Sleeping on a slope - head up or down?

[ChrisJHC]

I rarely find a completely flat spot to pitch the tent.
I've always gone head-up but was wondering if anyone goes head-down?

The big issue with head-up is I'm just over 6 feet tall so if I slide down I end up with my feet hard against the end of the tent. Can cause condensation issues.
This is probably still better than ending up with my head squashed against the end, although a pillow would probably prevent that.

I note that some sports recovery people say that you should elevate your legs for the best recovery - not sure if that would apply for 8 hours!

Tried sleeping across the slope once but it's too weird! Plus I kept rolling/sliding off the sleeping mat.

Thoughts?

[GPSGuided]

6-8 hours of sleep with the head dangling below the heart level will only make it congested. Try it and it's not a nice feeling.

[Mark F]

The only difference is that your head will be pushing into the end of your tent rather than your feet and sleeping across a slope is really disturbing I find. Best to put a bit more effort into finding a flatter site.

[north-north-west]

a) Level off the sleeping mat as much as possible with clothing/equipment under it.

b) In the Nallo I always slept head to door. In the Akto and Scarp,I put something behind my head such as the camera bag to avoid contact with the fabric - and still have a very slight head-down angle.

c) Shrink. At 5'3 it isn't really that much of an issue.

[neilmny]

If I attempted to sleep feet uphill I probably wouldn't get any sleep.
If find flat ground without a hip hole hard enough to sleep on.

[Gadgetgeek]

I can do some pretty severe feet down, but any head-down is a no-go, and sideways isn't good either.

[Strider]

Head up and paint some silicone dots on your tent floor to limit slippage. Not all that comfortable either way but way better than a side slope!

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[Tortoise]

In the end, the wind /exposed direction usually wins out in terms of how I orientate my tent.

+1 for the head-up approach, and for levelling the mat as much as possible. On a significant slope, I stack stuff (including my pack if it's not wet) under my mat at the foot. I also put my little foam square vertically at the foot to insulate my foot box and stop it touching the wall.

Across the slope, when necessary, isn't so bad when I stuff clothes etc under the lower side of the mat. That stops me rolling/sliding/feeling weird.

Very slight head-down doesn't bother me. When I had foot/ankle problems, it was my choice.

[Xplora]

Give it an hour next time. You won't do it again. Some thing you just have to try for yourself to find out why.

[Lindsay]

Head up. Silicone dots on the floor and mattress will help slippage.