Friday, September 10, 2010

Hello, my name is Hilary and I'm a fan sleeper

There are many things about the end of summer that make me sad - the chill in the air, the grey skies, the socks on my feet - but worst of all is the end of sleeping with a fan in the window.

As a fan addict I'll still have a fan going at night all winter long, no matter how cold it gets, but it will be in a corner, on low. Not quite the same as a nicely whirring fan in an open window in summertime. AH! Sweet dreams.















I can't sleep without a fan. And I especially prefer one with a sufficient volume of whirring. It's the sound I seek, not the breeze. And nothing will do but a fan. No stupid white-noise machines for me, thanks.

The noise of a fan is soothing (as long as it doesn't rattle) and it also does a wonderful job of drowning out other sounds. This is especially helpful if you sleep with a snorer. I've been sleeping with a fan for so long now that I can't sleep in a silent room.

When I travel I take a fan with me. Which is easy if I'm going by car, but problematic by plane. I recently made a reservation at a motel in a distant state where I'll be spending a week in January. I called to ask if they have fans available for guests and the answer was no. In fact, I think they thought I was a little strange for asking. But aren't there millions of people just like me?

I Googled "fan sleeping" but didn't come up with much. The Facebook Fan Sleepers Appreciation Group only has 34 members, but 34,730 people clicked the like button for "Sleeping with a fan on even when it's cold, because you like the noise."



I know I'm not alone. And I think motels should provide fans to guests who request them in the same way they provide other necessary amenities. Why should we lug fans around with us, when we wouldn't be expected to pack a hair dryer or an iron? Especially since fans are so essential to our ability to sleep well!

I once stayed in a fancy hotel in Manhattan. We had fabulous views, a marble bath, white fluffy robes, etc... But no fan. So I called housekeeping to ask for one and in no time at all a tall standing fan with three speeds was delivered to me. That's how it should be! That place didn't even blink at my request.

Fan sleepers unite!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey ma this is Jerry, I also sleep with a fan year round but I find at hotels the air conditioning unit works fine as a noise substitute.

Hilarywho said...

Jerry! How nice of you to leave a comment on my blog.

Of-course I know you're a fan sleeper because I'm the one who hooked you on it! I started running a fan in your room when you were a baby.

Sometimes the motel air/fan/heater unit can work, but you can't count on them and they sometimes kick off in the middle of the night when they reaches a certain temp.