Crafting, farming, and recovering your HP and energy are just some of the things you can do at your base. Zombies seem to steer clear of the area, so you can kick back and take care of business without worrying about being mauled by the undead.
Checking the bed at your base will let you rest until 8:00 AM the next morning while recovering your HP, energy, and resetting your zombie scale to neutral. Making sure your water and food gauges are topped off before resting will increase your maximum HP and energy when you wake up.
RETURN TO BASE
Progressing far enough in the story will allow you to craft an item called a "ZPS" that can instantly warp you to your base. If you aren't ready to head back home, though, you can always use an Instant Camp to spend the night roughing it under the stars.