is it healthy to sleep with your legs elevated

[buddy433]

is it healthy to sleep with your legs elevated

[Bailey5565]

I have excruciating pain behind my left knee upon standing which subsides after walking and think it is related to sleeping with my legs elevated?  (It feels similar to Plantar Fascitis pain I had 6-7 yrs ago!)

[Bhupinder Kaur, MD]

Hello,

When you sleep with your legs elevated normally,then the blood drains to the upper extremities and heart.The blood has to be pumped by the heart against gravity due to elevation.This causes heart to pump more vigorously and puts it under pressure.

Sleeping with legs elevated is advisable only in ankle edema or lower limb edema or varicose veins when drainage of blood from lower limbs to heart is desired.

Best sleeping posture is on your left side of the body in a fetal posture i.e with legs curleda bit.It is also important to change position of the body at regular intervals during sleep.

Hope it helps.Pls do keep me posted if you have any additional queries.