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How relaxing is it to kick back in your reclining chair with your feet elevated? There are scientific reasons why this feels so good and we will review the pros and cons of sleeping with legs elevated in this article. Grab your tablet/laptop and a beverage of your choice and head for your favorite recliner to read this article from our experts in sleep.
You will be surprised at some of the benefits and also concerned about some of the cons of sleeping with legs elevated.
There are a numbers of ways to accomplish sleeping with your legs elevated, which we will discuss in detail later, but for now let’s focus first on the pros and cons of sleeping with legs elevated.
In today’s world unfortunately we spend a lot of our days sitting in front of a computer or TV. If that is not bad enough the majority of us also spend a fair amount of time standing.
The above activities put pressure on our veins leading to all sorts of issues over the years including varicose and spider veins.
By elevating your legs you are taking pressure off the veins. When standing or sitting for extended periods of time, you are putting more pressure on your veins. Elevating your legs helps to take the pressure off your veins. (Vein Clinics, 2021)
Another benefit from sleeping with your legs elevated is that it can provide some relief to back pain.
The University of Michigan states that lying on your back with a pillow beneath bent knees for support is a good way to ease back pain. (University Health Service, 2021)
Among the many benefits we covered so far in this article reducing swollen feet and ankles is an excellent benefit from elevating your legs.
The Cleveland Clinic lists six fixes for swollen legs and ankles which include the following, compression socks, elevating legs, exercise, weight loss, Epson Salt soak, and magnesium supplements. (Cleveland Clinic, 2019)
There are a ton of benefits from elevating yours legs, however when talking about the heart you should see your doctor first and follow their prescribed methods to reduce the strain on your heart.
Along with any other regiments that they want you to follow in order to strengthen your heart muscles. Again always follow your doctor’s advice first.
As we mentioned earlier sleeping with a pillow under your knees is an excellent way to reduce lower back pain and keep your spin aligned.
So, if you’re on your back, having your knees raised or elevated is a more comfortable way to sleep. It takes pressure off of the lower spine by counter rotating the pelvis. (Smith, 2016)
Well as you can see from the above list there are many benefits to sleeping with your legs elevated. But how to you accomplish sleeping with your legs elevated?
Well you have a few choices from just using regular pillows, buying special pillows, or even buying an adjustable bed.
Those choices range from nothing using pillows you already have to a few dollars for a wedge type pillow and up to a couple of thousand dollars for an adjustable bed.
If you are a restless sleeper or like changing your sleeping positions throughout the night then it will prove difficult as these leg pillows may get in your way.
On another note, sleepers new to using a pillow for elevating their legs can find this to be uncomfortable at first.
If this is not causing you pain or too much discomfort then stick with it for a couple of days and see if you can benefit from elevating you legs.
I would recommend starting with some pillow you have around the house and try a few different elevations to see what works best.
Start out with just one pillow under your legs and feet, sleep on that for a few nights and see how it feels.
You can always add a pillow or two until you get the elevation that works best.
If you find something that works then stick with it, especially if you are only using one pillow. If you required more than one pillow and your movements at night tend unstack them, then look into buying one of the inexpensive wedge pillows.
Now, if you really want full luxury then look into an adjustable bed. I broke down and bought one about 3 years ago. I will admit that the first 30 days I had buyer’s remorse because of the amount of money I had spent. Amazon sells the great adjustable bed.
The more I used the bed the more I loved it, now I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I can adjust the foot and head of the bed and even a lumbar support.
It also offers a massage feature as well as a memory for different positions. I have found it extremely useful and love the zero gravity feature (legs ad head slightly elevated).
This creates a cradle like affect and is so comfortable and relaxing, especially in the massage mode.
I have spent the last twenty-five years of my life in pursuit of a healthier life style. I discovered along this journey the importance of sleep and how it benefits so many areas of your health.
Here at VJ Pillow we are experts in all sleep products and take a great deal of pride finding, researching, testing and then writing quality reviews quality that help our readers make informed decisions.
I am an advocate for investing in quality sleep products and my first recommendation is to always look at your pillow first. If you want to start investing in your sleep then take a look at these quality pillows.
Speaking from experience I have often had times in my life where stress from work or life would cut into my sleep. I didn’t know about weighted blankets twenty-years ago.
These blankets are amazing at relaxing a person and reducing anxiety allowing the user to get the best’s night sleep.
If you want more sleeping hacks follow this link and find out some truly amazing things you may not have known about.
For the absolute best night’s sleep I recommend checking out these high quality hotel pillows, after all you sleep one-third of your life, it’s an investment in your sleep quality.
Also when thinking about sleeping, do you realize you spend one-third of your life in bed, this is way more time on your mattress than you do riding in your car. How much did you spend on your car?
Take a look at these fine mattresses and start investing in your health by getting a quality night’s sleep.
Works Cited:
Cleveland Clinic. (2019, October 17). 6 Best Fixes for Pain and Swelling in Your Feet and Ankles. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from Cleveland Clinic:
Smith, D. S. (2016, July 13). Proper Sleeping Posture To Reduce Lower Back Pain. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from Fort Walton Beach Chiropractic:
University Health Service. (2021). Back Care. Retrieved July 26, 2021, from University of Michigan - University Health Service:
Vein Clinics. (2021). What Are the Health Benefits of Elevating Your Legs? Retrieved July 26, 2021, from Vein Clinics:
Robert Frontier
Getting quality sleep is important to people of all ages and is just one of many areas of our health we need to be maintaining. When I was younger, I didn’t understand that my health was my greatest asset and took it for granted. I have spent the last twenty years of my life in the pursuit of a healthier life style. I am a parent, grandparent, author, and entrepreneur. My desire is for you and your family to get the best possible sleep and that starts with quality sleep products. Welcome to VJ Pillow.