Why do some people sleep with legs up anyway? Elevating your legs with a pillow can help you relax while improving blood and oxygen flow to the body. This will also decrease swelling on your feet and reduce back pain.

In this article, we will address how propping the feet up can improve certain medical circumstances, injuries, and other ailments. Let’s look at how it can benefit you to sleep better at night.

Why people sleep with legs up?

Are you wondering if lifting your feet is a good idea? Most people sleep flat. Whether you sleep on your side, stomach, or back, you might be surprised to know some people sleep with legs up. Sleep experts speculate that lying flat may even cause body pain or sleep disorders.

Improves blood and oxygen circulation

Let gravity work for your blood flow. To achieve better circulation, you should lift your legs. You can even see this in yoga practitioners where they posed with legs raised to renew old blood from the feet. People sleep with legs up to move the blood up to the heart and enable a healthy blood-rich heart to pump and push nutrients all over your body.

Lessens pressure and appearance of varicose veins

Elevating your legs promotes relief because you remove pressure on your veins for even distribution of circulation to the rest of your body. By preventing blood concentrating on your leg veins, it can reduce the appearance of varicose veins.

Relieves back pain

By raising your legs, your back goes back to its natural curves when you rest, thereby eliminating back pain. The spine is not really straight – it’s actually curved. Sleeping flat can cause tension at the back. So, prop up a pillow and raise your legs high.

Prevents other medical conditions

Everyday activities pull the body down and cause sore legs, tired body, and poor circulatory push of the blood to the rest of the body. This may cause blood clots causing soreness of the feet and legs. Elevating the legs can alleviate conditions like:

• Sciatica
• Edema
• Lymphedema
• Swollen feet
• Deep vein thrombosis

Perhaps you’ve thought about how you can sleep with elevated feet. After a tiring day work, your feet need to rest. With all the walking, running, or getting up, it’s no surprise you’ll be feeling a hefty soreness on your legs. After a long day, raise your legs while you’re in bed to ease tension.

How to elevate your legs when you sleep

Now that you’ve realized the benefits of propped feet, why not try it yourself? If you want to crack a shot of elevating your legs when you sleep, you can try these ways to support your feet at night.

Use pillows

The basic way to prop up your legs is to place pillows underneath it. Wedge or bean pillows act as a better cushion to support your legs. Prop one under your knees for better circulation. However, it’s best to use thick and firm because soft and down cushions won’t hold your weight that much.

Pros:

• Pillows are widely available
• Low-cost option
• Easy, comfortable, and portable

Invest in adjustable beds

As the name suggests, you can modify the bed to prop up or lower down the lower or upper half of the ensemble. By customizing your foot elevation with adjustable beds, you can achieve a better and easier way to sleep at night with legs raised.

Pros:

• Relieves you from poor circulation, sleep apnea, acid reflux, and more
• Easy inclination of the bed with a touch of the button
• Can act as a dual bed with other sides adjusted separately
• Contains a range of features such as massage, lights, and music

Purchase mattress raisers

These are intended to be put under your mattress instead of lying evenly on your bed. This prevents the cushion from slipping when you sleep.

Pros:

• Your legs get to stay elevated despite your changing sleeping position
• Kept underneath the mattress
• Raises mattresses while you sleep in different positions

The takeaway

Depending on your informed choices and medical condition, you get to decide whether you need to sleep with your legs elevated or otherwise. If you do plan on trying to sleep with your feet raised, you’ll notice the benefits right afterward when you wake up in the morning.

If you have a serious medical condition that needs a doctor to look on to, discuss with it with your specialist and raise questions if needed.

Sleeping with legs up has numerous benefits to your health. While most people will be uncomfortable trying it at first, it’ll gradually grow on you. Why not see it for yourself?