Why do horses sleep standing up?

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Sometimes horses sleep on their sides, but often they sleep standing up! Their legs developed in a special way that allows them to lock into place so that horses don’t wobble or fall over when they sleep. If a person fell asleep while standing up, he or she would fall over pretty quickly!           

Horses sleep on their feet to keep themselves safe! They don’t have many natural defenses, and they could get attacked by other animals. By standing while sleeping, if they wake up and find they need to run away from something quickly, they don’t have to waste any time getting to their feet. They are already in position to run!   

Horses and Astronauts

What do horses and astronauts have in common?  A lot of times, they both sleep standing up!  You already know why horses sleep on their feet, but how about astronauts? What’s missing in space that allows astronauts to sleep standing up?  

Hint: Astronauts often need to strap their sleeping bags to the walls so that they don’t float away at night and bump into things!