Being stuck in bed can significantly damage your body. Human beings weren’t meant to be sedentary. Our bodies are made for motion, meant to move around and engage in physical activity.
How to do Stretches in bed? below we discuss in detail
Sitting or lying in one position for long periods of time can be detrimental to your health. Our bodies have evolved to be physical, not sedentary.
Several people might need to stay in bed for health or personal reasons. Some are too sick to get out of bed, while others are recovering from a big surgery and are incapable of moving around a lot. There are also elderly folks who simply cannot spend a lot of time on their feet.
Regardless of your situation, staying in bed for prolonged periods of time can lead to various health risks, such as poor blood circulation, muscle weakness, and bedsores. Knowing that you can easily tackle these concerns can be helpful.
The key to solving these issues is to make small movements frequently throughout the day.
Here are some stretches you can perform while confined to bed.
Stretch 1: Full Body Hold
Start by either sitting or standing, raise both arms above your head, and lock your fingers together. At the same time, stretch your toes toward the sky and your feet as far out as you can. Feel a soft tension in your body, which helps relieve stiffness that builds up after long periods in bed. Hold this position for about 5-10 seconds and then relax. Do this several times until your body feels relaxed.
Stretch 2: Hamstring Stretch
Now, even though legs have large and important blood vessels, they do not have major arteries, so let’s start by improving circulation to an area without important arteries.
While resting on your back, lift one leg towards the sky while keeping the knee bent. Grab your calf with one hand and pull it toward you in order to stretch the hamstring. Focus on slow, deep breaths while maintaining this position for a few seconds. Put the leg down and repeat with the other leg.
Stretch 3: Seated Leg Folds
This exercise primarily works on hamstrings and hip flexors; however, like any other physical exercise, it also engages core and back muscles.
Adjust your position to sitting upright with your back against pillows or the headboard. Make sure your feet are placed as far apart as possible with your toes pointing up. Slowly pivot your torso towards one leg and then towards the other. As you perform the repetitions, continue to breathe deeply. Lastly, while leaning forward, keep your legs together and extend your arms so they reach toward your feet.
Stretch 4: Supine Stretch and Twist
Begin by lying on your back. With a supine posture, place your knees in so your feet are flat against the bed. Gently pull your knees inwards towards your chest, grabbing beneath with both hands. The fetal position: knees are pulled close to the torso while the arms are circled around the shins. You should stay in this position while focusing on breathing for about 10–15 seconds. After that, rock from side to side for 10-15 seconds—you can also place your legs straight out and stretch your arms wide on each side of the body. In an upper body side-lying position and while keeping the lower arms straight, level with shoulders, bring legs together to around 90 degrees off the margin and allow them to follow your placed torso into a flat turn. As you deepen your breath, put a pause while rotating to one side, then proceed to the other. Do this procedure a couple of times.
Stretch 5: Neck and Shoulder Stretch
This exercise can be done sitting cross-legged or lying down. The latter option may prove less effective, but it is still worth trying.
You rotate your right palm sideways and place it towards the head’s side. While doing that, tilt your head to the opposite direction of your hand until a gentle stretch is felt. Wait about 30 seconds, then perform the same with the left hand and tilt toward the right side. Thereafter, interlock one’s fingers above and stretch the interlaced fingers shoulder height with your palms stretching outwards and head gently tilting back. Parts that need stretching are the shoulders. Stretch this position for another 30 seconds.
Bottom line – Stretches in bed
Spending too much time through bed rest can have diverse negative impacts on muscles and blood circulation systems by doing stretches in bed routine. But there is something remarkably simple you can do to solve the problem. The stretch exercises outlined above, along with simple movements, can enhance both your emotional and physical well-being significantly.
A medical professional must pre-approve these stretches. A growing lack of supervision can result in serious injuries or, worse, exacerbate your current condition. Furthermore, if making the movements described is difficult, do not hesitate to ask your attendant for help.
