Afew weeks ago, my friend Travis called a to chat about a man he met in Denver that used our stander. Turns out it was an older EasyStand that Travis probably welded together when he worked here several years ago. Travis mentioned that the guy no longer was able to use the EasyStand due to an accident, but one of the things that he missed most was sleeping while standing! I had to ask if this was something that happened by accident or just an occasional thing he did? Travis was told that it was something this guy did intentionally and on a regular basis.
I have heard from other standing frame owners, that they are not sure how to stay busy while standing. Of course most of us don’t worry about staying busy while sitting in our wheelchairs for hours and watching TV, but I digress. I decided to give sleeping in my stander a shot and have to admit that it felt a bit weird at first.
The first time I tried sleeping while standing was after a long day of work and I was tired. I grabbed three pillows and raised the tray all the way up. I set my radio to shut off in forty-five minutes in case I dozed off and lost track of time. I went to standing and after about five minutes of rearranging the pillows and tray I was finally comfortable. Just when I thought that sleeping while standing was not going to work, I woke up to silence. I had dozed off and the sound of the radio shutting off must have woken me.
Falling asleep did not come easy, even though I am usually the type that could nap anywhere anytime. This has not always been the case, but I learned to master this technique while travelling for work. I think it is more of a meditation thing. I let my mind go blank and in short time I’m napping.
Is sleeping while standing a new trend with me? I doubt it. Maybe I can try getting away with it at work? But for now I better stick to doing it occasionally on weekends! Go ahead get in your standing frame, grab a pillow and before you know it you too may be sound asleep. Shhhh!
Max is a kid who also likes to snooze while standing. Read “Standing Activity: Sleeping?
Have you every tried sleeping while standing?
This is pretty easy to believe, really…. :) Nice post!