that’s a lot of pressure to put on your body.

3. Your Routine is Temporarily Interrupted:

Perhaps you wake up and shower with hot water, eat a light but sweet breakfast, maybe even go to the gym before that, and work in a controlled environment you’re already used to. Then you decide to go to the great outdoors to camp and sleep on the ground (well, on a sleeping bag but then it’s on the ground).

So, your body is temporarily thrown off course for a few days and has to adjust. But by the time you’re done, your body has also adjusted a little and is trying to get back to its usual state which might result in a few late days to work and a drag on productivity.

4. You Didn’t Prepare Well and Now Your Body Isn’t Healthy:

The great outdoors is easier to handle now with modern technology or depending on how you want your camping experience to be, but it’s easy to forget a few things which might cause some harmful effects.

One of the things that if you don’t prepare will make the experience harder, uncomfortable, and ultimately more exhausting for you are; a proper way to light a fire, not checking if you got the proper water-storing facilities, bug spray to repel insects, disinfectants so you don’t get an infection and so much more.

Such things might backfire and end up wearing you out before you even start your camping experience. Thus, you have to make sure you prepare well so you don’t end up sick.

5. The Constant Interaction With Other Persons:

This is especially if you are going to be camping in an area where there are other people. Thus, you won’t be able to just keep to yourself, you’d have to mix and interact with others. The more the people, the more stressful it might be for you because conversations can last till midnight, which means you might not get quality sleep. It truly is like dominos, one little bit leads to the other.

Exhausted After Camping? 10 Tips to Get You Refreshed

Now that you have answers to your question. Let’s look at how to avoid being exhausted after camping.

6. Eat better food:

You can get back into shape and into being your energetic self again if you become a little more intentional about your feeding after camping. Okay, so who knows what you ate at camp? But there’s a way your body responds when you take good care of it and not just stuff junk food down your throat.

Fruits (e.g bananas, dates, tomatoes, oranges). Eat more proteins (e.g salmon), and add more veggies to your meals if you haven’t been doing so. Add more complex carbs (e.g sweet potatoes and squash) and healthy fats (e.g avocado, olive oils, and coconut oils)

7. Rehydrate:

Hydration is something constantly being sung into your ears. At least 8 cups of water help the body rehydrate especially when you’re carrying out strong physical activities. One good way to rehydrate is to drink avocado water or coconut water or eat a watermelon. The electrolytes will balance your blood sugar, while the drink will taste nice and at the same time keep you refreshed.

8. Get a Massage, Sleeping on the Ground Couldn’t Possibly Be Comfortable:

Unless you’re one of those folks who like sleeping on the floor when you are opportune to a bed, there’s no way you could be comfortable sleeping on a bag on the ground.

You’ll wake up with body aches, if you add the aches from the probable hike you did, you will agree with me that you are due for a massage. So book one even before you get back home so you won’t be draggy.

9. Engage Your Mind with Productive Hobbies Like Reading a Book, Painting, or Re-Arranging Your Bookshelf:

The mind has to be exercised as sometimes, you get brain fog after stressful events such as camping. So you have to engage your mind with productive hobbies like reading a book or painting or re-arranging your bookshelf.

10. Get Some Quality Sleep:

Your body might need a bit more reinforcement to enter into relaxation mode. The chamomile tea will bring your body under forced relaxation to allow your muscles to loosen and relax from the strain you get from camping.

11. Make Sure You Do Your Chores Before Camping So You Won’t Have a Load of Work Waiting For You When You Get Back:

You don’t want to come back from camping and meet your house disarranged, plates in the kitchen sink, bills piled up to ruin your supposedly fun weekend, and stuff like that. You make sure you do your chores before you leave your house and come back home to a clean house, everything is organized and you’re free to relax.

12. Exercise (Stretch):

Camping can result in sore muscles because you are not used to doing the same things every day, your body needs exercise (just a little), and those aching muscles will get better if you give them time.

Stretches are the easiest ones to do; they can be done in your bedroom and don’t take much time. They are important because they help you relieve any soreness from camping. But remember to warm up your body before stretching by making light movements with it. Stretches like hamstring stretches and others like lunges and even a little yoga help get your whole being back focused.

13. Ice Bath:

If you’ve never had an ice bath before, it may sound a little unusual. But there’s more to it than that! An ice bath is a wonderful way to relax sore muscles, reset your central nervous system, and improve sleep quality.

14. Use Insects/Bug Repellants So You Won’t Have to Deal With an Illness After Camping:

You know that a forest is the home of bugs, so it’s important to take some precautions before venturing into one. Remember that if you get bitten by some really bad bugs, you might have allergic reactions or worse, fall sick. Make sure you protect yourself from insect bites by taking bug repellents with you, or lotion with DEET in it.

15. Don’t Get Yourself Utterly Exhausted By Activities During Camping, It’s Going to Have a Backlash:

If you exhaust yourself during camping, you are setting yourself up for burnout. So do what you can and enjoy yourself. Don’t use up all your energy, especially if you’re a first-time camper whose body has not yet adjusted to the life of camping.

Final Thought:

As I’ve stated earlier, there are pros and cons why we should go camping extensively and one should reflect on them before embarking on their travels. It’s always best to be well-prepared for camping, no matter where you’re going.

I hope you enjoyed this list and read something new! We’ve seen that numerous factors influence how tired we feel after a long weekend of camping.

And before you even head out to the woods, you should know what to expect so you aren’t surprised by any sudden changes in your physical condition.

To conclude this article, I like to share a statement from a reader named Joey: “Camping makes you tired just like exercise does. You are doing stuff, experiencing new things.

All that new energy needs to get burned off.” I agree with that sentiment, and I hope our research has helped you gain a more profound appreciation for the activity of camping.

Did you learn something new about camping? Did it help you with any area of your camping activities that could use a little refining? Either way, a post like this is meant to be read and shared with others, so if you would be kind enough to do so, then you’ll help me in my goal of reaching everyone. Happy camping!

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