Can you sleep & recharge your batteries standing up?
Sleeping standing up: at first, this sounds absurd, like a skill we only know from the animal kingdom – in horses, for example. After all, our two-legged bodies rely on a stable posture to not tip over. But if we look at flamingos, we can see that these animals can easily rest on just one leg, thanks to their special balance and muscle function. So what about humans? Can we sleep standing up after all?
26 March 2025 • 2 min reading time
Is it possible to sleep standing up? Discover exciting facts about who and how you can sleep standing up!
Theoretically, it is possible to fall asleep or doze off standing up, but only for very short periods.
As a rule, our balance systems and reflexes prevent us from entering a deep period of rest while standing.
The depth of sleep that contributes to regeneration and good health can only be achieved in a relaxed position, such as sitting or lying down.
In short, yes, but only on a very superficial level – because the human brain and body are not designed to spend long periods of time in an upright position without controlling movement and stability.
Although acute tiredness or extreme exhaustion can cause someone to ‘nod off’ briefly while standing, they will not fall into a deep sleep. In this so-called microsleep, drowsiness can induce a kind of unconsciousness for a few moments. However, due to gravity or instinctive reflexes, we wake up quickly to stop ourselves from falling over.
For complete relaxation and effective regeneration, it is essential that we are in a relaxed position and enter into the deep sleep or REM phase. During this phase, our muscles are completely relaxed. Our bodies now take a break from the strain of their own weight and need this resting mode to regenerate.
The situation is slightly different for sleepwalkers: people with this sleep disorder are often observed standing around the house asleep or even going for walks! As sleepwalking takes place during the deep sleep phase, it is a special medical case that should be examined by a doctor if it occurs repeatedly.
Sleeping standing up is neither comfortable nor a good idea for humans, as our behaviour and physiology are adapted to horizontal periods of rest. If we are extremely tired, we can still fall asleep standing up for a few seconds, but we will not really rest in this position. If you want to recharge your batteries while you sleep, you should make sure you are lying in a comfortable position in which your mind and body can fully relax.
Discover more topics from our blog that might interest you:
