Proper guidance and knowledge should be given to the people suffering from peripheral artery disease. These people can suffer from leg discomfort. They may feel cramps, tingling and burning sensations in their legs. So they need to have a complete guide regarding the sleeping positions
Describing Peripheral Artery Disease
Peripheral artery disease is a condition that affects the blood vessels of the body. The arteries become narrow, causing reduced blood flow to the limbs, mainly, legs. This condition, peripheral artery disease, is mainly caused by atherosclerosis. It is a condition in which arteries become narrow, reducing their lumen due to the accumulation of plaque in the artery walls.
Plaque formation occurs in arteries mainly due to high cholesterol levels and uric acid in the blood. People who smoke often can develop peripheral artery disease at any stage of their lives. Family history, diabetes and increasing age can also be some causes and even risk factors for the development of this disease.
Common Peripheral Artery Disease Symptoms that Affect Sleep
Peripheral artery disease symptoms mainly affect the lower limbs, the legs. These symptoms can be present during the day or at night. You can feel discomfort while you are working or sleeping. The symptoms of peripheral artery disease are given as,
- Experiencing leg and calf cramps, especially at night while sleeping.
- Cold feet and Numbed legs
- Feeling of tingling, burning or aching pain in your legs.
- Restless legs
- Weak pulses in your legs
Poor circulation due to narrowed arteries in the lower limbs causes the above discomfort symptoms in the person with peripheral artery disease. And when you are in a lying position, these symptoms become worse because gravity does not play its role in blood circulation towards the legs.
Why Sleeping Position Matters for PAD Patients
Getting proper sleep and maintaining good, stress-free mental health are much needed in such conditions. It can increase or decrease your discomfort because sleeping posture plays an important role in blood circulation. While sleeping, we are mostly in a lying position, which eliminates gravity and reduces blood flow to the lower limbs. The blood flow increases to the heart and brain automatically, because the heart does not have to pump fast to circulate the blood in the body. Lying down makes the blood flow even, which is why the heart rate reduces while sleeping. So it is important to have a proper sleeping position for better circulation. That is much needed in people suffering from PAD.
Best Sleeping Positions for Peripheral Artery Disease
Here are several effective sleeping positions for peripheral artery disease that can support better blood flow to the legs and help ease PAD symptoms.
Semi Upright Position
It is also called a reclined position. In this positioning, your torso, full upper back is raised and the hips tilted. Like in a half sitting position with your legs straight. You can say there 30 to 40 degree angle between your bed surface and your upper body. In this position, the more blood is transfused from the blood vessels to the muscles and the venous return from lower limbs increases, which helps with peripheral artery disease.
This reclining helps improve the blood flow to the legs, as the legs are dependent on the heart. It helps to reduce the cramps and ischemic rest pain that is common in PAD patients. This sleeping position is preferred for PAD patients.
Upper Body Elevated, Legs Neutral Position
It is a position in which only your head and neck are elevated with the help of a pillow in supine, straight lying. In this position, an angle of 15 to 30 degrees is made between your bed surface and the upper thorax. Your hips and legs are flat and neutral in position. This position moderately improves the blood flow to the legs.
This lying position is recommended to people who are sensitive to positional shifts and the ones who have problems like breathlessness and acid reflux in the reclining position.
Slide Sleeping With Legs Slightly Dependent
In this position, the patient is lying on the side with the knees slightly bent and the feet off the bed. Sometimes the feet are so close to the bed edge that they hang down. This position reduces the stress on major arteries like the femoral arteries and allows the feet to hang, which increases the blood flow to the legs. This helps to reduce nighttime cramps and throbbing pain in the lower limbs.
Attaining these positions will help you reduce the muscle cramps, tingling and the burning sensations that occur during your sleep. These positions will help you have a good, deep sleep.
Pillow Positions In Lying For Pad
While sleeping pillow positions are important to consider, especially with the person with PAD,
- If you are lying straight, place a pillow below your knees.
- If lying on your side, place a pillow between your thighs.
- In a wedge position, place the pillow under he calves for support.
Positions To Refrain In PAD
You should not sleep on your stomach. It reduces the blood circulation. You should also avoid extreme leg elevation while sleeping because it reduces the arterial pressure. Avoid leg crossing while in supine lying it only increases the discomfort.
Best Pillow And Bed Adjustments for Better Circulation
Patients with PAD should use a soft pillow, avoid using a hard one. Choose a pillow around six to twelve inches high. Moreover, if you can, buy an adjustable bed. It helps improve blood circulation. Another option could be a wedge pillow that you can use with your normal mattress. It improves the venous return and blood circulation. It is also an affordable option.
Peripheral Artery Disease Self-Care Tips for Better Sleep
You can get better sleep with some self-care tips that improve peripheral artery disease. These tips are given as,
Gentle Exercises
It is important to do gentle exercises like ankle rotations, light stretching and a brisk walk. It helps to improve the PAD symptoms.
Warm Compression
Warmth helps blood vessels relax and improve the blood circulation in the legs. So, use a warm compression on the legs where needed.
Compression Socks
These stockings help to reduce the blood pressure in the lower limbs. But it is not used by all of the PAD patients. Use these compression stockings by the recommendation of your doctor.
Healthy Lifestyle Habits
Lifestyle changes help to improve the PAD symptoms. You can reduce the complications of peripheral artery disease by adopting some lifestyle changes. These changes may include walking and increasing water intake for proper hydration. Weight management helps to reduce PAD symptoms. Managing your blood pressure and cholesterol levels, along with stress, reduces the peripheral artery disease symptoms. Moreover, fitness and exercise play an important role in treating PAD.
When to See a Peripheral Artery Disease Specialist
It is important to see a peripheral artery disease specialist when you see any warning signs or a red flag for it. If you experience any persistent pain in your legs that wakes up while sleeping at night could be a possible warning sign of PAD. Numbness, soreness and coldness of legs also indicate something is not good. If you observe that the sores on your feet or legs are not healing fast, visit a peripheral artery disease specialist.
A specialist can perform further examinations like Doppler ultrasound and ABI, ankle brachial index, to rule out the cause and further complications. According to your evaluation, your peripheral artery disease specialist will recommend its treatment, either surgical or non-surgical. Surgical treatments may include angioplasty, stent placement, and bypass surgery. Non-surgical treatments of PAD include medications, exercise therapy and lifestyle modifications. Visiting a specialist will help reduce the risk of further diseases and conditions related to peripheral artery disease.
Conclusion
Peripheral artery disease, not treated, may lead to severe complications. It disturbs the patient and causes discomfort at rest or at night. Adapting to proper sleeping positions and some lifestyle modifications can reduce its risk of further complications. Consulting a PAD specialist is important for proper examination and evaluation.
Healthvore encourages you to prioritize yourself by improving your overall health and well-being. Always remember, small changes can make a lot of improvement in your sleeping pattern.
FAQs
Is Sleeping With Elevated Feet Bad for PAD?
Yes, it could be a bad option because raising your feet while sleeping or lying reduces the blood flow to your feet and increases the venous return that causes discomfort and pain in peripheral artery disease patients.
Is My Leg Pain at Night a Sign of Severe PAD?
Yes. If the night pain wakes you up or is persistent, it could be a sign of severe peripheral artery disease. Have a health checkup.
Can Peripheral Artery Disease Lead to Trouble Sleeping?
Yes, it can. Because of severe pain and tingling it can cause insomnia.
Who is at Most Risk for PAD?
People with elevated blood pressure or high cholesterol have a greater risk of developing peripheral artery disease. People who smoke often and those who have diabetes are also at risk of developing the disease. Family history can also be a reason for PAD. The overall condition of men’s health and women’s health also matters a lot in the development of peripheral artery disease.
Can a PAD be Cured Completely?
Actually, no. Peripheral artery disease cannot be cured completely, but its extent and severity can be reduced as much as possible through medications and lifestyle modifications.
