Buried to his neck?

Remember the scene in which Guy Stockwell is buried to his neck in sand and left to bake under the sun? One wonders if Stockwell were really buried in this fashion, and one wonders what would be the worst thing about this form of punishment. The inability to move for hours and hours? The insects that might crawl on one's face? The scorching heat of the sun? The itchiness of it all? And did "Beau" suffer more than his brother who was locked up in a sweat-box?