Do cows sleep standing and lying down?

Answer 1

Horses sleep standing up because they are a prey animal thus they need to be able to get away from any dangerous situation quickly. A horse that is laying down cannot get up and run from danger nearly as quickly as a horse that is standing. Horses also sleep standing up for the most part because they are so heavy that laying down for an extended period of time puts significant pressure on the tissues on the downward side of the horse and can lead to tissue damage and tissue death. Horses do need to lay down to sleep for about 45 minutes a day in order to achieve REM sleep and remain well-rested, but they tend to do this at times and in places where they feel very secure. Horses who are in unfamiliar or frightening surroundings or cannot lay down due to a health issue can actually become sleep deprived if they are not comfortable enough to lay down.

Answer 2

Cows do not sleep standing up, despite popular belief. They only doze for short periods of time, usually as a means to stand guard because they feel insecure for some reason or other, or because they just don't feel the need to lay down at the moment. Cattle are front-heavy and cannot lock their knees like horses can, and thus when they feel the need to actually sleep or even to rest their legs they lay down in a prone position, which is with their front legs folded with the feet tucked under the brisket or chest, and their hind legs tucked off to one side, not quite but almost under themselves. When they sleep in this position they can either tuck their heads around towards their rear (where they're legs are), or even lay out on their sides if they're in a particularly deep sleep.

Popular belief also entails that once a cow is down, it cannot get up, even if it's on its side. This is also not true. The only time a cow that's laying on its side cannot get up is if it's already dead or too sick and weak to get up. A healthy bovine is quite capable and strong enough to hoist itself back onto its front and get up to its feet again, only in a matter of seconds. If a bovine is on its side and has to get up suddenly because it was startled, it only takes a couple of seconds or less for that animal to get back up again.

These beliefs come from two myths: "Cows lay down when it rains" and "Cows can be tipped by one person sneaking up on a cow while it's a asleep then pushing it over." Neither of these myths have any truth to them, but that is another story, and not relevant to what this question is asking.

Answer 3

Animals that have developed the ability to doze while on their feet tip the odds in their favor just a little. If a predator gives chase they are already on their feet. That second or two that it takes to get up could be the difference between life or death.

Answer 4

Cows don't sleep standing like horses do. They would rather sleep lying down or in a recumbent position with their legs folded under them. They can doze standing, but for real beauty sleep, they lay down.

Answer 5

This is a very common misconception, but horses do not actually sleep standing up. Being prey animals, horses are alert to signs of predators at all times and therefore require very little deep sleep. At night, they rest and doze standing up, their knees locked to prevent them from falling. At some point, they kneel and then lie down on their side, but only sleep in this position for two hours or so. Then they stand up and repeat the process.

Answer 6

they don't. FYI, you're f-ing stupid, there is such a thing as a dumb question

Answer 7

Horse typically stand to nap, but they do lay down to get REM sleep. Cattle lay down for the same reasons, and they will also 'doze' while standing just like a horse.

Answer 8

Yes.