You have probably heard that it’s best to shop for new shoes in the latter part of the day. And I bet someone has told you after a long day, “Relax and put your feet up.” There are very good reasons for both. First, is that when you’re standing for long periods of time, the muscles in your feet and legs don’t contract, which stalls blood flow and results in swelling. So if you are buying shoes in the morning, they may not be quite as comfortable at the end of the day. Secondly, when your legs and feet are tired and swollen after a long day, elevating your feet will almost instantly relax you and cause you to feel better. And you get the added benefit of decreasing the swelling that has occurred from the day. It’s also good to be aware that foot and leg swelling can be exacerbated by being overweight and aging. Why does this happen and what can be done about it? Walking around all day means the fluids in the body are mainly flowing in one direction – down. Gravity and circulation cause the blood in your legs to pool at the bottom. This can create a build-up of fluid, especially when your circulatory system is compromised by age, weight, or illness. So what can you do about it? Well given the facts that we can’t reverse our age, and weight and illness are not things that we can generally change overnight, try elevating your legs while you sleep. The recommendation is to raise your legs and feet 6 to 12inches above your heart while you’re sleeping. This takes the pressure off the veins in your legs, reduces inflammation, and helps with leg pain and back pain. You can use a pillow, a folded blanket, or an adjustable bed to get the desired elevation. Here are some benefits of sleeping with your legs elevated:

1. First things first, it can help you to get a better night’s sleep. It’s not easy to sleep well when your legs are swollen and your back hurts. Sleeping on your back with your knees and feet raised puts your head, neck, and spine in correct alignment and can help you to get quality sleep. It also puts you in the proper position for good circulation and the release of tension. When you’re more comfortable, you’re more likely to sleep better and wake up less during the night.
2. Sleeping with legs elevated improves blood circulation. While you’re sleeping your body is doing its best to relax and repair muscles, strengthen the immune system, regulate hormones, and circulate blood to name a few. After a day of being on your feet, it is crucial to let your body heal overnight. So take advantage of your sleeping time to prop up your feet and legs so that the blood can circulate properly throughout your system.
3. Leg elevation removes pressure on your leg veins. If you are starting to notice the veins in your legs, it’s often a sign of poor circulation. Start paying attention to it. Elevating your legs while you’re sleeping allows the blood that is filling the veins to flow regularly. This relieves the pressure, will make your legs and feet feel better, and prevent the veins from bulging any further, which can turn into varicose veins or deep vein thrombosis.
4. Leg elevation can prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis. Deep Vein Thrombosis occurs when there is a blood clot located deep within a vein in the body, often in the legs, thighs, or pelvis. The blood clot can then travel to the heart and cause a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism, which can heavily restrict blood flow in a blood vessel. Your chances of developing DVT increase if you have had major surgery, a bad injury, suffered heart failure or had cancer. By choosing to sleep with your legs elevated, you are encouraging good circulation through your blood vessels and decreasing your risks of DVT.
5. Helps to improve your spinal alignment. Not only is sleeping with elevated legs better for your spinal alignment, but it can actually help improve your posture during the day. Who doesn’t want better posture? Whether you have a temporary backache from pulling a muscle or from a medical condition like a herniated or slipped disc, scoliosis, or arthritis, sleeping with your knees up alleviates excess tension on the body.
6. Elevated legs can help with Sciatica. If you have back pain, it is highly likely that you have Sciatica. The sciatic nerve in your back is the longest nerve in the body and makes itself known when it is inflamed, irritated, or compressed. In addition to showing up as back pain, it can cause pain in the legs and feet, as well as numbness. When you lie with your legs elevated, it allows the curve of the spine to be in a neutral position that will alleviate the pressure put on the sciatic nerve by the lumbar discs in your back.

So, as you can see, sometimes the simple, small things can make a huge difference to your health and sleep. We want to eliminate the things that can prevent us from doing the things we love doing. Try it. Let me know your thoughts.