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No other health problem is as prevalent as sleeplessness. But a proper sleeping position will drive away all your sleeping woes. After knowing the benefit of sleeping with legs elevated, you will surely give it a try if you haven’t already.
Improper sleep can be the answer to all your functional inefficacies, irritability, and perpetual fatigue.
When the situation is adverse, it is recommended to visit a doctor. But otherwise, going with certain experts’ recommended tips and tricks will help you sleep soundly.
Many of us are guilty of tucking a pillow between our legs or simply hugging one. But using a pillow or any other aid like an adjustable bed frame to elevate your legs will be just as comfortable and a lot more beneficial.
However, there is more to benefits of sleeping 1with legs elevated which can leave you dumbfounded.
1. Benefits of Sleeping with Legs Elevated
1.1. Better Blood Circulation
All-day long, when we are indulged in our daily work requirements, our poor feet have to hold up the entire body weight. The force of gravity becomes a work of toil to pull deoxygenated blood from the lower body to the heart.
Here one should know the benefits of sleepy with legs elevated; while doing so, the same gravity working against us will come in handy. The deoxygenated blood will now easily travel to your upper body and heart, and there will an increase in the flow of blood, which is oxygen-rich to your legs.
This also reduces pressure from the veins of your legs and provides overall relief to your feet and your heart, as it has to work less in this position.
Hence, for all those who need to stand for a long time, sleeping with the legs elevated is a simple trick to reduce the load from your legs and improve blood flow, ensuring a better night’s sleep.
1.2. A Remedy for Sciatic Nerve Condition
As everyone knows, the human body is a complex network of veins, nerves, and arteries.
The longest nerve is the sciatic nerve which starts after the spinal cord and reaches up to the feet while traveling through the waist, buttocks, and legs.
Many people develop a condition where this sciatic nerve is affected due to compression or inflammation.
This causes immense pain in any part of the limbs or hips wherever the nerve is disturbed.
When sleeping with the legs elevated promotes uniform alignment of the spinal cord.
It reduces the pressure exerted on the sciatic nerve by the lumbar discs.2
Although it’s not therapy, the health benefits of sleeping with the legs elevated are unavoidable in this condition.
1.3. Edema
A daily routine that involves standing or sitting for an extended period of time is a very common reason for the buildup of fluid in your leg veins which in turn causes them to swell.
Affected patients have to suffer from heavy swollen feet, making even the simplest of tasks feel difficult.
However, there are many other causes associated with edema3, either underlying disease or poor blood circulation, or pregnancy.
Here, the known benefits of sleeping with legs elevated become a huge relief from swelling, as the improved blood circulation will reduce the load from the feet and makes them feel light weighed.
Hence to alter and assist the condition, it is recommended for those who are particularly at higher risks to raise their legs above the heart level multiple times while relaxing during the day and sleeping at night.
1.4. Helps Those Suffering from Varicose Veins
If you start seeing dark blue or purple veins that are noticeably swollen and twisted, it is a common sign of varicose veins or spider veins which, although they appear harmless at first, can end up in critical conditions like Lymphedema.4
As the veins are a build-up of several valves, sometimes they get impaired instead of assisting blood flow, they start blocking it, and there appears an accumulation of venous blood and toxins underneath the skin.
It results in leg pain that causes immense discomfort by the end of the day and, in some critical conditions, also results in ulcers.
If you first witness this condition, it is better to start taking precautions; or make the most of all the benefits of sleeping with legs elevated as it helps in better blood flow and reduces pressure from the veins.
1.5. Treats DVT
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is seen as a formidable opponent by the doctors.
It is a serious problem wherein blood clots form in the veins deep inside the body. If left undiagnosed and untreated, mostly occurring in the legs, it can travel up to the heart, lungs, or brain.
This leads to the condition of pulmonary embolism, which is fatal.
Most people with a family history of poor circulation or who are overweight are prone to develop DVT.
Taking early precautions like diet and exercise is recommended, along with elevating your legs while sleeping and using elasticated stockings.
In DVT, the benefit of sleeping with the legs elevated is that it reduces swelling and redness in the feet by circulating blood flow.
With proper guidance and treatment, one can prevent further development of the condition.
1.6. Reduces Inflammation and Swelling
Apart from such major medical conditions, other benefits of sleeping with legs elevated include reducing leg swelling and inflammation after an injury or surgery.
Post-surgery, the development of DVT is a major threat that can also be tackled by elevating your legs.
All pregnant women face a hard time during the last trimester as the increased body weight imposes pressure on the feet, causing them to swell.
However, hormonal changes and fluid retention can also be the agents causing swollen feet and discomfort.
In all these conditions, one can gain the benefits of sleeping with legs elevated and can experience relief from their ongoing symptoms.
1.7. Proper Body Alignment
Hard work ultimately takes its toll on the body resulting in slumped shoulders and a curved spine.
But taking care of your sleeping position will not only bring repairs to daily wear and tear but also improves your body posture.
While sleeping on your back and elevating your legs, your body weight is evenly distributed, and the spinal cord gains a perfect alignment.
This, in turn, reduces back pain and pushes you into a state of deep slumber.
Apart from the most talked-about tips like minimizing mobile phone usage and staying away from the television before sleep.
One should also include sleeping with the legs elevated in their daily checklist for the night.
For your overall well-being, healthy blood circulation is a must. Tap on this link and know more.
2. FAQs
2.1. Is It Okay to Have Your Legs Raised When You Sleep?
It is often safe to spend the entire night with your legs raised. Before sleeping with your legs up for a lengthy amount of time, you should speak with your doctor if you have any medical disorders that impair your breathing or circulation.
2.2. What Dangers Could Arise from Sleeping with Your Legs Raised?
For the majority of individuals, sleeping with your legs elevated is generally safe, but there are some potential hazards to take into account. Too much leg elevation may put pressure on your lower back and result in pain or discomfort.
2.3. How Should I Raise My Legs As I Sleep?
Elevating your legs as you sleep is possible in a number of ways. Posing your legs up on cushions is one method. Utilising a unique bed wedge created for leg elevation is an additional choice. Some folks decide to raise the bed’s foot by putting risers under the legs.
- Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V. “Sleep, recovery, and metaregulation: explaining the benefits of sleep.” Nature and science of sleep (2015): 171-184. ↩︎
- Hirsch, Carl, and Alf Nachemson. “New observations on the mechanical behavior of lumbar discs.” Acta Orthopaedica Scandinavica 23.4 (1954): 254-283. ↩︎
- Trayes, Kathryn P., et al. “Edema: diagnosis and management.” American family physician 88.2 (2013): 102-110. ↩︎
- Warren, Anne G., et al. “Lymphedema: a comprehensive review.” Annals of plastic surgery 59.4 (2007): 464-472. ↩︎
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